A Visit from the Goon Squad
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A Visit from the Goon Squad
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Narrated by:
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Roxana Ortega
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By:
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Jennifer Egan
About this listen
Jennifer Egan's spellbinding audiobook circles the lives of Bennie Salazar, an ageing former punk rocker and record executive, and Sasha, the passionate, troubled young woman he employs. Although Bennie and Sasha never discover each other's pasts, the listener does, in intimate detail, along with the secret lives of a host of other characters whose paths intersect with theirs over many years, in locales as varied as New York, San Francisco, Naples and Africa.
We first meet Sasha in her mid-30s, on her therapist's couch in New York City, confronting her long-standing compulsion to steal. Later, we learn the genesis of her turmoil when we see her as the child of a violent marriage, then a runaway living in Naples, then as a college student trying to avert the suicidal impulses of her best friend.
We meet Bennie Salazar at the melancholy nadir of his adult life - divorced, struggling to connect with his nine-year-old son, listening to a washed-up band in the basement of a suburban house - and then revisit him in 1979, at the height of his youth, shy and tender, revelling in San Francisco's punk scene as he discovers his ardour for rock and roll and his gift for spotting talent.
We learn what became of his high school gang - who thrived and who faltered - and we encounter Lou Kline, Bennie's catastrophically careless mentor, along with the lovers and children left behind in the wake of Lou's far-flung sexual conquests and meteoric rise and fall.
A Visit from the Goon Squad is a book about the interplay of time and music, about survival, about the stirrings and transformations set inexorably in motion by even the most passing conjunction of our fates. In a breathtaking array of styles and tones, Egan captures the undertow of self-destruction that we all must either master or succumb to; the basic human hunger for redemption; and the universal tendency to reach for both - and escape the merciless progress of time - in the transporting realms of art and music. A sly, startling and exhilarating work from one of our boldest writers.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
©2011 Jennifer Egan (P)2017 Little, Brown Book GroupWhat listeners say about A Visit from the Goon Squad
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Hugo
- 10-05-2021
Modern classic
Exceptional book which I had misgivings about at the start but was amazed at the complex world it had developed by the end. Deep and interesting character portrayals tied together by shared experiences. Probably could have a better title though.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Anne
- 26-08-2022
Better as a book
Egan's work is vibrant and respected and I was looking forward to this. However for this style of writing to work, the narration has to be equally vibrant and also encompass the voices of many different characters. Unfortunately this narration falls well short, so it becomes boring and confusing. What a shame.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 05-10-2017
Great Book
A fantastic inter-woven story that is constantly setting off light bulbs in your head.
Really well narrated, especially in difficult parts like graphs and charts.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Kirsten Crombie
- 20-01-2024
Terrible narration
I cannot stand the narration of this story beyond the first two chapters. The narrator is dull, monotone, and the nuance of the writing is completely lost.
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 12-02-2018
Incredibly hard to follow
I wanted to like this, I really did but it is hands down the most confusing story to keep up with. It is various snippets of vaguely intersecting lives jumping back and forth across decades. I found it impossible to follow and it made it very difficult to enjoy. Sorry!
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Mark Doyle
- 18-06-2022
annoying
A series of columns before being stitched together into a novel. I should have researched that fact.
Loosely associated.
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