Play Audiobook Sample
A Diet of Treacle Audiobook
Play Audiobook Sample
(2.99) - 290 listener ratings
Quick Stats About this Audiobook
Total Audiobook Chapters:
Longest Chapter Length:
Shortest Chapter Length:
Average Chapter Length:
Audiobooks by this Author:
Publisher Description
Anita Carbone was a good girl—and it bored her. That’s why she took the long subway ride down to Greenwich Village, home of the Beats and the stoners, home to every kind of misfit and dropout and free spirit you could imagine. It was where she met Joe Milani, the troubled young war veteran with the gentle touch. But it was also where she met his drug-dealing roommate—a man whose unnatural appetites led to murder …
Download and start listening now!
"Man, oh, man, I really dig this Larry Block cat. Not only does he once again deliver prime pulp crime, but prime pulp crime in a beat hipster wasteland, no less. Fast-talking lowlifes, hop parties, and coffee-house prose, you dig? And then there's that ending... crazy, man, crazy. "
— John (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
-
“A potboiler morality play at its finest…will give readers the delicious (and all-too-rare) feeling that anything could happen.”
— Publishers Weekly -
“Outstanding presentation”
— AudioFile -
“No matter if he’s being dead serious or playing it for laughs, Block is always a great read.”
— Library Journal -
“Like the best of the pulpers, Block writes out of the side of his mouth…slipping in a few body blows that draw real emotion.”
— Booklist
A Diet of Treacle Listener Reviews
-
" This is the fourth Lawrence Block novel that Hard Case Crime has rescued from oblivion, and the second that they have pulled from the morass of sleaze paperback publisher Beacon Books. The first three titles, Grifter's Game (1961; originally Mona), The Girl with the Long Green Heart (1965), and Lucky at Cards (1964; originally The Sex Shuffle) were well worth saving. Unforunately, A Diet of Treacle (1961; originally Pads Are for Passion) is a much inferior work. The early stages of the novel, which deal largely with beat ennui, are predictably tedious; the character arc of good girl Anita Carbone is not particularly believable; and the book's quick ending all but screams, "Hey, I've almost made my word count! Time to wrap this one up!" Memo to Hard Case Crime: This well appears to have run dry. Is it too late for you to un-publish Killing Castro and give some other writer a chance? "
— David, 2/3/2014 -
" Kind of a slow setup and then with a rushed ending. A lot of it reads like "Reefer Madness" or something. "
— Patrick, 1/19/2014 -
" Drug deals lead to murder after a beautiful college student gets involved with a stoner and his sociopathic roommate in 1960s Greenwich Village, in this classic tale by Block, published for the first time in almost 50 years. Original. "
— Eddy, 12/28/2013 -
" Interesting hip marijuana-laced book noir. "
— Michelle, 12/16/2013 -
" A treat. A 1961 pulp exploitation novel - beatniks, drugs, sex, violence - that's actually well-written, or at least not cringe-inducing like this stuff usually is. "
— Remy, 12/9/2013 -
" Well, even a 'bad' Block book is better than most. Clearly an honest attempt that should be read in the context of a still developing author. Engrossing, but awkward at times. "
— Bosley, 12/8/2013 -
" A beatnik, a hoodlum and a square share an apartment on St. Marks Place with disastrous results. Lots of retro 50s fun. Published in 1961 and one of the earliest Block novels, this is a quick and easy read that delivers kicks! "
— Larry, 12/2/2013 -
" From 1961. Lots of hipster talk. Has the strong dialogue Block writes. "
— Alan, 11/21/2013 -
" Bizarre book for me being a square child of the 70's. "
— Leah, 10/24/2013 -
" While the character building is very good, it takes SO LONG for the story to get moving it doesn't read like the other breakneck pace Hard Case Crime books. It reads like a mid 50's exploitation movie on paper rather than a true crime novel. "
— Solitairerose, 10/14/2013 -
" I'm a huge Lawrence Block fan, but just didn't enjoy this as much as some others I've read. "
