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A Fraction of the Whole Audiobook
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(3.01) - 5,038 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Steve Toltz's exceptional debut has drawn favorable comparisons to the work of New York Times best-selling author Jonathan Safran Foer. Stewing in an Australian prison, Jasper Dean reflects on his relationship with his dead father and recounts the many zany adventures they shared together. "... comic drive and Toltz's far-out imagination carry [this] epic story ..." -Publishers Weekly, starred review
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"For those who think this novel is too long, those are Toltz trying to write for. Toltz is very charming in vividly elaborating what a self-proclaimed philosopher is thinking about. I have never read so many things that are exactly in my mind but never be able to say it out loud in one book. He is scary yet so honest in the same time. This is not the book you want to read in one seat because you need to think and re-think about what he means, what he is saying and the examples that are happening even when we read it. Yes it can be so tiring reading when you are not in your best mental state, but that's because he's putting a lot of reflections if not facts that we know are accurate. And sometimes we laugh and get a little bit irritated because we have become a part of it! I have to declare that Toltz is on my best thinker in the modern era."
— Cornellia (5 out of 5 stars)
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“First novels these days too seldom dare to raise their voices above an elegant whisper or an ironic murmur. Not so A Fraction of the Whole, a riotously funny first novel that is harder to ignore than a crate of puppies, twice as playful and just about as messy. This is not a book to be read so much as an experience to be wallowed in. Mr. Toltz’s merry chaos—a mix of metaphysical inquiry, ribald jokes, freakish occurrences and verbal dynamite booming across the page–deserves a place next to A Confederacy of Dunces in a category that might be called the undergraduate ecstatic. A Fraction of the Whole is a sort of Voltaire-meets-Vonnegut tale.”
— Wall Street Journal -
“Rollicking…laugh-out-loud funny.”
— Entertainment Weekly -
“A sprawling, dizzying debut…Comic drive and Steve Toltz’s far-out imagination carry the epic story…a nutty tour de force.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review)
A Fraction of the Whole Listener Reviews
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" This book is heavy! "
— Randa, 2/18/2014 -
" A shaggy dog story with great observations and very funny in parts. But... it is far too long, maybe twice as long as it needed to be; and the last section feels less well considered than the rest of the book, like the author just wanted to finish it. That's how I felt by the end. "
— Mark, 2/10/2014 -
" This is my favorite book of all time! "
— Ruth, 1/19/2014 -
" Absolutely loved this "
— Rich, 1/4/2014 -
" Read this book! It is a little longer than it needs to be, but is hilarious. "
— Claire, 12/24/2013 -
" Now absolutely one of my favorite books.... "
— wanderaven, 12/24/2013 -
" Wouldn't know where to start in describing this book - just read it! "
— Jane, 12/10/2013 -
" I can hardly believe this is Steve Toltz' first book. It is amazing. Funny, weird, philosophical, quirky. It's so much more and one I'll be reading again. Highly recommend. "
— Pam, 12/7/2013 -
" truly an adventure. "
— Stefanie, 11/25/2013 -
" It started well and I was intrigued by the father and son relationship but I just got bored. Someone, the editor, ought to have been more ruthless and cut whole chunks of waffle (no, the writer's ideas are old and hackneyed and not worth extolling) out of this nice little read. "
— Fatimah, 11/12/2013 -
" Enjoyed this, had some really comic moments, but it did tend to ramble on in places "
— Lianne, 9/7/2013 -
" A story of an Australian man who has a son. Told from the viewpoint of the son, the story of the mans crazy family unfolds slowly throughout the book. It was pretty interesting, but there were a couple spots in this book that just flatlined for me and it took a lot of will power to get through them. "
— Cadillacrazy, 7/18/2013 -
" Best thing I read this year. My favorite kind of book. Characters and stories as bizzare as Irving and Dickens. Set in amazing locales, each brilliantly described. scenes burned into your brain. read, read, read this guy "
— Jodi, 5/11/2013 -
" impressive, especially considering it's his first novel. he relies on the simile a bit too much for my liking, but the original, funny narrative makes up for it. "
— Emmanuel, 11/25/2012 -
" A fantastic read!!! Moving, amusing, thought-provoking!!! There is action and emotion in equal measure. Wonderfully moving philosophical statements of life. So pleased to have read it. "
— Jenny, 8/4/2012 -
" I loved these psycho flawed characters so much. "
— Carrie, 6/24/2012 -
" I liked it so much that I think they should make tv series with all their adventures. It is one of these books that you enjoy so much that after is hard to find something interesting to read. If I am not wrong almost every page have something deep to think about it . Highly recommended. "
— Mateo, 3/21/2012 -
" Funny book re: the youth & lives of eccentric Australian brothers "
— Alison, 11/21/2011 -
" Enjoyed this, had some really comic moments, but it did tend to ramble on in places "
— Lianne, 5/23/2011 -
" This was definitely worth reading . . . some great "surprises". "
— Diane, 4/29/2011 -
" I couldn't finish this - the voices were too indistinct and at times it was just a mess of a story. "
— HKd, 3/31/2011 -
" One of the most intelligently written, moving, and funny books I've ever read.... ever... "
— Nikki, 3/10/2011 -
" I think every sentence in this book should be captured in a frame and stuck around for random thought. Amazing, amazing book. I challenge anyone to read the first sentence and NOT read the complete book. "
— Mahita, 2/28/2011 -
" Unbelievable.<br/>Hurry up and write a new novel! :) "
— Christiaan, 2/18/2011 -
" So far a great rollercoaster of a book. "
— Annemieke, 2/7/2011
About Steve Toltz
Steve Toltz is a writer whose first novel, A Fraction of the Whole, was shortlisted for the 2008 Man Booker Prize and the 2008 Guardian First Book Award. He was born in Sydney, Australia, graduated from the University of Newcastle, New South Wales, and now lives in Los Angeles and writes screenplays.
About the Narrators
Charlotte Parry is an actress and Earphones Award–winning narrator. She made her Broadway debut in the 2000 Tony Award–winning revival of The Real Thing and has also appeared in stage productions of As You Like It, Pygmalion, and The Importance of Being Earnest. She has performed in several Broadway plays, including the revival of The Winslow Boy and The Importance of Being Earnest.
Craig Baldwin was the first Australian to graduate from the prestigious acting program at the Juilliard School. He has gone on to act and direct extensively in New York and across the US in theater, film and television.