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A Boy's Own Story
- A Novel
- Narrated by: George Backman
- Length: 8 hrs and 57 mins
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Publisher's summary
Originally published in 1982 as the first of Edmund White's trilogy of autobiographical novels, A Boy's Own Story became an instant classic for its pioneering portrayal of homosexuality. The audiobook's unnamed narrator, growing up during the 1950s, is beset by aloof parents, a cruel sister, and relentless mocking from his peers, compelling him to seek out works of art and literature as solace-and to uncover new relationships in the struggle to embrace his own sexuality. Lyrical and poignant, with powerful evocations of shame and yearning, this is an American literary treasure.
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In 1935, six-year-old Emily Evans vanishes from her family's vacation home on a remote Minnesota lake. Her disappearance destroys the family - her father commits suicide, and her mother and two older sisters spend the rest of their lives at the lake house, keeping a decades-long vigil for the lost child. Sixty years later, Lucy, the quiet and watchful middle sister, lives in the lake house alone. Before her death, she writes the story of that devastating summer in a notebook that she leaves, along with the house, to the only person who might care: her grandniece, Justine.
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Engaging story spanning three generations.
- By LilMissMolly on 09-23-16
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The Color of Light
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At the American Academy of Classical Art, popular opinion has it that the school's handsome and mysterious founder, Raphael Sinclair, is a vampire. It is a rumor Rafe does nothing to dispel. Scholarship student Tessa Moss has long dreamed of the chance to study at Rafe's Academy. But she is floundering amidst the ups and downs of a relationship with egotistical art star Lucian Swain. Then, one of Tessa's sketches catches Rafe's attention: a drawing of a young woman in 1930s clothing who is covering the eyes of a child.
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UGH... Will the Heroine Ever Grow Up?
- By Amazon Customer on 06-11-19
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Stories
- All-New Tales
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The best stories pull readers in and keep them turning the pages, eager to discover more—to find the answer to the question: "And then what happened?" The true hallmark of great literature is great imagination, and as Neil Gaiman and Al Sarrantonio prove with this outstanding collection, when it comes to great fiction, all genres are equal.
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Something for Everyone
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Her Body and Other Parties
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In Her Body and Other Parties, Carmen Maria Machado blithely demolishes the arbitrary borders between psychological realism and science fiction, comedy and horror, fantasy and fabulism. While her work has earned her comparisons to Karen Russell and Kelly Link, she has a voice that is all her own. In this electric and provocative debut, Machado bends genre to shape startling narratives that map the realities of women's lives and the violence visited upon their bodies.
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Beautiful
- By Anonymous User on 11-17-17
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The Vine of Desire
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Anju and Sudha formed an astounding, almost psychic connection during their childhood in India. When Anju invites Sudha, a single mother in Calcutta, to come live with her and her husband, Sunil, in California, Sudha foolishly accepts, knowing full well that Sunil has long desired her. As Sunil's attraction rises to the surface, the trio must struggle to make sense of the freedoms of America - and of the ties that bind them to India and to one another.
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Vine of desire
- By Mz Shantay on 03-27-21
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The Stolen Child
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Seven-year-old Henry Day is kidnapped and renamed "Aniday" by changelings, ageless beings who inhabit the woods near his home. The changelings also leave behind one of their own, who flawlessly impersonates Henry except for one noteworthy detail: the new Henry is a prodigiously talented pianist.
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Not Anything Close to the Hype
- By Jon on 06-20-06
By: Keith Donohue
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Arcadia
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Lauren Groff’s acclaimed debut novel The Monsters of Templeton was short-listed for the Orange Prize. Her second novel, Arcadia opens in the late 1960s with a group of young idealists forming a commune in western New York State. Into this group is born Bit, who grows into a quiet, distant man. Over the course of 50 years, Bit witnesses the utopia crumble and the world change in unimaginable ways.
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Luscious prose, intimate and realistic
- By Kathleen on 03-22-12
By: Lauren Groff
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Light Years
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This exquisite, resonant novel by PEN/Faulkner winner James Salter is a brilliant portrait of a marriage by a contemporary American master. It is the story of Nedra and Viri, whose favored life is centered around dinners, ingenious games with their children, enviable friends, and near-perfect days passed skating on a frozen river or sunning on the beach.
