Graceland
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Narrated by:
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Chris Abani
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By:
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Chris Abani
About this listen
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"The novel offers a vibrant picture of an alien yet somehow parallel culture...the mix of surrealistic horror and cross-cultural humor is irresistible. Abani is a first novelist with a very bright future". (Booklist)
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How Did This Escape Me?
- By E. Pearson on 11-23-11
By: Ralph Ellison
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Hunters in the Dark
- By: Lawrence Osborne
- Narrated by: Stephen Hogan
- Length: 9 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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From the novelist the New York Times compares to Paul Bowles, Evelyn Waugh, and Ian McEwan, an evocative new work of literary suspense. Adrift in Cambodia, Robert Grieve - pushing 30 and eager to sidestep a life of quiet desperation as a small-town teacher - decides to go AWOL. As he crosses the border from Thailand, he tests the threshold of a new future.
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Graham Greene
- By Foxhuntingman on 02-26-16
By: Lawrence Osborne
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Mukiwa
- A White Boy in Africa
- By: Peter Godwin
- Narrated by: Peter Godwin
- Length: 14 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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In unforgettable tales of innocence lost under African skies, we follow Godwin's awakening to the often savage struggle between Whites and Blacks, his horror when he is forced to fight in a civil war he detests, and his experiences as a journalist covering the country's violent transition to Black rule as Rhodesia's colonial era comes to an end and the new state of Zimbabwe is born from its bloody ashes. Mukiwa is a poignant, compelling memoir and an invaluable addition to the literature of southern Africa.
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Captivating, poignant memoir.
- By Nakaale on 10-04-20
By: Peter Godwin
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A Grain of Wheat
- By: Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o
- Narrated by: Ron Butler
- Length: 10 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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Set in the wake of the Mau Mau rebellion and on the cusp of Kenya's independence from Britain, A Grain of Wheat follows a group of villagers whose lives have been transformed by the 1952-1960 Emergency. At the center of it all is the reticent Mugo, the village's chosen hero and a man haunted by a terrible secret. As we learn of the villagers' tangled histories in a narrative interwoven with myth and peppered with allusions to real-life leaders, including Jomo Kenyatta, a masterly story unfolds in which compromises are forced, friendships are betrayed, and loves are tested.
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One of Kenya's Great
- By Afro History fan on 07-31-19
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Fragile Things
- By: Neil Gaiman
- Narrated by: Neil Gaiman
- Length: 10 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
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Marvelous creations, including a short story set in the world of The Matrix and others set in the worlds of gothic fiction and children's fiction, can be found in this extraordinary collection, which showcases Gaiman's storytelling brilliance as well as his entertaining (and dark) sense of humor.
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Perhaps a different format?
- By Karen on 11-03-10
By: Neil Gaiman
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A House for Mr. Biswas
- By: V. S. Naipaul
- Narrated by: Sam Dastor
- Length: 21 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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A House for Mr. Biswas, by Nobel and Booker Prize-winning author V. S. Naipaul, is a powerful novel about one man's struggle for identity and belonging. Born into poverty, then trapped in the shackles of charity and gratitude, Mr. Biswas longs for a house he can call his own. He loathes his wife and her wealthy family, upon whom he is dependent. Finding himself a mere accessory on their estate, his constant rebellion is motivated by the one thing that can symbolize his independence.
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Performance makes a fatal mistake. No Trini accent
- By Christopher on 01-04-19
By: V. S. Naipaul
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Oil on Water
- By: Helon Habila
- Narrated by: Richard Allen
- Length: 8 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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In the oil-rich and environmentally devastated Nigerian Delta, a British oil executive's wife has been kidnapped. Two journalists - a young upstart, Rufus, and a once-great, now disillusioned veteran, Zaq - are sent to find her. In a story rich with atmosphere and taut with suspense, Oil on Water explores the conflict between idealism and cynical disillusionment in a journey full of danger and unintended consequences.
