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Look Homeward, Angel Audiobook
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(3.01) - 4,801 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
The works of Thomas Wolfe earned him a legacy as one of the very best American writers. Standing alongside literary luminaries such as Hemingway, Fitzgerald, and Faulkner, this unique genius delivers a largely autobiographical novel that is a feast of wordplay and sumptuous descriptions.
Eugene Gant pines for a more expansive life after being born to a father whose bouts of maniacal raving are fueled by a prodigious appetite for drink. As he makes the first steps toward manhood, Eugene finds his early life informed by the constraints of society, exemplified best by the vivid characters of his fellow townsfolk.
Interestingly enough, a number of people in Wolfe’s own town took great umbrage to the presentation of characters who struck a little too close to home. Look Homeward, Angel is firmly established—and justly celebrated—in the American Romantic tradition.
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"The language is rich, but the plot is slow and sparse. As a book, I would give it 3 stars (5 for the language, at most 2 for the plot). It is the language that was beautiful to listen to, truly among the best expression in the English language, but it is not enough to keep one's attention if the minimal plot drags along. The plot is basically the story of a dysfunctional family, one in which it is not clear why the elder Gants ever got together as a couple. Eliza married him to get away from her family? But I could sum up the plot as "a dysfunctional couple has a lot of kids, some of whom die young, none of whom achieves much by the end of this book, and others who are downright failures." The depiction of the way all the men (and boys) relate to women is most troubling (perhaps the couple who runs the private school is an exception). Women are clearly just objects for their pleasure, and more troubling is the fact that the women are shown as wanting this kind of treatment. Wolfe did not do a good job of presenting female characters, such as the African-American prostitute, Ella Corpening. I can think of much 19th century non-American literature whose authors comprehend much better the desperation of women who turn to prostitution. This is not shown here. It might not be the point of the novel, but it is lacking. We just see the callousness and cheap attitude from Eugene's angle, which is rather pathetic. It makes me wonder whether Wolfe himself was any better. So what brought this up to 4 stars? The reader - he did a great job, and since I am writing as a listener, I have to take that into account in my rating."
— Dfkinj (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“Wolfe made it possible to believe that the stuff of life, with all its awe and mystery and magic, could by some strange alchemy be transmuted to the page.”
— William Gay, author of The Long Home
Look Homeward, Angel Listener Reviews
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christine spalango, 8/12/2022
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" I could listen to Wolfe's poetic, lyrical writing forever and I didn't want this book to end! Scott Sowers, the narrator of this book, was incredible. He brought them all to life and read the more rhapsodic portions of this book with such flair. I loved it! "
— Christine, 9/4/2017 -
" Awesomeness...so clear, and the unknown brilliance only to be appreciated more as time passes as equal to Perkins other stars, Hemingway and Fitzgerald. The voice of the south, the voice of my ancestry, the voice of home. "
— Jeanne, 10/13/2015 -
" I started reading this because I live in North Carolina. Couldn't finish it. I'm probably a bad person, but I just couldn't do it. Faulkner liked it, and I like Faulkner, but there wasn't anything here to keep me coming back. "
— Matt, 2/19/2014 -
" The single greatest American novel EVER. PERIOD. "
— Geoff, 2/15/2014 -
" Powerful coming of age novel with rich prose. A little too earthy for my sensitivities but a great novel just the same. "
— Erneilson, 2/9/2014 -
" The lyricism of this book is hard to match. Painfully good. "
— Matt, 2/2/2014 -
" Thomas Wolfe and I seem to have a lot in common. We both grew up in Western North Carolina and went to college in Chapel Hill. I felt obligated to read this and somehow I made it through. Wolfe is an intensely personal writer and he works in extemely vivid detail. This lead me to either be infuriated at the story's pace or amused at the fantasticly descriptive writing. In any event, I'm glad I finally read it, though I will never pick it up again. I'd actually be more interested to read something on the scathing reaction the novel received in 1930's Asheville, NC. "
