Skippy Dies

By: Paul Murray

Narrated by: Nicola Barber, Fred Berman, Clodagh Bowyer, Terry Donnelly, Sean Gormley, Khristine Hvam, John Keating, Lawrence Lowry, Graeme Malcolm, Paul Nugent

Length: 23 hrs and 36 mins

Publisher's summary

This touching and uproarious novel by author Paul Murray made everyone’s best fiction of 2010 lists, including The Washington Post, Financial Times, Village Voice, and others. Why Skippy dies and what happens next is the mystery that links the boys of Dublin’s Seabrook College (Ruprecht Van Doren, the overweight genius obsessed with string theory; Carl, the teenager drug dealer and borderline psychotic; Philip Kilfether, the basketball-playing midget) to their parents and teachers in ways that no one could have imagined.

This unique production of Murray’s heartfelt exploration of the pain, joy, and beauty of adolescence features an all-star narrating cast of 16 Audible favorites: John Keating, Graeme Malcom, Khristine Hvam, Nicola Barber, Fred Berman, Clodagh Bowyer, Terry Donnelly, Sean Gormley, Lawrence Lowry, Paul Nugent, Tim Smallwood, Fiona Walsh, Fiana Toibin, Declan Sammon, Heather O'Neill, and Ed Malone.

©2010 Paul Murray (P)2010 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Hilarious, haunting, and heartbreaking, it is inarguably among the most memorable novels of the year to date." ( Booklist)

"Dazzling... If killing your protagonist with more than 600 pages to go sounds audacious, it's nothing compared with the literary feats Murray pulls off in this hilarious, moving and wise book." ( Washington Post Book World)

"Extravagantly entertaining." ( The New York Times Book Review)

Excellent production with a different story to tel

I was frankly blown away by the production value of this audio book. With a large and talented cast reading the various parts, it felt like I was listening to the audio version of a well-done play. Kudos to the cast for an excellent job. It was probably the most enjoyable audio book that I've heard in the past two years of my audible.com membership.

Now for the story...
At first I found it a bit boring or let's say, not engaging. 14 year old boys in a Catholic middle school in Ireland isn't what I would typically expect to dive into. Furthermore, having a main character die at the beginning and then spending over half the book in a rewind of events leading up to the death isn't something I would expect to enjoy either. But the wit and believability of the author's story finally engaged me and I couldn't wait to get back into it. I also enjoyed the addition of Ruprecht's pseudo-science of string theory and black holes. Lot's of interesting topics were introduced which helped keep my interest up. Of course, the memories of boyhood awkwardness and self-absorption were relevant to the plot.
All in all, it was more than interesting and it kept me reading more and more. The ending wasn't my favorite part, but seemed somehow appropriate for this "slice of life" narrative. I didn't expect the world to be saved or a new theory of the afterlife to emerge and it didn't.

I recommend this book.

Too many narrators spoil the story

Any additional comments?

I liked the story and I hated the style of the narration and half of the narrators. Every single character (and there are many) has its own narrator (although some double up). I found this extremely distracting because there would be a bit of dialog by one voice, followed by "he said" or "she said" by the main narrator. When there is a lot of dialog, it sounds like a game show. Some of the actors were good but several were not. Maybe because some had small roles, they were badly and overly dramatic and exaggerated. (I want to slap the woman who played Laurie's mother. NO ONE talks like that.) The Irish accents were inconsistent. This book would have been 10x better if Audible had just let a better narrator read the whole thing through, as is done in most books with multiple characters. The main narrator was okay, but sounded excessively excited most of the time. Overall, a disappointing and confusing experience from Audible, for what is otherwise a worthwhile read.

Get ready for a kick in the groin

Let me start by saying that the narrating cast was excellent for this book. I'm quite glad I listened instead of reading the hard copy. I'm a dog walker and listen to TONS of books on audio and the audio book itself was phenomenal.
Now I've lead with that, let me also just say that I am not by any means an optimist. I am ALL FOR any story that is dark and depressing. Let me assure you that it is through this particular filter that I review this book.
If you are looking for a kick in the face followed by a kick in the throat followed by a kick in the guts and then when you're desperate for any sliver of hope in a world otherwise awful, a firm kick to the genitals....go ahead and read "Skippy Dies"....otherwise go ahead and just read Hemingway or something else more uplifting.

Slow start but worth the wait.

Many times I almost shut it down because it seemed very hard to follow but I'm glad I didn't. The story became easier to understand and I was able to really get into all the characters.

amazing

loved it loved it loved it loved it loved it loved it loved it loved it loved jt banana we have to forgive

Outstanding - well worth the time

I'm so glad I gave myself a second chance to listen to this book - the first time I tried I was too distracted with other things and couldn't get a mental foothold. The characters are rich and real and the story lines draw you in until the momentum picks you up and carries you away. This book gives you everything - it runs the gamut - drama, tenderness, humor, brutality, sadness, action....and the narrators do a fabulous job of portraying the cast of characters beautifully. Even though it takes place in Ireland, it doesn't take much to figure out that teenagers all over the world are going through the same struggles - and friends can be found in the most unexpected places. Get comfy and pay attention - it's definitely worth the time.

Truly memorable

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Skippy's immediate death and its subsequent unwinding dives you straight into the heart of parochial Ireland. I'm recommending it now because I've listened to at least 100 books since this one, but it still floats up as one of my favorites when friends ask me for a recommendation.

What about the narrators’s performance did you like?

Genuine, unaffected accents and great age appropriate inflections.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Yes, the title gives it away.

Any additional comments?

A must.

Coulda been better

An enjoyable novel, marred by all the unnecessary readers. I liked the main reader but was so distracted by the multiple readers trying to act out every little nuance....

absolutely unexpectedly poignant

This book is not what you will think it is 20 minutes into it. It is a masterpiece.

Best audiobook performance I've ever heard

The few actors who portray the many characters in this book are just amazing. Would love to know more about them and this performance. I loved the book.