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Entertaining and Timely
- By Lynn on 07-16-11
By: Helon Habila
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The Road Home
- By: Rose Tremain
- Narrated by: Juliet Stevenson
- Length: 7 hrs and 55 mins
- Abridged
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Winner of the Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction 2008, The Road Home is the best-selling story of Lev, a middle-aged migrant from Eastern Europe, who moves to London in search of work after losing his wife and job. Lev's London is awash with money, celebrity and complacency. The world Tremain creates is both convincing and poignant.
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OK - nice narration - good characters
- By bea on 02-21-11
By: Rose Tremain
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The Past Is Never
- A Novel
- By: Tiffany Quay Tyson
- Narrated by: Devon Sorvari
- Length: 9 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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Siblings Bert, Willet, and Pansy know better than to go swimming at the old rock quarry. According to their father, it's the Devil's place, a place that's been cursed and forgotten. But Mississippi Delta summer days are scorching hot, and they can't resist cooling off in the dark, bottomless water - until the day six-year-old Pansy vanishes...not drowned, not lost, simply gone. When their father disappears as well, Bert and Willet leave their childhoods behind to try and hold their broken family together.
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Intriguing Southern gothic tale
- By Robert Jason on 03-11-20
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Alburquerque
- By: Rudolfo Anaya
- Narrated by: Timothy Andrés Pabon
- Length: 10 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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Abrán González always knew he was different. Called a coyote because of his fair skin, the kid from Barelas found escape through boxing and became one of the youngest Golden Gloves champs. But the arrival of a letter from a dying woman turns his entire life into a lie. The revelation that he was adopted makes him feel like an orphan and sends him on a quest to find his birth father.
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Alburquerque
- By Paul Hernandez on 04-29-20
By: Rudolfo Anaya
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Gloria
- By: Kerry Young
- Narrated by: Robin Miles
- Length: 12 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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Jamaica, 1938. Gloria Campbell is sixteen years old when a single violent act alters the course of her life forever. Taking along her younger sister, she flees their hometown to forge a new life in Kingston. But in a capital city awash with change, a black woman is still treated as a second-class citizen. From a room in a boarding house and a job at a supply store, Gloria finds her way to a house of ill repute on the edge of the city, intrigued by the glamorous, financially independent women within.
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Awesome story! And Robin Miles is a star!!
- By atlfolk on 06-23-18
By: Kerry Young
What listeners say about Graceland
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall
- Andrew
- 02-15-05
Great storytelling
While I had a hard time getting into this book at first, I'm glad I stuck with it. Authors usually do a good job of reading their own books, and this is an excellent reading. "Graceland" provides an insiders look at the ghettos of Nigeria, and it's really cool to get a view of what people think of America and its popular culture (the books is set in the 70's and 80's) who have never actually been to the US before. This book will most likely give you an appreciation of a place you've never been.
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall
- Richard
- 02-21-05
Difficult listen
This is seemingly a wonderful book, but a difficult "listen". Chris Abani has a very deliberate reading style, most likely given that English is his second language. This slow style impacted my ability to stay "with it" without my mind wandering---- certainly my problem, but all listeners should be alert to similar possibilities. I may buy this one in hard copy.
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10 people found this helpful
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Overall
- Kristy
- 09-21-07
Graceland is a cultural eye-opener
I would highly recommend Graceland to anyone that wants to get an understanding of the political and social troubles in Nigeria in the 70's and 80's, presented dramatically in a way that will keep you riveted till the end. Even if you have no interest in Africa in particular this is a great story of human struggle. I had trouble listening to parts of the story because of the violence portrayed, and even found myself in tears at a point. So, if you are sensitive like me I wouldn't suggesting listening before you go to sleep. The authors writing style and narrating voice are a perfect fit for the story and really "take you" to Africa. He even mixes in a little "broken" (the nigerian version of English) to make it sound authentic. His reading is at a good pace, it is slow enough to allow me to build the story in my mind, and fast enough to keep my attention. The sample given doesn't show his style throughout the book, it's a piece where he is reading a speakers part through a megaphone, the whole book is not read that slowly.
