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The Executioner's Song  By  cover art

The Executioner's Song

By: Norman Mailer
Narrated by: Maxwell Hamilton
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Publisher's summary

Norman Mailer's Pulitzer Prize-winning and unforgettable classic about convicted killer Gary Gilmore now in a brand-new edition.

Arguably the greatest book from America's most heroically ambitious writer, The Executioner's Song follows the short, blighted life of Gary Gilmore who became famous after he robbed two men in 1976 and killed them in cold blood. After being tried and convicted, he immediately insisted on being executed for his crime. To do so, he fought a system that seemed intent on keeping him alive long after it had sentenced him to death. And that fight for the right to die is what made him famous.

Mailer tells not only Gilmore's story, but those of the men and women caught in the web of his life and drawn into his procession toward the firing squad. All with implacable authority, steely compassion, and a restraint that evokes the parched landscape and stern theology of Gilmore's Utah.

The Executioner's Song is a trip down the wrong side of the tracks to the deepest source of American loneliness and violence. It is a towering achievement - impossible to put down, impossible to forget.

©1980 Norman Mailer (P)2018 Hachette Audio

What listeners say about The Executioner's Song

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Pulitzer-winner spoiled by numskulled narration

I'm not going to waste my time or yours with another rant about yet another case of an audiobook publisher's clear disregard for the greatness of a book--such as THE EXECUTIONER'S SONG--in refusing to hire a narrator who would rate even a decent job in the reading.

The mispronunciations in this audiobook are staggering. The last straws, ironically for me, came 23 hours in with SEVERAL references to the blowhard self-promoter Geraldo Rivera--using a hard G as with the word "gist" or "joke," as in Jeraldo Rivera, instead of the silent G for Geraldo. Unbelievable!

The ignorance of the narrator and the audiobook's director of the correct pronunciation of such simple words is stupefying. What a shame!

Writing a real review of the book's substance would, to my mind, countenance this type of callousness toward, and insult to the intelligence of, other Audible customers and me.

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67 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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WAITED YRS FOR AUDIOBOOK, TERRIBLE NARRATION!

I have *zero* idea what audible was thinking producing and/or buying this reading. Is the man cold reading? Is he a robot??!! Bizarre pauses and inflection, it's outrageous that I waited literally years for audible to have this title, and now I'm returning it after a few hours. The only other book I've returned to audible was ANOTHER horrendous Norman mailer reading. .....and it's not cause I don't like the story, I read them both before listening to the audio. Welp, here is another subpar offering ill be returning. PATHETIC. You have many average or poor narrations, audible. That's unacceptable. Do better!

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65 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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Helpful Hint for Those Suffering Thru This Narr

In complete transparency, I haven't yet finished this book I'm about half way through it. The story is riveting. The book is so well written. Unfortunately the narrator is almost impossible to listen to. Other reviewers have captured my thoughts about him so I won't repeat them here. Here's some good news though. If you're using the Audible app, you can increase the narration speed up to 1.25 and it's better. It eliminates the ill placed - I guess intended to be - dramatic pauses and even helps a bit with the odd voice inflections. Doesn't do a thing for the mispronunciations though. I guess Scott Brick or some of the other masters weren't available for this Pulitzer Prize winner.....???? Sooooooo disappointed after waiting on this book for so long.

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53 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Great book, weak performance

The reader doesn’t know how to pronounce many words, including famous names of people and places. Stress is put on words at random and not in keeping with the meaning of the sentence they are in. It’s almost like listening to a robot read, though he does a consistent job with voicing the various characters who are quoted.

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31 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Good Listen

Don't know why there was so much hate in the reviews of the narrator. Yes, it could have been edited better, but I think he did a great job.

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17 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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Great Story and the narrator is really good IF...

This book sat in my library for a year because I was hesitant about the narrator and everything you will read here. The story is fantastic and well written.

The narrator is Really Good IF...

1. I listened to the entire book on 1.20X and it was as if it were meant to be listened to at that speed. His voice inflection, changes of characters and southern accent for Gary Gilmore are excellent.

2. You have to overlook some REALLY BAD pronunciation. I was giving the narrator a pass for most of the book and chalking it up to his interpretation of dialogue. Most of the mistakenly pronounced words happen during dialogue in the beginning. HOWEVER, when he gets to Geraldo Rivera he pronounces the silent G like the J in "jury" I realized it wasn't his creative license. Geraldo covered this trial and execution and his name is in this book AT LEAST 50 times I'd say. I mean, who doesn't know how to say Geraldo?

So, in the end, the book is WELL WORTH THE LISTEN, in spite of the narrator gaffs. It's 42+ hours so the 1.2x speed will get you there faster.

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12 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Still 5 Stars

I still have to give this five stars despite the imperfect narration. This outstanding book is more than worth ones time and a credit. It may not be for everyone. It touches real life like no other story.The unconditional love of Gary's family is unbelievable. The narrator doesn't convey th e charm and charisma Gilmore must of had, but there aren't many Tommy Lee Jones out there. I don't go along wit the system not giving Gary a chance.He never gave himself a chance. His alcoholism played a part in him not getting away with things and not working well for long when give the opportunity. I'm blown away by Nicoles honesty. Besides her promiscuity , She comes across as not too bright and a bit lazy.Of course these are a result of sexual abuse and depression. I found myself really liking her and caring about her. All the other characters are real people I became attached. I'm not sure if this this is an anti death penalty book.I don't think it's meant to be. If so it didn't work with me. I think the death penalty is unfairly and over used. However Gary Gilmore had it coming. Also there are things worse than death.

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12 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Maxwell Hamilton mispronounces multiple words

query; corollary; piqued

And I'm only halfway through. But it's too good a story to pass up. And I have a long drive ahead of me.

uneducated narrator; shoddy editing.

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11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Mispronounced names drive me a bit crazy.

I read this one as part of my personal challenge to read all of the Pulitzer prize winners. Although it was good I cannot say that I loved it, and did not like it nearly as much as I liked Capote's [book:In Cold Blood|168642]. This one is obviously very well researched, and I appreciated that it has a very real and accurate feel. Unfortunately I thought it was much too long. If it were cut by 1/3 it would still be 600+ pages and in my opinion would be far stronger. At times I just wanted to hit fast forward.

When a person is hired to read an audiobook one of the first things they should do is learn to pronounce words and names in the book. Mr. Hamilton mispronounced both the name of the angel Moroni -- a very important name in the Mormon faith, and the name of Geraldo Rivera! Over and over and over again. Ugh!

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

An extraordinary book

This is an unabridged audiobook of Mailer's book which won a Pulitzer Prize for nonfiction in the late '70's. It's written in the style of New Journalism and is a very long and detailed account of events surrounding the execution of Gary Gilmore by firing squad in Utah. For those of us who remember this era and are familiar with the voice Mailer had given these Western speakers, the young California narrator does a reasonably good job. Local names and places such as Kanab are sometimes mispronounced. This is not a book for the squeamish.

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