The New York Stories

By: John O'Hara, E. L. Doctorow - foreword, Steven Goldleaf - editor introduction

Narrated by: Dallas Roberts, Dylan Baker, Bobby Cannavale, Jon Hamm, Richard Kind, Jan Maxwell, Gretchen Mol

Length: 13 hrs and 5 mins

Publisher's summary

Collected for the first time, the New York stories of John O'Hara, "among the greatest short story writers in English, or in any other language" (Brendan Gill, Here at The New Yorker).

Collected for the first time, here are the New York stories of one of the 20th century’s definitive chroniclers of the city - the speakeasies and highballs, social climbers and cinema stars, mistresses and powerbrokers, unsparingly observed by a popular American master of realism. Spanning his four-decade career, these more than 30 refreshingly frank, sparely written stories are among John O’Hara’s finest work, exploring the materialist aspirations and sexual exploits of flawed, prodigally human characters and showcasing the snappy dialogue, telling details and ironic narrative twists that made him the most-published short story writer in the history of the New Yorker.

With an introduction by the editor, and a foreword both written and read by E.L. Doctorow.

Narrated by Becky Ann Baker, Dylan Baker, Bobby Cannavale, Jon Hamm, Richard Kind, Jan Maxwell, Gretchen Mol, and Dallas Roberts.

©1932 John O'Hara (P)2014 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"You can binge on his collections, the way some people binge on Mad Men, and for some of the same reasons." (Lorin Stein, editor of The Paris Review)

"Don Draper is an O’Hara character if ever there was one.... The stories have the tang of genuine observation and reporting.... You’re aware of how brilliantly O’Hara uses dialogue to convey exposition, and of how often his people, like Hemingway’s, leave unsaid what is really on their minds.... O’Hara [was] a master of the short story.... The New York anthology...is part of a welcome Penguin effort to reissue his work in paperback." (Charles McGrath, The New York Times Book Review)

"An author I love is John O’Hara.... I think he’s been forgotten by time, but for dialogue lovers, he’s a goldmine of inspiration." (Douglas Coupland, Shelf Awareness)

Classic for a reason

Having never been exposed to Mr. O’Hara, before I was so pleasantly surprised. His short stories were a picture into early 20th century New York. The lifestyles of the rich and affluent, the stress of the great depression, and the war. Truly fascinating, and remarkably well written. The performance of this audiobook is excellent.

Superlative Stories

Loved the book! John O’Hara’s short stories are incredible and moving. The performances by the readers was a highlight of the experience. All the actors brought the tales of Manhattan to vivid life. Award winning performances by all.

O'Hara, the real Fitzgerald

O'Hara's stories tell the truth about people and life in America. Unlike Roald Dahl, whose stories I also like, O'Hara is not invested in the sequence of 'the setup" followed by "the payoff." O'Hara's stories are organic, distilled from close observation, rather than entertainments fashioned of whole cloth.

I read it because I paid for it.

I think I said everything in the above title. I wouldn’t bother with one

. Still need more words.