Creation Lake Audiobook By Rachel Kushner cover art

Creation Lake

A Novel

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Creation Lake

By: Rachel Kushner
Narrated by: Rachel Kushner
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2024 AUDIOFILE MAGAZINE EARPHONES AWARD WINNER!

*SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2024 BOOKER PRIZE*
*LONGLISTED FOR THE 2024 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD*
*LONGLISTED FOR THE 2025 PEN FAULKNER AWARD FOR FICTION*
*AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER*
*NAMED A BEST BOOK OF 2024 BY THE NEW YORK TIMES, THE ATLANTIC, VULTURE, VOGUE, THE WASHINGTON POST, KIRKUS REVIEWS, NPR, THE ECONOMIST, THE CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARY, VOX, and more*

From Rachel Kushner, two-time finalist for both the Booker Prize and National Book Award, a “vital” (The Washington Post) and “wickedly entertaining” (The Guardian) novel about a seductive and cunning American woman who infiltrates an anarchist collective in France—a propulsive page-turner filled with dark humor.

Creation Lake is a novel about a secret agent, a thirty-four-year-old American woman of ruthless tactics and clean beauty who is sent to do dirty work in France. “Sadie Smith” is how the narrator introduces herself to the rural commune of French subversives on whom she is keeping tabs, and to her lover, Lucien, a young and well-born Parisian she has met by “cold bump”—making him believe the encounter was accidental. Like everyone she targets, Lucien is useful to her and used by her. Sadie operates by strategy and dissimulation, based on what her “contacts”—shadowy figures in business and government—instruct. First, these contacts want her to incite provocation. Then they want more.

In this region of old farms and prehistoric caves, Sadie becomes entranced by a mysterious figure named Bruno Lacombe, a mentor to the young activists who believes that the path to emancipation is not revolt but a return to the ancient past. Just as Sadie is certain she’s the seductress and puppet master of those she surveils, Bruno is seducing her with his ingenious counter-histories, his artful laments, his own tragic story.

Written in short, vaulting sections, Rachel Kushner’s rendition of “noir” is taut and dazzling. Creation Lake is Kushner’s finest achievement yet—a work of high art, high comedy, and unforgettable pleasure.©2024 Rachel Kushner (P)2024 Simon & Schuster Audio Crime Fiction Espionage Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Noir Psychological Spies & Politics Thriller & Suspense Witty
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This would have been so much better with a professional reader. The author is so out of sync with the character and left it hard to engage with the story. Felt like an obligation to listen.

Author should not have been the reader

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Sadly, the author butchers the reading of her own work with a monotonous cadence and poor pronunciation of French words and names.

Lots of interesting ideas

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It just droned on about nothing. I tried to stay with it, but gave up.

I couldn’t bother to finish it.

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The book is too wordy, but the worst problem is the reader. I don’t know what the author was thinking! She is not a good narrator. I’ve read that her other novels are better, but when I saw that she narrated them, too, I crossed them off my wish list.

Next time, please hire a professional narrator

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There is actual story within the book. It is only the author’s ramblings on her perception of the world

Lack of a story

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This book has gotten all kinds of praise and I think I understand why, but the author should NOT have been the reader. I have struggled to come up with a way to describe her narration. She uses a narrow range of tones, not monotone, but almost sing-song. I found it annoying and almost painful to listen to. I would recommend reading this book, not listening to this audio version.

The Author Should Not Have Narrated

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Unless you are an actor writing a book, please for the love of God, don’t narrate your own work. The lack of intonation is so irritating, i found myself annoyed listening to this book that i am sure I would’ve loved if I had read it

Please, Authors, don’t narrate your own book.

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I'm not sure why the author chose to read this novel. Not a great performance.

Should not have been read by the author

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A truly narcissistic unlikable main character who seemed unable to have emotional attachment to any others in her life could have been interesting but just wasn’t. It made me feel despondent.

Tedious plot line, I kept thinking it would pick up pace but never did.

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Regardless of how well written a novel is, a miscast narrator can ruin it. Assuming that because one writes it they will be good at narrating it is a misstep in my opinion. It requires a trained actor to avoid it being an annoying snoozefest. Could not get past the monotony of this author's reading style to enjoy the book.

Why Author's Shouldn't Narrate Their Own Novels

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