This Perfect Day

By: Ira Levin

Narrated by: Kevin T. Collins

Length: 11 hrs and 15 mins

Publisher's Summary

By the author of Rosemary's Baby, a horrifying journey into a future only Ira Levin could imagine...

Considered one of the great dystopian novels - alongside Anthony Burgess's A Clockwork Orange and Aldous Huxley's A Brave New World - Ira Levin's frightening glimpse into the future continues to fascinate listeners even 40 years after publication.

The story is set in a seemingly perfect global society. Uniformity is the defining feature; there is only one language and all ethnic groups have been eugenically merged into one race called "The Family". The world is ruled by a central computer called UniComp that has been programmed to keep every single human on the surface of the Earth in check. People are continually drugged by means of regular injections so that they will remain satisfied and cooperative. They are told where to live, when to eat, whom to marry, when to reproduce. Even the basic facts of nature are subject to the UniComp's will - men do not grow facial hair, women do not develop breasts, and it only rains at night.

With a vision as frightening as any in the history of the science fiction genre, This Perfect Day is one of Ira Levin's most haunting novels.

©1970 Ira Levin (P)2014 HarperCollins Publishers

Well....

Reasons why I rated this as “high” as a 3* and not lower as I think it probably deserves:
1) The writing is actually really good
2) Writing a book and publishing it is not easy and anyone who is able to do that is awesome
3) The story idea is good and unique
4) Satisfying ending
5) I recommend reading despite the things I’m about to mention

Why it probably deserves less: (some minor spoilers)
1) if the main character was meant to be liked I would be shocked. He’s rude, violent, demanding, abusive
2) No way in hell would a women fall in love with a man after being not only raped but treated the way Chip treated her
3) at times I felt like this was written by a horny 15-year-old boy because of the immature references to sex and “bad words“

The reasons I finished this was because it was intriguing enough to listen to but I often found myself frustrated and offended. Also the narrator was amazing to listen to.

#unique #dystopian #amazingreader #revolution #tagsgiving #sweepstakes

Very Good Dystopian Fiction

I really like good dystopian fiction, and was surprised I had never heard of this book. It was one of the better written dystopian novels I have read. I liked the prose, the quite dynamic character development, as well as the interesting world presented. This is a pretty light dystopian story (not like The Road), and it not overtly political (like Animal Farm, 1984, or Brave New World). Some of the material is frankly sexual so may not be appropriate for young readers, otherwise it feels targeted for young adults, but was fine for mature readers. The end was a bit rushed and not fully satisfying. Overall the prose, the world and the characters were well worth the read.

I was surprised this author had also written both “No Time for Sergeants” and “Deathtrap” which were odd favorites of mine, as well as “Rosemary’s Baby”, “The Stepford Wives”, and “The Boys from Brazil” which I also liked.

A great story that has been part of my life..

I've read this book repeatedly through the years and have actually worn out three paperback copies. I found it in audio format years ago and was happy to have it, so when I found it here I had to have it again. Such a disappointment to listen to. The narrator sounds like he's on stimulants, not exactly the right person trying to portray members who are "dulled and normalized".. I regret burning the credit for this stinker. Time to find the audio version I had long ago.. Also, the main characters name is pronounced "Lee" not "Lie" Chinese vowels , a, e, i, o, u, are pronounced. ah, eh, ee, oh, oo..

wow!

what an interesting and unique story. I was not expecting the twists and the story kept me on the edge of my seat!

As a dystopia it could definitely be more dystopic

Plot-wise, it's not that bad. But as a dystopia, it could definitely be more dystopic. I don't want to go into any details now so as not to spoil anything, but this is one of those rare books that I believe should have been 50 pages shorter (not necessarily literally 50 pages, but you get what I mean). I felt that many details were nicely written and incorporated into the plot, but the general, darker, dystopic aspects of the book seem to be lacking originality. Otherwise, the book is easy and pleasant to read, at least as pleasant as dystopias go.

Good premise, but falls apart at the end

What did you like best about This Perfect Day? What did you like least?

I liked the idea behind the story, it was interesting to explore the topic of technological harmony.

What could Ira Levin have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

I thought that the end was poorly developed, after so much oversight of every life in the family it's hard to imagine that the lead character would have so much freedom to pull off the actions at the end. Not to mention he seems to care little for the life he left behind.

What about Kevin T. Collins’s performance did you like?

The reading performance is quite good, with distinguishable voices for all the main characters.

Was This Perfect Day worth the listening time?

If I had to do it over again, I think I would pick a different selection. I really enjoyed the first half of the book though...tough call.

Great story idea, but very disappointed

Started off good, but ch.3 caught me off guard due to swearing and sex (not for children). I stopped in ch.4 due to swearing. Would of liked to heard the rest.

My New Favorite Dystopian Novel!

How on Earth did I not know about this book? Probably one of the most realistic dystopian stories I've read. I could see it happening...starting to happen already... Fight Uni!

Good for listening

The storyteller, Kevin Collins, made the book interesting.

The book is easy to understand.
I think that as humans we sometimes think to know what is right.
Is it better to stay as a dummy?
Is it really better to become Lonkeys?
can we make our own choices? And what are the consequences of those chioces? What you are thaught is not always the only way.
I have some books of the author and the are good reads. This was my first audio book.

Great book--lousy Narrator

I love this story but the narrator is terrible. I am going to turn this book back to Audible. If you can come up with another narrator with this book let me know.