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4 people found this helpful
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- Esperanza
- 02-10-16
Author reading - griot tradition
Maybe I missed it at the beginning, but I didn't realize until the end why the author was reading his own book rather than a voice actor. Apparently there is a separate category of griot Audible books. I had a really hard time getting into the story until about halfway through the book. I don't know if I just got used to the author's reading style, or if he got more interested in reading later. The book is great, so read it in print first. Then listen to it. Another reason for you to get it in print is because there are recipes sprinkled throughout the book.
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- Kid Doc
- 05-07-21
Disturbing
I appreciated the creative way in which Igbo history and culture was taught and displayed. But that's about as far as the value of the book went for me. I actually found it rather disturbing that the author repeatedly included episodes of pedophilia and the rape of both male and female children. there seemed to be no limit of cruelty and sexual perversion as far as children concerned. The detail with which these things were described was unnecessary and did not really add anything to the story. It was a far cry from anything I would consider good literature.
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- Emmanuel Anifowoshe
- 09-28-15
Graceland
One of my favorite postcolonial novels powerful, intricate and hilarious. Chris Abani is a true wordsmith.
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Overall
- paula
- 04-02-08
graceland
couldn't get into it, may try later
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Overall
- Judith
- 10-15-05
Too Slow for Me
This story plods along with no discernable plot. The author's reading is slowly paced making it difficult to listen for long periods of time. I found my mind wandering A LOT listening to this -- perhaps this would be better in hard copy.
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Overall
- Blakely
- 12-07-08
brutal
elvis loves dancing to the music of elvis presley. he is bisexual and enjoys wearing makeup. these traits have nothing to do with the story of "graceland," and elvis's character is not developed in any way.
this is because elvis is only a vehicle for chris albani to list the atrocities that take place in nigeria. children and nuns are raped. elvis witnesses someone being burned alive. twice. kids are kidnapped and sold for organ harvesting. political prisoners are brutally tortured. a child is electrocuted, and no one cares. i could go on. when albani can't fit a horror into the story, he just has people talk about it.
elvis's character is never developed. things just happen to him. his friend redemption tricks elvis into becoming a criminal. his father abuses him, and his aunt entices him. none of elvis's choices affect any of his life's outcomes. it seems that if elvis made the opposite choices, nothing would have turned out any differently. was that the point of the book? i'm not sure.
the author seems to make a theme of redemption at the end of the book. but who is being redeemed? elvis? certainly not. he is a consciencious kid who never hurts anyone. is elvis redeeming nigeria? maybe, but it's hard to imagine that his simple kindnesses are enough. the author also makes a feeble attempt to blame white people for the horrible things black nigerians are doing to each other, but that nonsense doesn't hold up too well these days.
on the positive side, i did like albani's narration. he speaks with a soft sadness and does a wonderful job with the voices. one could almost believe that albani's narration is the redemption of his lousy book.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall
- Kim W
- 09-04-09
From promising start to dismal tragedy
The author may have made a mistake in reading his own book. Maybe it's a cultural thing and I'm used to a different narration style because I'm not from Nigeria but I felt like he just droned on and on. Also, this is barely about an Elvis impersonator and more about a boy who would like to be an Elvis impersonator but has a bunch of truly terrible things happen to him. If it had been sold as such I would have been fine with it but it started out with such promise (and I eventually got used to the droning) and then became dark and depressing and never came back from it. There were scenes in this book which should have been pivotal moments which just felt like yet another tragedy to heap on the pile of pain and sorrow. I can handle stories like that if I am told ahead of time that it's going to be like that, but to sell this book as something which may be a bit light or have true moments of levity is not fair and made me dislike it because I felt tricked.
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