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The Feral Detective
The Feral Detective: A Novel | Jonathan Lethem
One of Americas most brilliant writers. Washington Post Phoebe Siegler first meets Charles Heist in a shabby trailer in the desert outside of Los Angeles. Shes on a quest to find her friends missing daughter, Arabella, and hears that Heist is preternaturally good at finding people who dont want to be found. A loner who keeps his pet opossum in a desk drawer, Heist has a laconic, enigmatic nature that intrigues the sarcastic and garrulous Phoebe. It takes some convincing, but he agrees to help. The unlikely pair traverse Californias stunning Inland Empire, navigating the enclaves of hippies and vagabonds who aim to live off the grid. They learn that these outcasts exist in warring tribesthe Rabbits and the Bearsand that Arabella is likely caught in the middle. As Phoebe tries to delicately extricate her, she realizes that Heist has a complicated history with these strange groups and that theyre all in grave danger. Jonathan Lethems first detective novel since Motherless Brooklyn delivers the same memorable delights: ecstatic wordplay, warm and deeply felt characters, and an offbeat sense of humor. Combined with a vision of California that is at once scruffy and magnificent, The Feral Detective emerges as a transporting, comic, and absolutely unforgettable novel.
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Hooked_on_books
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Bailedbailed

The Writer‘s Library starts with an interview with Lethem and its great. This book came up, so I thought I‘d give it a try. I gave up at the 20% mark. The audiobook is awful but, honestly, I don‘t think I would have continued in print, either.

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JoyBlue
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Bailedbailed

I bailed because of the horrible narrator, but other Litsy reviews make me wonder if I would have anyway. I'll try to put further explanation in the comments. [Litsy isn't playing nice with me today.]

JoyBlue In my experience, authors who read their own work are horrible at narration! Most of the exceptions to that rule are actors—including, but not limited to, Billy Crystal, Steve Martin, and Ellen DeGeneres. [A couple of non-actor authors who read their own books with wild success, IMHO, are Neil Gaiman and Jill Conner Browne.] [more] 4y
JoyBlue My assumption from my experience so far has been that actors are well-suited to book narration because of their vocal and acting training. [more] 4y
JoyBlue This is narrated by Zosia Mamet—an actor in movies/TV shows I don't watch. She. Is. The. Worst. I've now learned about vocal fry. I'm not sure that's her only problem in this narration. I just know that she is almost completely unintelligible most of the time, and that her voice is horrifically monotonous all of the time. Most reviewers agree (now that I've checked because I'm so frustrated about it). [more] 4y
JoyBlue I saw one reviewer who thinks she's the perfect narrator *for this book* for the same reason most of us can't stand her narration. Increasing the playback speed is not a sufficient remedy. I started at 1.5 (almost always a safe speed for my processing), then moved to 1.85, and am now at 2.0. [more] 4y
JoyBlue I'm bailing on the book solely because of the bad narration. Practically, if I choose to bail, it is unlikely that I will ever finish the book because I have so little time to devote to reading with my eyes. Reading with my ears allows me to read while grooming, traveling, doing housework, etc. 4y
42 likes5 comments
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Whodunit85
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I cannot recall the last time a novel made me feel so.... stupid. I am really struggling with this one.

NeedsMoreBooks Pretty bookmark 😍 4y
53 likes2 comments
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Nebklvr
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Panpan

Started out feeling like old-fashioned noir, then planted info about 2016 election to nail down timeline. It felt shallow. Violence, sex, and neanderthals aren‘t what I was looking for but thanks. Also, some of the actions taken by a severely wounded man would be medically impossible.

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Nebklvr
Feral Detective | Jonathan Lethem
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I hope this gets better. So far, the tone doesn‘t fit the time. Also, it is trying to be quirky and edgy at the same time and failing.

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KarmonR
Bailedbailed

I didn‘t get far into this book before I bailed. The characters‘ behavior was off putting from the start, and I couldn‘t imagine spending with them.

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charl08
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Pickpick

Heroine goes looking for a runaway in off the grid desert communities.

