The Virgin Suicides Audiobook By Jeffrey Eugenides cover art

The Virgin Suicides

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The Virgin Suicides

By: Jeffrey Eugenides
Narrated by: Nick Landrum
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This nationally best-selling novel from Pulitzer Prize-winner Jeffrey Eugenides was adapted into an acclaimed film by Academy Award-winner Sofia Coppola. A haunting yet wickedly funny tale, The Virgin Suicides has captivated countless readers with its intoxicating portrait of lost innocence. A brilliant fusion of dark humor and tragedy, it is an atmospheric, allegorical masterpiece about five oppressed, suicidal sisters and the boys who dream of rescuing them.©1993 Jeffrey Eugenides (P)2006 Recorded Books, LLC. Coming of Age Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Emotionally Gripping Witty Heartfelt Scary

Critic reviews

"Eugenides' voice is so fresh and compelling, his powers of observation so startling and acute, that most will be mesmerized....This is an auspicious debut from an imaginative and talented writer." ( Publishers Weekly)
"A finely crafted work of literary if slightly macabre imagination....A black, glittering novel that won't be to everyone's taste but must be tried by readers looking for something different." ( Library Journal)
"Mr. Eugenides is blessed with the storyteller's most magical gift, the ability to transform the mundane into the extraordinary." ( The New York Times Book Review)
All stars
Most relevant  

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes- for anyone who's watched the film, the book is a great companion with expanded detail and "flavor".

Who was your favorite character and why?

I didn't really have a favorite character, they were all portrayed well by Eugenides. I don't know if it were possible to have a favorite. You feel like you knew them well, and didn't know them at all.

What does Nick Landrum bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I've listened to all of the Dexter books narrated by Nick Landrum and I like his voice. It doesn't "get in the way" of the story.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

There was a film! Don't know the tagline, but I'm sure it's just as vague as the deep story.

Recommended Listen!

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First, I'm a Jeffrey Eugenides fan but clearly not a Nick Landrum fan. It seems that his voices for characters in the book have some life but his voice for the narrator is plodding, measured and dull. It's not that I could do better but that I found listening to his voice un-engaging.

Truth be told, some of the characters were annoying also. The parents would be crushed by the loss of a child, especially the suicide of a child but with 4 other children in the house, one would have to change, to be engaged, to draw together. Difficult of course but to throw away life in the face of 4 daughters seems impossible.

Thankfully, I've no experience with suicide in my family and it's important to consider this issue from many sides so the book is a good experience to have and it's well written, as all his stories are.

Read the book instead of listening to it

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Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

no, in my sense it is touching on a big subject in a shallow way

Was The Virgin Suicides worth the listening time?

no

little to do about much

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I found that the slow pace of the narration made listening to this audiobook a chore. I am guessing that this could be an interesting quick read, as a character study, but lacks the substance to be consumed as an 8 hour audiobook. I found that I could not keep the girls straight, and I was just waiting for them to kill themselves so the book could be over.

It's a shame, because it's such a compelling concept and I've heard great things about Eugenides. I'm going to try Middlesex even though I did not like this book, that's pretty clearly his masterpiece.

Try reading it instead...

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More gory details than expected but good story to learn from and remember. I liked how the narrator was never actually revealed it made for a good hook in my opinion

I definitely didn’t think it would be as descriptive.

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A very different perspective. I enjoyed it. The narrator was very good.i recommend it. Thanks.

I really enjoyed this perspective of the story.

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The lyrical cadence of this book is intoxicating! You’ll forget you ever saw the movie & it’s a whole new story. Excellent narrator! Very “ Stand By Me” vibes.

An absolute gem!

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I finally forced myself to listen to this book on the 4th try. I kept trying because I loved Jeffrey Eugenides previous book. It is hard to identify what I didn't like about it. I think it was the narrator. The book came across as somewhat slow, boring and depressing. The book was written by a man and was read by what sounded like a young man and yet the main story was about the 5 sisters. I think I took offense to the fact that the girl's feelings, thoughts and motivations were being told to me by men who would know nothing about their inner lives nor what happened inside their home. The writing was good, very good at times and I really enjoyed the last couple of hours of the book.
However I am not sure I would recommend the book.

Disappointed

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This story is bewitching, and filled me with love and real sorrow for some young women and the young men who love them, who are, after all, only the product of Jeffrey Eugenides' mind.

But what a mind that is. He always leaves me pondering, as the world he creates always enters my heart and stays.

Give this new classic a listen for its lingering beauty.

Jay

Stunning

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The story was hauntingly beautiful. Make sure and play at 1.25 speed for optimal performance

Wonderfully tragic

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