The Many Aspects of Mobile Home Living

A Novel

By: Martin Clark

Narrated by: Henry Strozier

Length: 16 hrs

Publisher's Summary

In this masterful debut, Martin Clark proves to be the heir apparent of great Southern raconteurs and the envy of more seasoned novelists as he takes us on a frantic tour of the modern South. Hung over, beaten by the unforgiving sun, bitter at his estranged wife, and dreading the day's docket of petty criminal cases, Judge Evers Wheeling is in need of something on the morning he's accosted by Ruth Esther English.

Ruth Esther's strange story certainly is something, and Judge Wheeling finds himself in uncharted territory. Reluctantly agreeing to help Ruth Esther retrieve some stolen money, he recruits his pot-addled brother and a band of merry hangers-on for the big adventure.

Raucous road trips, infidelity, suspected killers, winning Lotto tickets, drunken philosophical rants, and at least one naked woman tied to a road sign ensue in The Many Aspects of Mobile Home Living, one part legal thriller, one part murder mystery, and all parts wild.

©2000 Martin Clark (P)2015 Recorded Books

Strangest meandering story I have ever listened to

It was like I was trying to understand what the plot was through the entire book. That does not mean I did not enjoy the characters, I did. The performer did a good job, you always knew which character was speaking. I have been to the restaurant in Charleston, and it is exactly as described. Just a strange book.

fun, rambling novel

This is the second Martin Clark novel that I have read and I have enjoyed them both a great deal. (The other was the Substitution Order). They are kind of odd and rambling with likable characters. I plan to listen to all the rest of his work and recommend this one.

love them all.

Mr Clark is great. His descriptions are so incredible , he has a mastery of the mundane that is sheer poetry. I have been listening to all his books but can't wait to get hands on the written words so I can truly savor all the richness again !!

Loved this romp through a troubled life!

So identifiable and entertaining! Unapologetic and real; I really enjoyed this book and will definitely read more from this author.

Dull and far from a legal novel

I first read Clark’s latest, The Substitution Order, and really enjoyed it. As such, I decided to check out others by him. This book is presented as a legal novel, supposedly funny, but it there isn’t all that much that makes it fit either description. The main character is a judge and he falls for a lawyer, but the story doesn’t have much to do with that. If your are looking for some good mobile home park craziness, that isn’t even a small fraction of the story. Instead there is just a lot of rather dull dialogue, about uninteresting or ridiculous things, and you don’t really become invested in the story or the characters. I am glad that Clark kept going, because he clearly grew as a writer, but if I had started with this, I would never have read another by him. I don’t know if the last one was a fluke, or if the others are better than this, but I’m not sure if I will read any more by Clark after this snooze fest.

The central character is repulsive

Would you try another book from Martin Clark and/or Henry Strozier?

It'd take a lot to convince me to try another book by Martin Clark. I had no problem with Strozier's performance.

What was most disappointing about Martin Clark’s story?

For the part of the book that I listened to (the first 2 hours), the protagonist showed himself to be nasty, self-centered, sadistic and corrupt. Maybe other readers will find his behavior humorous. I did not. And maybe later in the book he transforms into someone engaging.I'm not willing to spend my time to find out whether that's the case.

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

The performance was OK.

Interesting and enjoyable!

fun book to read. it kept me wondering what was going to happen next. the dialogue between characters was funny and interesting.

Long and winding

I've been on a year through this authors books. I love them. I think this was the first book, it was good. A bit of a winding journey. I think the more recent stuff is more exciting but this is worth it. Do check out his other works though, highly recommend those

Wonderful story well told

Thoroughly enjoyed this story with its meandering plot line and outlandish but interesting Twists and turns. I do like the stories Martin Clarke puts together. It's a great listen.

Unable to finish

The author writes eloquently, but the plot simply struggles to advance. The characters are well developed and the author adept at describing everyday minutiae in fantastic detail...but the story is a slog. Cutting my losses with this one and moving to another book.

Whatever....

is the catchphrase of the brother in this book. That's what I felt about this story in that, I could have lived without having listened to it.

The main character was unlikable and you didn't really care if he got charged with the killing of his soon to be ex-wife.