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Feet on the Street: Rambles Around New Orleans Audiobook
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(2.98) - 182 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
“Betcha I can tell ya / Where ya / Got them shoooes. / Betchadollar, / Betchadollar, / Where ya / Got them shoooes. / Got your shoes on your feet, / Got your feet on the street, / And the street’s in Noo / Awlins, Loo- / Eez-ee-anna. Where I, for my part, first ate a live oyster and first saw a naked woman with the lights on. . . . Every time I go to New Orleans I am startled by something.”
So writes Roy Blount Jr. in this exuberant, character-filled saunter through a place he has loved almost his entire life—a city “like no other place in America, and yet (or therefore) the cradle of American culture.” Here we experience it all through his eyes, ears, and taste buds: the architecture, music, romance (yes, sex too), historical characters, and all that glorious food.
The book is divided into eight Rambles through different parts of the city. Each closes with lagniappe—a little bit extra, a special treat for the reader: here a brief riff on Gennifer Flowers, there a meditation on naked dancing. Roy Blount knows New Orleans like the inside of an oyster shell and is only too glad to take us to both the famous and the infamous sights. He captures all the wonderful and rich history—culinary, literary, and political—of a city that figured prominently in the lives of Jefferson Davis (who died there), Truman Capote (who was conceived there), Zora Neale Hurston (who studied voodoo there), and countless others, including Andrew Jackson, Lee Harvey Oswald, William Faulkner, Tennessee Williams, Jelly Roll Morton, Napoléon, Walt Whitman, O. Henry, Thomas Wolfe, Earl Long, Randy Newman, Edgar Degas, Lillian Hellman, the Boswell Sisters, and the Dixie Cups.
Above all, though, Feet on the Street is a celebration of friendship and joie de vivre in one of America’s greatest and most colorful cities, written by one of America’s most beloved humorists.
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"This is really good, although it was written post-Katrina, and it's a little disturbing to keep reading lines like, "When the big hurricane hits--and it will, New Orleanians assure you, with what suffices locally for civic pride--the waters will finally rise over the shell and inundate the town, killing tens of thousands.""
— Landismom (5 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“Blount’s New Orleans isn't sugar-coated; it's at times wistful, melancholy and even dangerous. But all this combines to give the reader the impression that anything can happen in New Orleans, which is precisely the author's point. Those looking for a nontraditional portrait of this unconventional city will be delighted by Blount’s colorful, almost tender account.”
— Publishers Weekly
Feet on the Street Listener Reviews
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" This was a part of All Things New Orleans week - finished Zeitoun, watched Princess and the Frog with the family(really good, but not great..but that's another review....) - then sat down and read this - quick read, certainly a "ramble", did make me want to go back to Bourbon Street..... "
— Brian, 2/11/2014 -
" Listened to the audiobook of this charming memoir of Mr. Blount's jaunts in New Orleans. This having been my first experience with literature of the city, I found it captivating (especially people's names). "
— Oleg, 2/2/2014 -
" Good, not great. It helps to know and love New Orleans. Such a great unpretentious city and people. "
— Eileen, 1/16/2014 -
" Rambles through New Orleans, pre-Katrina. "
— Johnvano, 1/8/2014 -
" I couldn't get past the first CD...it was just too random. none of the sections seemed to have anything to do with the section before. I just couldn't figure out what the point was. "
— Elisa, 12/22/2013 -
" A charming travel memoir of New Orleans, from earthy, literate funnyman Roy Blount, Jr. For local color, flavor, and a dash of history, these rambling essays can't be beat. "
— Elizabeth, 9/15/2013 -
" interesting from several directions: culturally, ethnically, food-wise, party-time, street scenes, how-to get along with the natives, and of course music history. name dropping in this book works and works well -- it's the glue that holds the cultural story bits together. "
— Maggie, 5/13/2013 -
" This is the third book I've read in the Crown Journeys series and I'm officially hooked. These little travel books are real gems. "
— Robin, 12/5/2012 -
" Hmmm. I've only been to NOLA once but had a great time. This book is choppy, odd, insufficient, not particularly enlightening or useful. I wouldn't recommend it. "
— David, 12/1/2012 -
" This book was funny and evocative of New Orleans, but the style was too disjointed for me to feel like I was drawn into the narrative. Of course, that's how New Orleans feels sometimes, too. :) "
— CS, 7/23/2012 -
" Good when he talks about food in noo or-lee-ans ... sleazy when he gets to talking about sleaze ... not worth reading by pg. 100. "
— Rob, 7/10/2012 -
" Helping me get ready for our trip there "
— Mindy, 2/15/2012 -
" Extra poignant because written just before Katrina. Everybody knows The Big One will come someday but nobody really believes it'll happen to them. "
— Susan, 11/18/2011 -
" Some exceptionally good insight into a trek through New Orleans. If these places remain in a post-Katrina New Orleans, then this book is a must-read for anyone journeying into this enigmatic melange of a city. Whether you plan to travel or not, this is a tasty text about the Big Easy. "
— Naomi, 10/7/2011 -
" Listened to the audiobook of this charming memoir of Mr. Blount's jaunts in New Orleans. This having been my first experience with literature of the city, I found it captivating (especially people's names). "
— Oleg, 4/8/2011 -
" Good, not great. It helps to know and love New Orleans. Such a great unpretentious city and people. <br/> "
— Eileen, 2/2/2011 -
" Helping me get ready for our trip there <br/> "
— Mindy, 10/5/2010 -
" I couldn't get past the first CD...it was just too random. none of the sections seemed to have anything to do with the section before. I just couldn't figure out what the point was. "
— Elisa, 3/13/2010 -
" This was a part of All Things New Orleans week - finished Zeitoun, watched Princess and the Frog with the family(really good, but not great..but that's another review....) - then sat down and read this - quick read, certainly a "ramble", did make me want to go back to Bourbon Street..... "
— Brian, 12/31/2009 -
" Good when he talks about food in noo or-lee-ans ... sleazy when he gets to talking about sleaze ... not worth reading by pg. 100. "
— Rob, 9/19/2009 -
" Some exceptionally good insight into a trek through New Orleans. If these places remain in a post-Katrina New Orleans, then this book is a must-read for anyone journeying into this enigmatic melange of a city. Whether you plan to travel or not, this is a tasty text about the Big Easy. "
— Naomi, 6/15/2009 -
" Hmmm. I've only been to NOLA once but had a great time. This book is choppy, odd, insufficient, not particularly enlightening or useful. I wouldn't recommend it. "
— David, 4/18/2008 -
" It's written in a lyrical fashion and hits some of the highpoints of New Orleans, discusses some cultural notions and some interesting places. It's not my favorite book on New Orleans, but I like his style. "
— Susan, 12/9/2007
About Roy Blount
Roy Blount Jr. is an American writer. Best known as a humorist, Blount is also a reporter, actor, and musician with the Rock Bottom Remainders, a rock band composed entirely of writers. He is also president of the Authors Guild.
About the Narrators
Paul Boehmer is an American actor best known for his numerous appearances in the Star Trek universe, in addition to Frasier, Judging Amy, Guiding Light, and All My Children. He is a 1992 Masters of Fine Arts graduate of the Professional Theater Training Program at the University of Delaware. As a narrator, Paul has won several AudioFile Earphones Awards as well as an Audie Award.
Paul Boehmer is an American actor best known for his numerous appearances in the Star Trek universe, in addition to Frasier, Judging Amy, Guiding Light, and All My Children. He is a 1992 Masters of Fine Arts graduate of the Professional Theater Training Program at the University of Delaware. As a narrator, Paul has won several AudioFile Earphones Awards as well as an Audie Award.