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Extremely loud & incredibly close
Foer, Jonathan Safran
Adult Fiction FOER
From Publishers' Weekly:
In this excellent recording of Foer's second novel, Woodman artfully captures the voice of nine-year-old Oskar Schell, the precocious amateur physicist who is trying to uncover clues about his father's death on September 11. Oskar-a self-proclaimed pacifist, tambourine player and Steven Hawking fanatic-is the perfect blend of smart-aleck maturity and youthful innocence. Articulating the large words slowly and carefully with only a hint of childishness, Woodman endearingly conveys the voice of a young child who is trying desperately to sound like an adult. The parallel story lines, beautifully narrated by Ferrone and Caruso, add variety to the imaginative and captivating plot, but they do not translate quite as seamlessly into audio format. Ferrone's wistful growl is perfect for the voice of a man who can no longer speak, but since the listener actually gets to hear the words that the character can only convey by writing on a notepad, his frustrating silence is not as profound. Caruso's brilliant performance as an adoring grandmother is also noteworthy, but the meandering stream-of-consciousness style of her and Ferrone's sections are sometimes hard to follow on audio. Although it is Oskar's poignant, laugh-out-loud narration that make this audio production indispensable. Simultaneous release with Houghton Mifflin hardcover (Reviews, Jan. 31). (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
From Library Journal:
Oskar Schell is like any nine-year-old, except that he is tumbling through grief over his father's death in the attack on the World Trade Center. As his mind races to outpace reality, Oskar sets out on the ultimate scavenger hunt through New York City to discover more about a key he finds among his father's belongings. As with his debut, Everything Is Illuminated, Foer employs colliding time lines. Here Oskar's grandparents inch toward "living" through emotional letters that release the horrors of their Dresden childhood. Only Oskar's mother remains a remote caregiver for most of the novel. Throughout, Foer nimbly explores the misunderstandings that compound when grief silences its victims. It's hard to believe that such an inherently sad story could be so entertaining, but Foer's writing lightens the load. Oskar's rolling chatter, punctuated by stinging declarations, is often welcome comic relief. Oskar is alive, and as he invents a safer world in his head and among all those he touches, he's also learning to live. Foer's excellent second novel vibrates with the details of a current tragedy but successfully explores the universal questions that trauma brings on its floodtide. Highly recommended. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 12/04.]-Rebecca Miller, Library Journal (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Foer, Jonathan Safran
Adult Fiction FOER
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From Publishers' Weekly:
In this excellent recording of Foer's second novel, Woodman artfully captures the voice of nine-year-old Oskar Schell, the precocious amateur physicist who is trying to uncover clues about his father's death on September 11. Oskar-a self-proclaimed pacifist, tambourine player and Steven Hawking fanatic-is the perfect blend of smart-aleck maturity and youthful innocence. Articulating the large words slowly and carefully with only a hint of childishness, Woodman endearingly conveys the voice of a young child who is trying desperately to sound like an adult. The parallel story lines, beautifully narrated by Ferrone and Caruso, add variety to the imaginative and captivating plot, but they do not translate quite as seamlessly into audio format. Ferrone's wistful growl is perfect for the voice of a man who can no longer speak, but since the listener actually gets to hear the words that the character can only convey by writing on a notepad, his frustrating silence is not as profound. Caruso's brilliant performance as an adoring grandmother is also noteworthy, but the meandering stream-of-consciousness style of her and Ferrone's sections are sometimes hard to follow on audio. Although it is Oskar's poignant, laugh-out-loud narration that make this audio production indispensable. Simultaneous release with Houghton Mifflin hardcover (Reviews, Jan. 31). (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
From Library Journal:
Oskar Schell is like any nine-year-old, except that he is tumbling through grief over his father's death in the attack on the World Trade Center. As his mind races to outpace reality, Oskar sets out on the ultimate scavenger hunt through New York City to discover more about a key he finds among his father's belongings. As with his debut, Everything Is Illuminated, Foer employs colliding time lines. Here Oskar's grandparents inch toward "living" through emotional letters that release the horrors of their Dresden childhood. Only Oskar's mother remains a remote caregiver for most of the novel. Throughout, Foer nimbly explores the misunderstandings that compound when grief silences its victims. It's hard to believe that such an inherently sad story could be so entertaining, but Foer's writing lightens the load. Oskar's rolling chatter, punctuated by stinging declarations, is often welcome comic relief. Oskar is alive, and as he invents a safer world in his head and among all those he touches, he's also learning to live. Foer's excellent second novel vibrates with the details of a current tragedy but successfully explores the universal questions that trauma brings on its floodtide. Highly recommended. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 12/04.]-Rebecca Miller, Library Journal (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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