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The Russian Debutante's Handbook Audiobook
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(3.00) - 4,067 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Best-selling author Gary Shteyngart's exquisite fiction is met with a level of critical acclaim reserved for the very best in the field. In this startlingly provocative work, Russian immigrant Vladimir Girshkin searches for love and self-identity while interacting with a quirky set of acquaintances. "No novelist thinks more globally than Gary Shteyngart . [He] has figured out how to be funny and appalling at the same time, often in the same sentence."-Baltimore Sun
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"I really enjoyed this, though maybe for his third book Shteyngart might think about a turn away from the bumbling NY jew accidental mafioso genre, lest he pigeonhole himself."
— Tim (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“As attuned to the exhilarating possibilities of the language as Martin Amis, as deadpan and funny as the young Evelyn Waugh.”
— New York Times -
“Rowdy, ribald, funny...this superb debut [is] the real thing.”
— Esquire -
“A brilliant, funny debut describing the vicissitudes of immigration today, as experienced by the hero, a young Russian-American.”
— Harper’s Bazaar -
“The rampaging narrative is festooned on every page with glittering one-liners, improbably apt similes, and other miniature pleasures.”
— Elle -
“If Henry Miller were Russian, this is a book he might have written.”
— Time Out New York
Awards
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One of the 2002 New York Times Book Review 100 Notable Books for Fiction
The Russian Debutante's Handbook Listener Reviews
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" This was pretty good, but nowhere near as good as Absurdistan (by the same author, and really funny). It was a bit rambling and the main character was kind of annoying at times. He was supposed to be, of course, but it just rubbed me the wrong way at times. But, I did enjoy it. "
— Amanda, 2/19/2014 -
" Tremendously entertaining. I loved this book. "
— Nancy, 2/8/2014 -
" Fantastic. Smart and funny. Can't wait to read his other books. "
— Stephanie, 2/4/2014 -
" I really have a hard time with a book that doesn't have a character I like, and most of the time I was annoyed by the main character, Vladimir Gershkin, who gets pushed around a lot by his mother and various Eastern European gangsters. The New York Times said this book was uproarious, but there was only one scene that made me laugh out loud. The redeeming factors were that the book gives you a peek at an Eastern European immigrant's experience, character description is imaginative, and now I know more about Russian gangsters. They're mean! "
— Anna, 1/30/2014 -
" Loved it! Highly recommend it. (See what I had to say about this author's second novel--I feel the same way about this one, which is his first.) "
— Sonya, 1/29/2014 -
" Delightful! I think it takes some familiarity with Eastern Europe to truly appreciate this book. "
— Ilya, 1/19/2014 -
" Whatever, this book's gotten a lot of flack ala Corrections but at least no one claimed this to be the next De Lillo (Franzen, I'm LOOKING AT YOU). I think it was a funny, enjoyable story, plus also the author photo shows him pictured with a baby BEAR. You've gotta respect a man for that. "
— Krissa, 1/19/2014 -
" Very entertaining and facile humor. "
— Greg, 1/14/2014 -
" witty, Evelyn Waugh-esque, great for those who are fans of Russian culture/literature/kitsch; original characters "
— Noreen, 1/11/2014 -
" Highly imaginative and hysterically funny. "
— Danica, 12/19/2013 -
" A little more long-winded than his other books. But he managed to bring it all back together. Lots of fun to read. "
— Dooley, 12/15/2013 -
" Very witty book. The main character Vladimir is masterfully constructed. He's a Russian Jew emigrant in NY, and his cultural identities crises are treated in both a profound and a humorous manner. On the negative side, S. indulges a bit too much in ethnic/national stereotypes. "
— Ioana-Maria, 12/5/2013 -
" Disappointing. I had read a lot of positive reviews of this when it came out.A bit too much of the "everyone's an a-hole" for me. "
— Elizabeth, 11/7/2013 -
" A Russian emigre to the U.S. flees the mob only to get wrapped up in another Eastern European mob that gives him all the glory he can handle and then some. Not nearly as good as Absurdistan, but it read like a practice run. "
— Ethan, 9/1/2013 -
" do not like this author "
— Steve, 3/29/2013 -
" If you ever wanted to go to Prague in the 90s (or make fun of those who did), read this one. "
— Brigid, 2/21/2013 -
" Am I supposed to spend the course of the entire book hoping Vladimir gets offed by the mafia? If I am, the book's succeeding amply, but if not... "
— N., 2/15/2013 -
" Shteyngart's language is astonishing and funny, but the plot seemed "over the top" to me. "
— Bob, 9/2/2012 -
" Funny? You want funny? Here you go. Funniest book by an Oberlin grad I have ever read! "
— Roger, 3/22/2012 -
" I didn't find it as funny as others seemed to. Clever in parts but I didn't even chuckle. I liked Absurdistan a bit more. "
— Adam, 3/2/2012
About Gary Shteyngart
Gary Shteyngart is the author of several books, including the New York Times bestselling memoir Little Failure, which was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, and the novel Super Sad True Love Story, winner of the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize. His books regularly appear on best-of lists around the world and have been translated into twenty-nine languages.
About Adam Grupper
Adam Grupper, award-winning narrator, has garnered honors from AudioFile magazine, Publishers Weekly, iTunes, the Society of Voice Arts and Sciences, and the Audio Publishers Association. He has been in eleven Broadway productions, including the acclaimed revival of Fiddler on the Roof. His film and television credits include The Rebound, Homeland, Master of None, Music and Lyrics, Two Weeks Notice, Elementary, and Allegiance.