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Unfathomable Font of Blue: Life's Serial Goodbyes
- By W Perry Hall on 04-18-19
By: James Salter
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quirky and odd
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What listeners say about A Boy's Own Story
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Donna C
- 04-28-23
Teenage Titillation
Stumbling through denying his sexuality while taking every opportunity to explore it has the story wandering around a bit, but once he figures out his appeal, he seems to be unstoppable in his quest to understand how sexuality works.
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- Kelly
- 06-07-18
I am not the right audience
I can see why this book is beloved, especially by the LGBTQIA community. I believe that Edmund White broke through some concrete walls with this story. Unfortunately it made me very uncomfortable -- not because it was LGBTQIA, but because it was a bit too explicit for me. I don't really enjoy sex scenes that are so vividly described -- straight or gay.
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- TJ Hazzard
- 07-06-21
Gay experiences of a certain era
As a gay man, I assume I am the target audience. One who lived through some of the experiences described but for me, the books graphic quality made me uncomfortable. The writing, as the experience, is also of a certain period in literature. It’s a slow pace, overly described, trite dialog. The narrator doesn’t suit the cadence either.
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- TiffanyD
- 01-18-21
Pioneering memoir/novel holds up pretty well
LGBTQ rights and cultural portrayals have changed so fast in my lifetime that sometimes the most radical of books/movies/TV shows of just a few years ago now seem horribly dated. That wasn't the case for this book, a sort of fictionalized memoir first published in the early 1980s. Certainly there are things that we can roll our eyes at these days, but this story is so matter of fact and so firmly placed in its own time and place, that while it can feel like an historical relic, it doesn't feel embarrassingly dated.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Andrei
- 12-13-20
One of the greatest novels of all time
Beats Salinger's Catcher in the rye by huge strides. Absolutely astonishing novel for anyone who is interested in the story of a young man growing up in a homophobic America. Everyone bashes George Backman- absolutely unfairly. George Backman's voice conveys urgency, neurosis and gayness of a character very astutely. Excellent reading on all counts.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Michael Jay Ruckman
- 01-21-24
To much overthinking of intellectual words
I feel the writer wanted to seem more intelligent by using so many big words. It took the description of painting the scene, making it hard to keep up with the story line. Not even sure there was a story line in the first place.
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- c seeg
- 11-18-22
Not the best
I have thoroughly enjoyed other Edmund White books I’ve read but this was a very unfortunate exception. Exceptionally boring and devoid of wit, one can’t help but despise this character. There is very little compelling the reader to appreciate this story as the narrator continues to relate every tale of his life like a sad, anemic version of holden caulfield with none of the charm or dynamism. I couldn’t make it to the end. The choice of narrator was unhelpful as well essentially relegating this to an extremely over long, whining and inelegant plodding journey that I was not able to finish. Hopefully the next book in this series is an improvement.
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- James Vickers
- 03-05-18
Alright Book Killed By Terrible Narrator
This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?
I think this book would be more thoroughly enjoyed with a different narrator or read on its own.
How did the narrator detract from the book?
Yes.
Any additional comments?
It's unfortunate that George Backman continues as narrator for the other titles in this trilogy. I think there is some great prose, constructing an otherwise okay plot but is completely ruined by the performance of the narrator.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Derek Morr
- 04-29-22
Insufferable bore
Absolutely no plot. Just a series of rambling descriptions of fantasies by a precocious child. The narrator is a quiet shy kid who doesn't know how to mane friends so he creates a series of fantasy situations, which he describes in excruciating long detail. This book was a real challenge to get through. Not recommended.
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- Tuesdays music
- 12-04-20
The upper middle class gay white man
the book gives you an honest view of gay life, but only if you're upper middle class gay and white. all the black characters are horrible stereotypes. it shows that just because you're gay doesn't mean you can't be racist. the writer has no use for anyone who isn't gay and white. it's worth a one time read just to show you how terrible gay white men can truly be.
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6 people found this helpful