<< 1 >>
Rating: 
Summary: so so boring
Review: Everyone has such great things to say about Updike. I've tried to read his works before but was so put off by the self-conscious writing that I had to put his books down. So I tried to listen to his stories in audio and it was even worse. I couldn't even pay attention for more than five minutes. In my opinion, he's overrated, and it seems that at the heart of his writing and maybe at the heart of Updike himself lies a shallowness that can't be glossed over. Some say Updike's the best American writer of the last fifty years, but you never get the feeling that you're in the presence of greatness when you read him. With guys like Tolstoy, Fitzgerald, or Hemingway you feel as though you are being bowled over by something mighty. This is due not only to their great writing but to the greatness of their inner lives, which comes out in every line. And so it's not suprising that they've left a body of work that will stand for the ages. Updike, however, always leaves you feeling empty. He writes as though he had greatness within him, but his itty bitty suburban stories do nothing. They don't enliven; they are not a joy to read; they are verbose and stultify to the extreme. If Updike is considered one of America's literary gems then that should speak volumes about the deplorable state of literature in this country. Save your money. Save your sanity. Read something else.
Rating:
Summary: so so boring
Review: Everyone has such great things to say about Updike. I've tried to read his works before but was so put off by the self-conscious writing that I had to put his books down. So I tried to listen to his stories in audio and it was even worse. I couldn't even pay attention for more than five minutes. In my opinion, he's overrated, and it seems that at the heart of his writing and maybe at the heart of Updike himself lies a shallowness that can't be glossed over. Some say Updike's the best American writer of the last fifty years, but you never get the feeling that you're in the presence of greatness when you read him. With guys like Tolstoy, Fitzgerald, or Hemingway you feel as though you are being bowled over by something mighty. This is due not only to their great writing but to the greatness of their inner lives, which comes out in every line. And so it's not suprising that they've left a body of work that will stand for the ages. Updike, however, always leaves you feeling empty. He writes as though he had greatness within him, but his itty bitty suburban stories do nothing. They don't enliven; they are not a joy to read; they are verbose and stultify to the extreme. If Updike is considered one of America's literary gems then that should speak volumes about the deplorable state of literature in this country. Save your money. Save your sanity. Read something else.
Rating: 
Summary: beautiful
Review: The person who gave this audiobook 1 star is on crack. He (or is it she?) doesn't even own it. I do and have listened to it. I've also read the Early Stories in print from which these recording are taken. Updike is an amazing author, and in truth, the stories represented on this collection are among his best, including Pigeon Feathers and A&P. I do wish, however, that they were all read by Updike. There are two other readers in addition to Updike. But this is an enjoyable, tight, mecurial introdution to the work of a master of the short form. In addition to this CD collection, you might also consider picking up: Too Far To Go -- a collection of stories about the Maples, a couple on the verge of divorce. One of the Maple stories is included on these CDs. Too Far To Go includes all but one, perhaps two, stories about the Maples. The one story that I'm aware of about the couple (Grandparenting) is included in the Afterlife and was published after Too Far To Go. (BTW, if you know where the other Maples story is located, drop me a note.) The Complete Henry Bech -- a collection of stories about Henry Bech, which includes the first three Bech books as well as subsequent material. One of the Bech stories is included on this CD collection. Most people usually point to the Rabbit books as the place to start with the novels. They are excellent. However, Of The Farm, a short novel, is my personal favorite and ties in nicely to some of the Olinger stories included in this audio CD collection. The stories on this colletion are mostly short. The longest, Pigeon Feathers, runs under an hour. But most are in the 15-25 mintue range. Excellent for short drives or walks. Pick one up. There are stories on this collection I could listen to over and over again.
Rating:
Summary: beautiful
Review: The person who gave this audiobook 1 star is on crack. He (or is it she?) doesn't even own it. I do and have listened to it. I've also read the Early Stories in print from which these recording are taken. Updike is an amazing author, and in truth, the stories represented on this collection are among his best, including Pigeon Feathers and A&P. I do wish, however, that they were all read by Updike. There are two other readers in addition to Updike. But this is an enjoyable, tight, mecurial introdution to the work of a master of the short form. In addition to this CD collection, you might also consider picking up: Too Far To Go -- a collection of stories about the Maples, a couple on the verge of divorce. One of the Maple stories is included on these CDs. Too Far To Go includes all but one, perhaps two, stories about the Maples. The one story that I'm aware of about the couple (Grandparenting) is included in the Afterlife and was published after Too Far To Go. (BTW, if you know where the other Maples story is located, drop me a note.) The Complete Henry Bech -- a collection of stories about Henry Bech, which includes the first three Bech books as well as subsequent material. One of the Bech stories is included on this CD collection. Most people usually point to the Rabbit books as the place to start with the novels. They are excellent. However, Of The Farm, a short novel, is my personal favorite and ties in nicely to some of the Olinger stories included in this audio CD collection. The stories on this colletion are mostly short. The longest, Pigeon Feathers, runs under an hour. But most are in the 15-25 mintue range. Excellent for short drives or walks. Pick one up. There are stories on this collection I could listen to over and over again.
Rating: 
Summary: Uneven
Review: Updike got his start writing short stories for The New Yorker, he is one of the most acclaimed writers since the mid 1950s but I found it hard to connect to his stories, some of em were okay but he was goin off on some others. Maybe it's due to the audio book format, I am not sure. My favorites were The Killing, Orphan Swimming Pool, The Bulgarian Poetess, Your Lover Just Called and Ace in the Hole
<< 1 >>
| 
