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Glimpses: A Novel Audiobook
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(3.07) - 275 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Ray Shackleford is trying to deal with the death of his father and the collapse of his marriage when the impossible happens: music that no one has ever heard before begins to play from his stereo speakers. It is only the first step on a journey that will take him to Los Angeles, London, Cozumel, and points far beyond, and that will bring him face to face with Jim Morrison, Brian Wilson, Jimi Hendrix—and his own mortality.
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"We have all dabbled with the thoughts of "what might have been", and glimpses encapsulates that particular mode of thought as to what may have heppened if certain musicians were to have finished their original works of art. This winding story takes you through some of the more interesting stories in musical history - the Beach Boys, The Doors, and Jimi Hendricks, with the author painting a vivid picture of how things may have panned out. This is an extremely interesting book as the use of quantum mechanics is a cornerstone of how things proceed, and is done in a subtle but effective manner. To spice up the book quite a bit, the main character has to understand his own self in the wake of a marriage that is falling apart, his father's death, and a host of other potential issues."
— Lyricsninja (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“Almost no one can approach Shiner’s mastery in capturing the experience of listening to a brilliant song…Even more, the skillful way that Shiner weaves the music into the stories of Ray and the world around him makes them into an inseparable, twined-together braid, a chord of emotion and tension that has moments of heartbreak, joy, and even terror…Rudnicki gave a beautiful performance, full of passion and understanding for the text, and the source material is just so good. If you love rock and roll, fantasy, science fiction, and/or audiobooks, I recommend this to you without reservation.”
— Cory Doctorow, author of Homeland -
“A psychedelic odyssey…soars on the escapist wings of a re-created era.”
— Rolling Stone -
“A pop-music fairy tale linking the Beatles to Bruno Bettelheim.”
— Village Voice -
“I hesitate to call a book ‘important,’ but this may well be that…I found it deeply satisfying.”
— St. Louis Post-Dispatch -
“Shiner writes with intense feeling…The novel sparkles…A story of uncommon sensitivity, insight, and redemptive power.”
— Publishers Weekly -
“Powerfully affecting. Much more than yuppie reunions like The Big Chill, this captures a generation’s sweet, desperate yearning for the 60s.”
— Kirkus Reviews
Awards
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Winner of the 1994 World Fantasy Award for Best Novel
Glimpses Listener Reviews
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" I think my expectations for this one were a bit too high -- thought I knew next to nothing about the novel, I'd read a few glowing reviews, & the subject matter seemed right up my proverbial alley. Can't quite put my finger on why, exactly, Glimpses fell so short for me -- but in the end, I found that the whole of this novel added up to more than a bit less than the sum of its component parts. "
— Hugh, 2/15/2014 -
" A really well written book with a story I didn't care for at all! I never ever need to read about the Beatles or 60's classic rockers ever again, but I do love time travel and underwater scenes. This guy is really good. "
— Erin, 2/12/2014 -
" Music and magic. Quite masterfully intertwined. "
— Natania, 1/12/2014 -
" A nice exploration of the icons of the 60's music scene via a version of time travel. It was a good read and has me listening to the Doors, Beach Boys, and Hendrix again. It also reminded me that artists used to build complete albums rather than singles for the pop charts. "
— Mark, 1/5/2014 -
" Wow. I re-read this twice and was just blown away by the fluidity of the book. Everything flows and nothing feels forced. Cannot recommend highly enough. "
— Revjim1968, 12/9/2013 -
" This book had some very cool insights into music in the 60's and 70's and was well written. You have to suspend disbelief a little bit, but I found myself drawn in and really enjoyed the book. "
— Dan, 12/4/2013 -
" I dunno why every book that I've read that involves a male midlife crisis has music as it's focal point ... like Lewis Shriner's Glimpses. This book is kind of if you cross High Fidelity with Back to the Future. I found it really compelling, and a nice addition to the alternative history genre. "
— Matt, 11/27/2013 -
" I really like how the author worked in "actual" conversations with Brian Wilson and Jimi Hendrix into his narrative. The overriding father theme was essential, but detracted a bit from the work. Overall, a well executed concept. "
— Herzog, 11/25/2013 -
" great book, became less about the music and more about characters 1/2 way thru the book, it disappointed me when it first started happening, but it wound its way into being the way it was suppose to have been written. I enjoyed it. "
— lance, 11/23/2013 -
" All you 70's rock'n'rollers out there, this one's for you. Shiner engagingly discusses alternative futures/parallel universes featuring outcomes involving Hendrix, Morrison, Brian Wilson and others. The message is Bob Heinlein's: Tanstaafl. You grok? "
— Paula, 6/10/2013 -
" This is a book that about made me want to cry - cry for Brian Wilson, misunderstood, a big boy-man in a world trying to noramlize him and his genius. Jimi, so tired. Morrison, the Lizard King. And Ray, the stereo repair guy drifting from his wife and his life. Amazingly well-written. "
— David, 12/28/2012 -
" ...one of the best novels (with a slight sci-fi bent) about rock music I've ever read! I can't say enough good things about this book!:) "
— Angie, 10/22/2012 -
" Loved everything that was part of the music, this guy knows his stuff, but I hated the romance part. Totally took away from the heart of the story. "
— Npaw, 10/3/2012 -
" Wonderful rock 'n roll time travel tale! "
— Debbie, 3/21/2012 -
" A bit meandering, it loses track of the story from time to time but the bits about the music are quite good. "
— Russell, 8/20/2011 -
" I dunno why every book that I've read that involves a male midlife crisis has music as it's focal point ... like Lewis Shriner's Glimpses. This book is kind of if you cross High Fidelity with Back to the Future. I found it really compelling, and a nice addition to the alternative history genre. "
— Matt, 5/19/2011 -
" Wonderful rock 'n roll time travel tale! "
— Debbie, 10/28/2010 -
" ...one of the best novels (with a slight sci-fi bent) about rock music I've ever read! I can't say enough good things about this book!:) "
— Angie, 4/11/2010 -
" I really like how the author worked in "actual" conversations with Brian Wilson and Jimi Hendrix into his narrative. The overriding father theme was essential, but detracted a bit from the work. Overall, a well executed concept. "
— Herzog, 10/31/2009 -
" Wow. I re-read this twice and was just blown away by the fluidity of the book. Everything flows and nothing feels forced. Cannot recommend highly enough. "
— Revjim1968, 2/28/2009 -
" A really well written book with a story I didn't care for at all! I never ever need to read about the Beatles or 60's classic rockers ever again, but I do love time travel and underwater scenes. This guy is really good. "
— Erin, 10/17/2008 -
" Loved everything that was part of the music, this guy knows his stuff, but I hated the romance part. Totally took away from the heart of the story. "
— Npaw, 9/8/2008 -
" All you 70's rock'n'rollers out there, this one's for you. Shiner engagingly discusses alternative futures/parallel universes featuring outcomes involving Hendrix, Morrison, Brian Wilson and others. The message is Bob Heinlein's: Tanstaafl. You grok? "
— Paula, 4/3/2007
About Lewis Shiner
Lewis Shiner is the award-winning author of the novels Dark Tangos, Say Goodbye, and Glimpses, among others. He lives in Durham, North Carolina.
About Stefan Rudnicki
Stefan Rudnicki first became involved with audiobooks in 1994. Now a Grammy-winning audiobook producer, he has worked on more than five thousand audiobooks as a narrator, writer, producer, or director. He has narrated more than nine hundred audiobooks. A recipient of multiple AudioFile Earphones Awards, he was presented the coveted Audie Award for solo narration in 2005, 2007, and 2014, and was named one of AudioFile’s Golden Voices in 2012.