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Rabbit Is Rich Audiobook
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(3.00) - 6,986 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
The hero of John Updike's Rabbit, Run (1960), ten years after the hectic events described in Rabbit Redux (1971), has come to enjoy considerable prosperity as Chief Sales Representative of Springer Motors, a Toyota agency in Brewer, Pennsylvania. The time is 1979: Skylab is falling, gas lines are lengthening, the President collapses while running in a marathon, and double-digit inflation coincides with a deflation of national confidence. Nevertheless, Harry Angstrom feels in good shape, ready to enjoy life at last -- until his son, Nelson, returns from the West, and the image of an old love pays a visit to his lot. New characters and old populate these scenes from Rabbit's middle age, as he continues to pursue, in his erratic fashion, the rainbow of happiness.
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"Full of insight into middle class America in the 1970's and early 1980's at the time of energy crisis. Greed,lust,fear of death, and longing for meaning absorbs the title character. It's the third in the series but can be read on its own. Don't be dissuaded by the gritty details."
— Ann (4 out of 5 stars)
Awards
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Winner of the 1982 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
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Winner of the 1982 National Book Award for Fiction
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Winner of the 1981 National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction
Rabbit Is Rich Listener Reviews
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" The Rabbit series continues to entertain. This book is an intimate glimpse into the life of a pretty ordinary American family as the 1970s pass into the 80s. One thing Updike does very well is give you a sense of the times. Reading Rabbit is Rich is kind of like an awkward visit with your aunt and uncle who just happen to live in the past. "
— Blake, 2/14/2014 -
" While reading this novel, I felt like I got a true illustration of life at the end of the 70s and beginning of the 80s for a middle class white male- especially the small town athletic hero type like my father- made to feel all too important early in life. Rabbit, Harry Angstrom, is the protagonist. I enjoy the detail of his daily life, historical moments and constant objectification of women that seems like a real peek into men's brains. "
— Roxanne, 2/14/2014 -
" Of the Rabbit series, this one is my favorite so far. "
— Serena, 1/29/2014 -
" Utter Perfection. Timeless. "
— Leo, 1/17/2014 -
" Excellent - better, even, than the first couple of Rabbit books. Nearly every sentence is of mouth-watering quality, brimming over with inspiration. "
— E., 1/17/2014 -
" I decided to read all of the Rabbit books after hearing a podcast in which Richard Ford's trilogy was compared to Updike's series. While I would say that I prefer Ford, I must admit that I liked them. Given my rather negative impression of most of Updike's essays, I was pleasantly surprised. "
— Keith, 12/26/2013 -
" This book reminded me why I will never teach the rabbit novels! I am going to write about this sometime, stay tuned. "
— Christina, 11/25/2013 -
" While the writing displayed in this novel is excellent, I found the characters whiny. I suppose if you were going through a mid-life crisis of some sort, it might be therapeutic. On second thought, maybe I should re-read it now!.... "
— Carol, 11/4/2013 -
" As much as I like John Updike's writing, I never love his characters and I like his plots even less. This book was really hard to get into, but once I was a third or halfway in I enjoyed it. "
— Dana, 8/23/2013 -
" The best of the Rabbit tetralogy. "
— Ron, 5/26/2013 -
" My favorite of the Rabbit books, though Rabbit at Rest is a close second. "
— Matt, 3/2/2013 -
" Love the Rabbit books. "
— Judy, 12/14/2012 -
" I bought this book just before he died. If it had been a painting, I would have invested well! "
— Sowmya, 10/7/2012 -
" A fine read. Now I'm on the last one. "
— Denis, 9/6/2012 -
" He's rich, and in the third volume he miraculously manages not kill anyone while looking for some quick sex. Who says you can't learn from experience? "
— Manny, 7/18/2012 -
" I'm a big fan of Updike's empathy for lonely people. Usually I stay with his short stories, but this is a great novel. "
— Mo, 7/15/2012 -
" This was (of course) well written but it was a little hard to relate to a middle aged man. "
— Sandy, 4/27/2012 -
" Not sure why I chose "Rich" here, because the whole series will always occupy a special place in my shelf. "Run" begins on Memorial Day weekend when Rabbit is 26, and I started the book on Memorial Day weekend, when I was 26. "
— doug, 6/7/2011 -
" I see why Updike is lauded. He's just not my cup of tea. And sometimes I find him sexist. Women are objects. "
— Ctb, 5/16/2011 -
" Not my bag these books...always made me feel dirty and lazy. "
— Nathalie, 5/4/2011 -
" the third of a four book series, my favorite thus far. Looking forward to reading the final installment and completing the journey of Rabbit's life. "
— Leigh, 4/29/2011 -
" Updike has a unique way of telling a story...I enjoy then inner mono loge of the main character Rabbit. "
— Ivan, 4/10/2011 -
" another solid effort in the series. doesn't approach the second book, but still fantastic. "
— Ahren, 3/30/2011 -
" Updike's Rabbit series is weird but it start to sort of grow on you by about the 3rd book. I can't say I ever loved this series but I did manage to get through them. He writes in such an impersonal way it's like he leaves the best part out - for me at least. <br/> "
— Nora, 3/4/2011 -
" This was (of course) well written but it was a little hard to relate to a middle aged man. "
— Sandy, 1/8/2011 -
" The Rabbit books get better as Rabbit gets older. He's not much of a hero, and he's really not very likable... but that's one of the things that makes these books interesting...<br/><br/>One more Rabbit book and I can put the "series" to rest. <br/><br/> "
— Cheri, 1/2/2011 -
" Interesting Characters and ideas and descriptions "
— Laura, 12/26/2010 -
" Perfectly captures the stagnation and ill-feeling of the late 70's. "
— Lincwright, 12/20/2010 -
" In classic Updike style, beautiful prose and solid characters meet an uneventful, vaguely misogynistic, yet historically interesting plotline. "
— Evan, 11/22/2010 -
" rabbit can't appreciate being rich, if he is rich. "
— janine, 10/29/2010
About John Updike
John Updike (1932–2009) was the author of more than sixty books, including collections of short stories, poems, and criticism. His novels have been honored with two Pulitzer Prize Awards, the National Book Award, and the Howells Medal of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Hugging the Shore, a collection of essays and reviews, received the National Book Critics Circle Award for criticism.
About Arthur Morey
Arthur Morey has won three AudioFile Magazine “Best Of” Awards, and his work has garnered numerous AudioFile Earphones Awards and placed him as a finalist for two Audie Awards. He has acted in a number of productions, both off Broadway in New York and off Loop in Chicago. He graduated from Harvard and did graduate work at the University of Chicago. He has won awards for his fiction and drama, worked as an editor with several book publishers, and taught literature and writing at Northwestern University. His plays and songs have been produced in New York, Chicago, and Milan, where he has also performed.