— Maz, 1/29/2014 -
" This book changed my life. Visited Ashville N.C. where Thomas Wolfe was from, and where the material for Look Homeward Angel came from. I first read this book many years ago, but still revisit it periodically for inspiration. As you can tell I'm a big fan. "
— Patrick, 1/20/2014 -
" Now I know where this man's legendary status came from. This book is sort of a tomb, but it sure got me excited in a kind of strange, scattered, eloquent way. "
— Kevin, 1/19/2014 -
" I know it's a classic but much like Augie March by Bellow its BORING! "
— Dan, 1/17/2014 -
" Read this is high school and wrote an extensive comparison paper on this and Joyce's Portrait of an Artist. Good class and excellent teacher. "
— Don, 1/7/2014 -
" My favorite book ever, ever... A bit hard to get through at certain points, but well worth it. "
— Marisa, 1/1/2014 -
" I listened to the audio-book and really liked it. "
— Kristin, 12/21/2013 -
" One of my all-time faves. Couldn't put it down. Watch out for the supernatural scene towards the end -- you will gasp. "
— Jane, 12/8/2013 -
" "O lost, and by the wind grieved, ghost, come back again." is a cool phrase and i'm going to make sure to quote it sometime irl and sound poetic "
— Conceitedreader, 11/27/2013 -
" Read this as part of SUNY TV course. This Wolfe (not the one in the white suit) seems almost forgotten today. "
— Alan, 7/2/2013 -
" It took me a long time to complete this book, but it was worth it. I was most fascinated by how much the book resembled Thomas Wolfe's own life. In some cases, he did not even change the names of the people he was describing. "
— Juliekmccall, 6/4/2013 -
" I believe the words haunting and beautiful are appropriate to begin and end any descriptions of this epic novel. "
— Eduardo, 4/8/2013 -
" Was it Bloom who said that Wolfe had no literary merits? Well, who asked Bloom?! If you haven't read this yet, shame on you! "
— Joshua, 7/21/2012 -
" I had a college roommate. Unfortunate experience. One of things she charged me with was that I read this book too much. It's 20 years later and I'm reading it again and loving it. So there. "
— Wisconsinwriter, 7/25/2011 -
" It took me 3/4th of the way through to appreciate this book, and then I wanted to go back and start it again. But it's a tough read--you kind of have to just sit and watch all the color and detail go by, and not get impatient about the lack of story. "
— Beckydham, 6/3/2011 -
" I was going to give this 3 stars because it does meander at times, but man, the writing was just so dang good that I had to bump it up to four. I tried to start another book right after this but i just couldn't do it because the writing was just crap compared to Thomas Wolfe. "
— Sam, 4/21/2011 -
" One of my first classics. I read all of Thomas Wolfe since then. "
— Deb, 2/27/2011 -
" A very sad, poignant look at a life. Wolfe is wordy! "
— Rebecca, 1/11/2011 -
" Heavy and slow, but great language. Who knew coming of age took so long? I think the controversy surrounding Wolfe's legacy is as interesting as the book itself but if that makes you want to read his work I suppose this is the place to start. "
— Alec, 5/15/2010 -
" Going through my Read shelf. If I had rated this when I read it in my teens, I would have given it five stars. I think difference between what I would have given and what i now give is as it should be with this book. "
— Richard, 6/14/2009 -
" Read this waaaay back when. Absolutely loved it at the time; must get back to reread it and see how I feel now. "
— Souzen, 6/4/2009
About Thomas Wolfe
Thomas Clayton Wolfe (1900–1938) was an American novelist of the early twentieth century, author of four lengthy novels, plus many short stories, dramatic works, and novellas. He is known for mixing highly original, poetic, rhapsodic, and impressionistic prose with autobiographical writing. His influence extends to the writings of beat generation writer Jack Kerouac and of authors Ray Bradbury and Philip Roth, among others. He remains an important writer in modern American literature, as one of the first masters of autobiographical fiction, and is considered North Carolina’s most famous writer.
About Scott Sowers
Scott Sowers is an actor and audiobook narrator. AudioFile magazine named him the 2008 Best Voice in Mystery and Suspense. He is the winner of seven Earphones Awards.