— Paige, 9/17/2013 -
" Typical entry in the Greenwich Village hipster sleaze genre "
— Jeffrey, 4/14/2013 -
" Hard Case Crime #39, written in 1961 by grandmaster Block. "
— Bradley, 2/3/2013 -
" Sleazy dope peddler story with beatnik setting, moves briskly with sex(orgies and rape!), drugs and violence. Good stuff. "
— Andy, 11/12/2012 -
" A fun Beat novel about the inertia of hipsters on the make in Greenwhich Village without the pretentious bullshit. "
— Jeffrey, 10/30/2012 -
" THis book made me grit my teeth. I didn't like it. "
— Pam, 10/27/2012 -
" Very early Block. A curio for Block fans, a well told noir for Hard Case fans. "
— Jim, 9/22/2012 -
" In keeping with the genre. Top notch writing as expected from Block. Guess I am rating the genre really. "
— Fanofmirth, 7/2/2012 -
" Set back in the day, when Greenwich Village was seedy! "
— Elijah, 11/30/2011 -
" Not his best, but a quick and mildly entertaining read. "
— Librarymary, 7/28/2011 -
" This is clearly juvenilia, but honestly the worst thing i've ever read written by mr. block. usually the hard case crime imprimatur is a sign of highly enjoyable work. no so in this case. The hipster drug-speak was hilarious, however. "
— Patti, 6/15/2011 -
" delightfully dated take on drug use "
— Patrick, 5/6/2011 -
" Man, oh, man, I really dig this Larry Block cat. Not only does he once again deliver prime pulp crime, but prime pulp crime in a beat hipster wasteland, no less. Fast-talking lowlifes, hop parties, and coffee-house prose, you dig? And then there's that ending... crazy, man, crazy. "
— John, 5/3/2011 -
" From 1961. Lots of hipster talk. Has the strong dialogue Block writes. "
— Alan, 2/5/2011 -
" Hard Case Crime #39, written in 1961 by grandmaster Block. "
— Bradley, 2/16/2010 -
" Very early Block. A curio for Block fans, a well told noir for Hard Case fans. "
— Jim, 10/4/2009 -
" THis book made me grit my teeth. I didn't like it. "
— Pam, 6/20/2009 -
" While the character building is very good, it takes SO LONG for the story to get moving it doesn't read like the other breakneck pace Hard Case Crime books. It reads like a mid 50's exploitation movie on paper rather than a true crime novel. "
— Solitairerose, 3/5/2009 -
" Bizarre book for me being a square child of the 70's. <br/> "
— Leah, 1/22/2009 -
" Typical entry in the Greenwich Village hipster sleaze genre "
— Jeffrey, 1/3/2009 -
" Interesting hip marijuana-laced book noir. "
— Michelle, 12/4/2008 -
" A beatnik, a hoodlum and a square share an apartment on St. Marks Place with disastrous results. Lots of retro 50s fun. Published in 1961 and one of the earliest Block novels, this is a quick and easy read that delivers kicks! "
— Larry, 9/10/2008 -
" Sleazy dope peddler story with beatnik setting, moves briskly with sex(orgies and rape!), drugs and violence. Good stuff. "
— Andy, 3/17/2008
About Lawrence Block
Lawrence Block is the recipient of a Grand Master Award from the Mystery Writers of America and a New York Times bestselling author. His prolific career spans over one hundred books, including four bestselling series and dozens of short stories and articles. He has won multiple Edgar, and Shamus awards, two Falcon Awards from the Maltese Falcon Society of Japan, the Nero and Philip Marlowe Awards, the Cartier Diamond Dagger from the Crime Writers Association of America, and many others. Aside from being a mystery writer, he has also written a number of episodes for television, including two episodes of the ESPN series Tilt; he also cowrote the screenplay for the film My Blueberry Nights, starring Norah Jones. Block currently lives in New York City with his wife, Lynne.
About Christian Conn
Christian Conn is a classically trained actor. He has performed on stage in theaters across the United States and internationally at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. His audiobook narrations include Roddy Doyle’s Oh, Play That Thing and Charlie Huston’s Six Bad Things and Caught Stealing. He earned a BFA from Rutgers University and studied at the London Academy of Theatre. Christian lives and works in New York City.