Utopia Avenue

A Novel

By: David Mitchell

Narrated by: Ralph Lister

Length: 25 hrs and 16 mins

Publisher's summary

New York Times Best Seller

The long-awaited new novel from the best-selling, prize-winning author of Cloud Atlas and The Bone Clocks.

New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice

“Mitchell’s rich imaginative stews bubble with history and drama, and this time the flavor is a blend of Carnaby Street and Chateau Marmont.” (The Washington Post)

“A sheer pleasure to read...Mitchell’s prose is suppler and richer than ever.... Making your way through this novel feels like riding a high-end convertible down Hollywood Boulevard.” (Slate)

Named One of the Best Books of the Year by The Washington Post • NPR • USA Today • The Guardian • The Independent • Kirkus Reviews • Men’s Health • PopMatters

Utopia Avenue is the strangest British band you’ve never heard of. Emerging from London’s psychedelic scene in 1967, and fronted by folk singer Elf Holloway, blues bassist Dean Moss and guitar virtuoso Jasper de Zoet, Utopia Avenue embarked on a meteoric journey from the seedy clubs of Soho, a TV debut on Top of the Pops, the cusp of chart success, glory in Amsterdam, prison in Rome, and a fateful American sojourn in the Chelsea Hotel, Laurel Canyon, and San Francisco during the autumn of ’68.

David Mitchell’s kaleidoscopic novel tells the unexpurgated story of Utopia Avenue’s turbulent life and times; of fame’s Faustian pact and stardom’s wobbly ladder; of the families we choose and the ones we don’t; of voices in the head, and the truths and lies they whisper; of music, madness, and idealism. Can we really change the world, or does the world change us?

©2020 David Mitchell (P)2020 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"Narrator Ralph Lister exuberantly conveys the psychedelic music scene of 1967-68.... An impressive chronicle of music and phenomena like the Vietnam War, hippies, and hallucinogens make audio the advisable listening choice." (AudioFile magazine)

Fun story if you live sixties history and music

I have to make this a quick review so I will just sayi I loved this book and the audiobook aspects which were added such as brief musical introductions to each section to frame the musical styles used by the band. I think you will especially enjoy this if you are a fan of sixties music, remember the era itself, or are a Mitchell fan and have read his past novels. But even if none of those are true I’d recommend giving this a try since for me just the development of the characters in that stage of young adulthood where you come to grips with life and “ adulting” in many ways was enjoyable. The narrator did a great job voicing each of them. For Mitchell fans there are various brief appearances of characters and themes from other books. I was nonplussed at the reappearance if the Bone Clocks supernatural story but it was tangential enough time not ruin the rest of it. My favorite Mitchell reappearing theme is a small one; a grey cat. The cat appears here too and a character remarks “ that cat is no mans cat. She comes. She goes”. Anyway, I really enjoyed this audiobook.

Narrator

I can’t listen to this awful narrator. I keep wanting him to clear his throat. Don’t listen, read this book. I'm so disappointed, Mitchell is an excellent writer, couldn't they find a better narrator . The rest of his books are great listens, this is a stinker .

Utopian!

I've loved this book!

I have recommended this book to a young reader, a student of mine. I wish I could have their feedback in this review... as much as I wish Utopia Avenue was a real band!

Great story, horrible narration

I really like the story, but I gave up in chapter 4 or 5. The narrator has a great voice, but he tries the "voice acting" too hard. Nobody in the story speaks plain ENglish, everyone gets a "local accent". But the only accent the narrator manages to "create" is an English working-class accent. That means that every English bloke in the story speaks with the same Hooligan voice, even non-fictionary figures like David Bowie, Mark Bolan, Syd Barrett - you name it. If you ever listened to an interview with Bowie, you know that he spoke with a posh English schoolboy accent. It is literally unbearable to listen to it. And don't get me started on ANY other accents: American English, Australian, and last not least German. It's so bad, it hurts to listen to it. Which is good for amazon, because now I have to buy the Kindle version ;-)

Horrible narrator

Read this, don’t listen to it. I had to give up the audio because the narrator was so grating

My new favorites band. Great Story, Great Narrator

I thoroughly enjoyed this book about a British band in the 60’s climbing the musical ladder and encountering many of the iconic musicians of the time. Mitchell fans will appreciate the references to several of his other books and characters.

A quick note about the narrator. I think Ralph Lister did an amazing job bringing the characters to life and presenting the story flawlessly. There are some other comments about the narrator not so glowing. I know that it can be a personal preference so listen to the sample and see if it works for you. I almost didn’t get this book because of those comments and glad I went for it. It would be sad if David Mitchell fans past this up because of those reviews.

Between the story and the narration I could almost hear the music of Utopia Avenue. It made me want to start a band.

sex drugs & Rock&Roll Turn 50

This was is an epic story if the times and the people who turned a generation loose and still promote and revive the freedom and exploration that keep us alive and growing. extraordinary and creative work from one of my favorite authors. This was and is the story of my generation of which I am very fond of.

A near masterpiece

Utopia Avenue is nothing short of miraculous. David Mitchell is a master. He's a wizard with words and plays with high and low emotions better than any other author I can think of.

The story, characters, setting and content are all phenomenal, especially for fans of music of any era.

Ralph Lister's performance is mind-blowing. Sure, some of his American accents aren't perfect but give me a break. *Some* of his American accents aren't great. The man does about 50 different distinct voices of men, women and children with at least a two dozen different accents from six or seven countries.

So why only four stars with such a glowing review? Well, it was a little too long, there were too many actions without due consequences and I didn't love the ending. I didn't hate the ending, but would've preferred it went a different direction.

All that said, for fans of superb writing, music, and a unique time period, Utopia Avenue is a must read/listen.

Thoroughly Enjoyable 70's Flashback

Long on detail this chronicle of late 60's and early 70's rise of an unlikely British band has just the right amount of pathos and endearing characters to sustain the story. This is a straight up love letter to the period, but without the high fantasy of The Bone Clocks or labyrinthian structure of Cloud Atlas. Still, Mitchell's writing and wry sense of humor makes every word a luscious treat.

Narrator Ralph Lester does an adequate job, but needs work on characterizations. The subtle differences of different British dialects are well represented, but Lester does a poor job with female voices. His performance of American and Canadian dialects all sound like a cartoon take on a New York accent.

I love his writing, however....

David Mitchell is an extraordinary writer, and I was so excited he has published another book. I feel for the narrator, there are lots of characters with many different accents, a tall order. However, this should never have been commissioned with only one. It at the very least needs a female voice. My review is based on the execution of the narration, not the book. And not even the fault of the narrator. There were several voices he did really well, but it was too much to think he should/could do 25 different voices in one book. Sorry David Mitchell. Till next time....