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A Curable Romantic Audiobook
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(3.06) - 200 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
An epic and audacious historical novel set in turn-of-the century Vienna and Paris that crosses the lines between characters both real (Sigmund Freud, Emma Eckstein, L. L. Zamenhof, and others) and imaginary (including protagonist Dr. Sammelsohn). It's an entertaining picaresque novel that seamlessly weaves together fifty years of Jewish tradition, history, and folklore along with a wholly original take on Freud, the Esperantists, and life in the Warsaw ghetto.
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"A fabulously inventive tale, richly written. Initially, I felt I was reading a fin de siecle author and was about to embark on a straightforward and very amusing coming of age set against interesting times. The self-effacing hero, his hopeless love for an unattainable woman, his constant social blunders enchanted. Then things took a twist. At first, I was put off, thinking Oh,no!Dybukks? Must you? And then the skill and charm of the narrative grabbed me back, reeled me in yet again for a different kind of adventure, this one metaphysical at heart yet as comic as what had gone before. Easy to read, but very difficult for a writer to pull off, A Curable Romantic is well worth the time. I don't think I've read a 600 page novel so fast ever. And the last line still makes me chuckle, nearly a month after finishing it. Bravo. Encore."
— Mary (5 out of 5 stars)
Awards
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Selected for the October 2010 Indie Next List
A Curable Romantic Listener Reviews
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" The short version: Love transcends death. But this book is so much more than that: the narrator works with Sigmund Freud and his most famous patient, is part of the Esperanto language movement, finds himself in a ghetto during WWII, and then travels to heaven and back--all while his soul mate appears as new characters in different segments of his life. Skibell's world(s) are fascinating. Parts of this novel got a little long, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. "
— Brooke, 2/13/2014 -
" Set in turn-of-the-century Vienna, for the most part, this book just keeps going and going and going. Still, interesting enough to keep me reading; the book is about mysticism and love, and the intersection. "
— Gregg, 2/11/2014 -
" I loved this book. It's a big, daunting novel, but it's got Judaism, psychology (Sigmund Freud), dybbuks, Reincarnation, life in turn of the century Vienna (and Russia), Esperanto (actually, way too much Esperanto, especially when it gets into the interminable debates about how to update the language), WW2 Nazis, and even somewhat heartless angels. The narrator is self-deprecating and insecure but he really develops (thank God for that). This is a sprawling epic that is touchingly human, romantic, funny, and smart. The language and dialogue impress, and it's a huge quilt of topics that some readers aren't going to be able to process, but overall, I found it a joy to read. "
— Elizabeth, 2/8/2014 -
" I gave this book 2 stars, because I hated the ending. Otherwise, it was a good book, but it was long and to go through all that maybe wasn't worth it : ). "
— Stacy, 2/1/2014 -
" Read an ARC. What a wild mystical ride through the world of Freud, Esperanto and hasidic rabbis. A real commitment but well worth it "
— Mishmill, 1/10/2014 -
" Have you been waiting all your life to read a novel in which Sigmund Freud, the inventor of Esperanto, a Hasidic rebbe, a love-starved dybbuk and the Archangel Metatron are all significant characters? Your day has come. Such a delicious book, for those of you who like that sort of thing. I do. "
— Julie, 1/6/2014 -
" One of the weirdest books I've ever read! Some fascinating material, but then it seems to just fall off the table at the end (600 pages!) "
— Chestelle, 12/7/2013 -
" A strange apocalyptic picaresque about dybbuks, Esperanto, Dr. Freud, and the Holocaust . . . all held together by our dubious hero, Dr. Sammelsohn. Quite the adventure. "
— Rob, 11/27/2013 -
" This novel is devided into three books. My recommendation: only read the first. "
— Teresa, 11/26/2013 -
" I hope to finish this up tonight. It started out promising; an historical novel pitting Freud and the new science against an old world ghost story, but then it bogged down in an awful mess of Esperanto. Yes, Esperanto. "
— Tutti, 11/23/2013 -
" Nine tenths of this book was fantastic and then it kind of fell apart. It was a hilarious ride through the beginning and middle. "
— Sharon, 4/26/2013 -
" fascinating read. particularly gripping is the first section with Freud, our hapless narrator and his love interest/dybuuk. "
— Hal, 3/6/2013 -
" It's a gripping and playful read ... but seriously playful. The language is also extremely crafted and original. "
— Marc, 10/11/2012 -
" A solid two stars. No more, no less. "
— Alex, 7/11/2012 -
" Maybe 3.5. Interesting and sometimes amusing, but certainly not quite what I expected. A kind of tour of early psychoanalysis (expected) and Esperanto (not expected), winding its way from 1895 to World War II. "
— Cooper, 6/20/2012 -
" entertaining; a bit of a windy road and some turns you dont expect. You can also argue its two separate but related novels. "
— Lisa, 5/18/2012 -
" Love the premise, the historical characters, and the nuance of storycraft! While the ending seemed a little lackluster, the twists and turns for page 550 were fantastical and fantastic. I much adored this novel. "
— Darshan, 4/21/2012 -
" book on c.d. terrible "
— Louise, 3/18/2012 -
" Love the premise, the historical characters, and the nuance of storycraft! While the ending seemed a little lackluster, the twists and turns for page 550 were fantastical and fantastic. I much adored this novel. "
— Darshan, 3/12/2011 -
" One of the weirdest books I've ever read! Some fascinating material, but then it seems to just fall off the table at the end (600 pages!) "
— Chestelle, 1/27/2011 -
" I hope to finish this up tonight. It started out promising; an historical novel pitting Freud and the new science against an old world ghost story, but then it bogged down in an awful mess of Esperanto. Yes, Esperanto. "
— Tutti, 1/22/2011 -
" I knew I was taking a risk with this one as it's not normally something I'd pick up to read, but I was feeling adventurous. I found that I didn't like Dr. Jakob Sammelsohn or where the story was heading. It's as simple as that. "
— ---, 1/11/2011 -
" It's a gripping and playful read ... but seriously playful. The language is also extremely crafted and original. "
— Marc, 11/1/2010 -
" fascinating read. particularly gripping is the first section with Freud, our hapless narrator and his love interest/dybuuk. <br/> "
— Hal, 8/3/2010 -
" Read an ARC. What a wild mystical ride through the world of Freud, Esperanto and hasidic rabbis. A real commitment but well worth it "
— Mishmill, 8/1/2010
About Joseph Skibell
Joseph Skibell has received a Halls Fiction Fellowship, a Michener Fellowship, and a National Endowment for the Arts Literature Fellowship, among other awards. He teaches at Emory University and is the director of the Richard Ellmann Lectures in Modern Literature.
About Jeff Woodman
Jeff Woodman is an actor and narrator. He is a winner of the prestigious Audie Award and a six-time finalist. He has received twenty Earphones Awards and was named the 2008 Best Voice in Fiction & Classics, as well as one of the Fifty Greatest Voices of the Century by AudioFile magazine. As an actor, he originated the title role in Tennessee Williams’ The Notebook of Trigorin and won the S. F. Critics’ Circle Award for his performance in An Ideal Husband. In addition to numerous theater credits on and off Broadway, his television work includes Sex and the City, Law & Order, and Cosby.