Preview

Access a growing selection of included Audible Originals, audiobooks, and podcasts.
You will get an email reminder before your trial ends.
Audible Plus auto-renews for $7.95/mo after 30 days. Upgrade or cancel anytime.

The Most Beautiful Woman in Town & Other Stories

By: Charles Bukowski, Gail Chiarrello - editor
Narrated by: Will Patton
Try for $0.00

$7.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $19.95

Buy for $19.95

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

"He loads his head full of coal and diamonds shoot out of his finger tips. What a trick. The mole genius has left us with another digest. It's a full house - read 'em and weep." - Tom Waits

Bukowski's mad immortal origins, surfaced from the literary underground, have addicted legions of audiences who've recognized Bukowski as one of America's greatest realist writers and poets.

OBIE winner Will Patton (Remember the Titans, The Good Wife, Armageddon) recreates Bukowski in his visceral prime, along with every eye-popping character in his life, each adversary, lover, and stranger in a lost city.

Charles Bukowski is one of America's best-known contemporary writers of poetry and prose, and, many would claim, its most influential and imitated poet. He was born in Andernach, Germany, and raised in Los Angeles, where he lived for 50 years. He published his first story in 1944, when he was 24, and began writing poetry at the age of 35. He died in San Pedro, California, on March 9, 1994, at the age of 73, shortly after completing his last novel, Pulp.

©1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1972, 1983 Charles Bukowski (P)2017 Audible, Inc.
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Critic reviews

"Collections such as The Most Beautiful Woman in Town (1983)...showcase Bukowski's impressive narrative and creative abilities in stories that most often take place in bars and dingy apartments but are not simply about sex and alcohol. They're about staying alive in a world where the only choice for the majority of us is to face a firing squad in an office every day - the post office, in Bukowski's case - or maintain a commitment to creativity as we struggle to pay for food and a meager place to live." ( Santa Fe Reporter)

What listeners say about The Most Beautiful Woman in Town & Other Stories

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    186
  • 4 Stars
    59
  • 3 Stars
    35
  • 2 Stars
    17
  • 1 Stars
    8
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    220
  • 4 Stars
    28
  • 3 Stars
    16
  • 2 Stars
    3
  • 1 Stars
    4
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    157
  • 4 Stars
    50
  • 3 Stars
    40
  • 2 Stars
    13
  • 1 Stars
    11

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

I loved it!

Great storytelling. May not be for everyone, but I loved it! Made me laugh, made me uneasy, and sparked my imagination.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Life through the eyes of your average Joe

Took a minute to understand what I was reading, but once it was realized, the raw nature of it was all a little too unsettling. Bukowski touches on those feelings that are never really voiced, in an animalistic way that may you keep reading. Not for the feint of heart, but definitely recommend

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Brilliant writing, gritty tales

I was surprised and impressed with 1st story and Bukowski's skill in narration and capturing his character. Every story essentially is about a troubled human whose life consists of sex, drunkenness, violence, worthlessness, and rarely, a terrible job.
But his writing is great.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Not really a story.

Just random unconnected vignettes. The writing is fine but not good enough to make up for that. Maybe I'm just not in that mood.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Awesome

I loved these little tales of drunken madness and sex. He combines the beautiful with the gross and it works

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Vulgar - yes.

Finding this is why I keep my audible subscription. Will Patton could not possibly do any better. Simply perfect . He embodies Bukowski and his characters. He’s so damn nimble.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Bukowski ... no one else like him

If you don't know Bukowski, please understand he doesn't give a #!:% what you think. Bukowski is like the devil on man's shoulder always there tempting you but balanced by the angel on your other shoulder. Bukowski doesn't have an angel and he never failed to embrace everything his little devil told him. Bukowski is not for everyone, but I love his authenticity and find myself laughing out loud, smiling ear to ear! and Will Paton can't be beat, best narrator on Audible!!!!!!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent narration and stories.

Not for the fright hearted or those sweetish about intimate subjects and foul language. If you can get past that, it’s a hilarious and at times heart rendering collection of wonderfully told stories. Pay attention to chapter 22. It’s as applicable today as when written.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

funny

loved it. I'm a new fan. made me laugh. will Patton was perfect for the characters

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Terrific narrator

Will Patton sounds exactly the way I imagine Charles Bukowski to sound. Excellent reading, no overacting; he makes this a great event.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful