Wake Up, Sir! Audiobook By Jonathan Ames cover art

Wake Up, Sir!

A Novel

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Wake Up, Sir!

By: Jonathan Ames
Narrated by: Jonathan Ames
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Alan Blair, the hero of Wake Up, Sir!, is a young, loony writer with numerous problems of the mental, emotional, sexual, spiritual, and physical variety. He's very good at problems. But luckily for Alan, he has a personal valet named Jeeves, who does his best to sort things out for his troubled master. And Alan does find trouble wherever he goes. He embarks on a perilous and bizarre road journey, his destination being an artists' colony in Saratoga Springs. There Alan encounters a gorgeous femme fatale who is in possession of the most spectacular nose in the history of noses. Such a nose can only lead to a wild disaster for someone like Alan, and Jeeves tries to help him, but...

Well, listen and find out!

©2004 Jonathan Ames (P)2006 Audible, Inc. Absurdist Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Literature & Fiction Funny Witty

Critic reviews

  • A 2004 Notable Book of the Year (The New York Times Book Review)

"[An] inventive romp. (The New Yorker)
"Ames' tale zips along, brimming with comedy and wild details, proving him to be a winning storyteller and a consummate, albeit exceedingly eccentric, entertainer." (Publishers Weekly)

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I am sure, by listening carefully, that this is a funny book and a worthy representation of P.G. Wodehouse. It is also the absolutely worst reading by the author that I have ever experienced. I always like author-read works, as who knows better what they had in mind when the words were written? Paula (see other review) has nailed all the adjectives I would have used. The story is funny though.

Paula is right!

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If you can get past the dull narration by the author(sorry!), the book is actually quite good. A modern, American, take on Wodehouse. Very funny!

Authors Shouldn't Narrate

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I listened to all of his audiobooks. While this one is not my favorite, I really enjoyed it. Especially the way he reads the book by himself. It is true that he might vocally "downgrade" his story with a not as enthusiastic style as other narrators might have. But it absolutely fits the story. His reading accompanies the absurdity of it in a way that it doesn't get silly but stays funny.

really enjoyable

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I read the previous review but bought it on sale anyway figuring, how bad can it be after all. It was bad. Then I went to my Ipod settings and changed the speed from Normal to Faster. It makes a huge difference! Much more pleasant listening at the faster speed. I haven't finished it yet but thought I would pass this tip along in case anyone else who bought this didn't know about the speed setting. The book is entertaining so far.

Speed it up for a better listen!

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To simply borrow a character as beloved as Reginald Jeeves is not enough.

there was no attempt at all to mimic the style or plot structure of PGW.
this book had fun moments, but it certainly is not N homage to my favorite author.

Go try Sebastián Faulks: he does a Jeeves story well.

not at all Wodehousian

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Not only is this one of the best books I’ve “read”, it’s even better after having read all the one star reviews which miss the point of the novel. Also, in chapter 4 there is a list of all of the main character’s sport coats which works better than ASMR to put me to sleep and therefore accordingly I suggest you don’t drive while listening to this portion.

The only review that matters

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I usually don’t leave reviews, but I saw a negative headline and felt inclined to offer another perspective. I always find Ames’ work hilarious, and wake up, sir! is no exception. An entertaining story narrated by an alcoholic maniac.

Loved it

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I absolutely loved this book. That being said, I am that type of person. Jonathan Ames is a quirky, neurotic and brilliant writer but you kind of need an open mind to really appreciate him. The main characters of his fiction books are undeniably based on himself and I thought it was especially fascinating that this book seemed to be a continuation in the adventures of the main character from Ames other novel, The Extra Man. Therefore, if you want more context for what's going on in this novel you should probably read or listen to that one first.

Take all of the negative reviews with a grain of salt. If you are interested in this book but feel wary, look up J.Ames on the interwebs and maybe listen to an interview of him by Marc Maron to see if his personality will mesh with yours.

Definitely for a certain type of person...

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

YES DEFINITELY!

I loved this audiobook, reading the reviews i feel that just like the main character, this book is misunderstood. The narrative was a bit monotone but it all further emphasized the state of mind of the main character.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Wake Up, Sir!?

Most of the moments are memorable, Alan blair is such a character, so much misfortune, so clueless , so in-denial about his own problems. His helplessness leads him to end up in situations that are just so memorable. So pinpointing a specific memorable moment is quite difficult. However i liked the moment where he discovers he may be "nose fetishist" and his whole theories and thought process behind it.

Which character – as performed by Jonathan Ames – was your favorite?

Well Alan blair has to be the favorite character as this is pretty much his story and narrative.
I thought it was funny, ludicrous and just plain hilarious. Burst out laughing more than once.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes. i finished this book over a weekend. I just couldn't put it down.

Any additional comments?

I would highly recommend

Misunderstood

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Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

No, it was the first audiobook (in hundreds) that I couldn't bear to finish. The narration was simply that awful.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

I love Wodehouse, and I really love the author's Bored to Death TV show, so I thought this book might be a perfect mix. It may well be, but not in audio format.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The narration was monotone, but I've listened to other monotone narrations (Kramer's narration of the Butcher Boy series, for example) that were excellent. No, it's just that the narration was terrible. With professional narration, it might be an excellent audiobook.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

I won't know until and if I read the book.

Any additional comments?

Apologies to Jonathan Ames for picking on his narration. His TV series Bored to Death is fantastic, and I know the man has a great deal of talent. But narration is definitely not one of them. I only wish I could have found out if writing a book is.

The narration kills it

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