Smrloomis Huh 🤨 This gets a low rating among Littens but it sounds pretty fantastic. Have you finished it? Would you recommend it? 5y
charl08 I like dark, off-beat narrators, this definitely worked for me - a quick read. 5y
charl08 @Smrloomis I always forget to retag! 5y
47 likes3 stack adds3 comments
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charl08
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Ha!

32 likes1 stack add
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karajay
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1. Libra ♎
2. Getting an increase at work! 💰
3. Tagged is my most recent
4. Book club actually!
5. @BoleyBooks @BooksbyBJThompson @MirandaLeighBee 👋

@howjessreads #friyayintro

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karajay
Bailedbailed

I tried. I really did. I just couldn't connect. The dialogue upset me instead of engaging me. The main character foot on my nerves. I am sure there are people who love this book, but I wasnt one of them.

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karajay
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Love that my boyfriend loves reading with me. Took sometime yesterday to hit a brewery and read together.

8 likes1 stack add
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karajay
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1. Got this one in a giveaway, so I'm giving it a shot. 📖
2. May be going to a concert tomorrow, definitely going to a brewery event Saturday and our traditional family lunch Sunday 🍀🍀
3. My sister did once and I've been jealous ever since
4. No
5. @kricheal 👋

@wanderinglynn #hellothursday

wanderinglynn Thanks for playing! 🍀 5y
7 likes1 comment
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Abby2
Feral Detective | Jonathan Lethem
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Pickpick

This was weird and I liked it. He has a masterful grasp of the absurd. The lemur has nothing to do with the book but I had fun petting it.

wordzie ❤💝 5y
10 likes1 comment
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Decalino
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Panpan

I love other Jonathan Lethem books, but this one left me cold. Likeability isn't mandatory in a protagonist, but Phoebe, the narrator of this story, was so self-absorbed, irritating, and blabbermouthed that I just wanted it all to be over, already. Which is too bad, because taking her out of the equation, the story of a missing college student, an enigmatic detective, and opposing bands of desert survivalists might have been an interesting one.

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PNWBookseller85
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One of the best parts of a bookseller‘s job is seeing titles that I‘ve read and loved come into the shop for the first time. Here are two of my favorites this year. Please ignore the grumpy, uncomprehending review of Feral Detectives in the NYTimes. The Washington Post got it right though.

84 likes1 stack add
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Jason7
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Pickpick

I‘ve had some good luck with my last few audiobook selections. The Feral Detective is a great story. It‘s original and smart yet dark and consuming. If you like stories of the bizarre, listen to this one. I‘ve listened to over 70 audiobooks this year, and The Feral Detective makes its case for the top spot. Don‘t give up on the narrator. It takes a moment to get used to her style, but she‘s fantastic. Overall rating: 4.76 stars

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JohnnyUtah915
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Currently devouring. Loving it so far. I have sorely missed crime fiction Lethem

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Mitch
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Motherless Brooklyn out as a movie next year...that and the desert and how things changed after the election... Book comes out Tuesday

https://ew.com/books/2018/11/02/jonathan-lethem-feral-detective-interview/

Gaylagal2 Looking forward to this one🤓 5y
Mitch @Gaylagal2 me too! 5y
59 likes2 comments
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PNWBookseller85
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Pickpick

The only complaint I have about this book is that his female main character‘s word choice felt too masculine. But otherwise, this book rocks. I laughed out loud multiple times. It‘s so smart and layered while also just being really fun. Out in November.

79 likes3 stack adds
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e-monk
Mehso-so

Lethem seems to like dabbling in various genres and borrowed voices, Dissident Gardens sort of reminded me of Doctorow‘s Book of Daniel this one has a bit of Inherent Vice to it maybe?

RaimeyGallant Sounds interesting. And welcome to Litsy! #LitsyWelcomeWagon Some of us put together Litsy tips to help new Littens navigate the site. It's the link in my bio on my page in case you need it. Or if you prefer how-to videos, @chelleo put some together at the link in her bio. @LitsyWelcomeWagon 6y
Eggs Welcome to Litsy 👋🏻👋🏻 6y
Chelleo Hi and welcome 🤗 6y
9 likes4 comments