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Specimen Days (Abridged): A Novel Audiobook
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(3.27) - 3,253 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
A highly anticipated, bold new novel from the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Hours—three linked visionary narratives set in the ever-mysterious, turbulent city of New York In each section of Michael Cunningham's new book, we encounter the same group of characters: a young boy, an older man, and a young woman. "In the Machine" is a ghost story which takes place at the height of the Industrial Revolution, as human beings confront the alienated realities of the new machine age. "The Children's Crusade," set in the early twenty-first century, plays with the conventions of the noir thriller as it tracks the pursuit of a terrorist band which is detonating bombs seemingly at random around the city. The third part, "Like Beauty," evokes a New York 150 years into the future, when the city is all but overwhelmed by refugees from the first inhabited planet to be contacted by the people of Earth. Presiding over each episode of this interrelated whole is the prophetic figure of the poet Walt Whitman, who promised his future readers, "It avails not, neither distance nor place...I am with you, and know how it is." SPECIMEN DAYS is a genre-bending, haunting, and transformative ode to life in our greatest city—a work of surpassing power and beauty by one of the most original and daring writers at work today.
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"I reallllly like Michael Cunningham's writing. he is incredibly ambitious, but his writing seems effortless and is really beautiful, regardless of what he's writing about. I really liked the second story of this what i guess i'd call a genre mash-up? and i knew the stories were already linked up, so i wasn't too concerned or feel it too heavy handed when there were actual linking objects and ideas from each story in addition to general themes. i think MC is a keen observer of emotions, people and i guess humanity. or at least some of the humanity i hang out with."
— Jesse (4 out of 5 stars)
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“[A] superb audio adaptation of Cunningham's vivid coming-of-age tale....Actors Farrell and Roberts--who play Bobby and Jonathan respectively in the Warner Bros. motion picture--fill the same roles here, and both deliver moving, understated performances.
— Publishers Weekly (starred review) on A Home at the End of the World -
Cunningham, who received the Pulitzer Prize for The Hours, is a matchless stylist whose eye for character and scene is rendered in immaculate images and metaphors....Succulent prose.
— AudioFile on A Home at the End of the World -
The pace and rhythm of Cunningham's novel echo Woolf's elliptical writing style. It's a conceit that works. Cunningham is a thoughtful writer.... Hearing a book the way an author hears it is an interesting experience, particularly when it is such an interesting book.
— AudioFile on The Hours -
A smashing literary tour de force and an utterly invigorating reading experience. If this book does not make you jump up from the sofa, looking at life and literature in new ways, check to see if you have a pulse.
— USA Today on The Hours -
[Cunningham] has fashioned a fictional instrument of intricacy and remarkable beauty. It is a kaleidoscope whose four shining and utterly unlike pieces--the lives of two fictional characters, of a real writer, and her novel--combine, separate and tumble in continually shifting and startlingly suggestive patterns.
— Richard Eder, Los Angeles Times on The Hours
Specimen Days Listener Reviews
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" Giving the man who mangled Virginia Woolf one more chance. Industrial revolution historical novel AND future dystopia in the same book? Bring it on. We'll see. "
— Caty, 2/9/2014 -
" Noble experiment. Some interesting stuff. Ultimately I couldn't connect to this one. "
— Tom, 1/21/2014 -
" Michael Cunningham may be the best prose stylist writing fiction today. Yet the shimmering beauty of his prose is wasted on a world view that borders on nihilistic. Specimen Days, named for a work by Walt Whitman, traces the decline and extinction of humanity from the industrial age, where men and their lives are eaten by machines, through the present where children are turned into monsterous killing machines, to the future where humananity is gone and all that is left on earth is a humanoid cybourg and a dead alien bioform. Man has become machine. Throughout the 3 sections (past, present, and future), Cunningham uses Whitman's celebration of man and nature to contrast with the creeping death of humanity. The writing, the structure of this novel amounts to a tour de force. The message, not so much. "
— Beverly, 1/18/2014 -
" Such a disappointment after the Hours. "
— Shaina, 1/18/2014 -
" As The Hours is one of my all-time favorites, I really wanted to like this. Didn't. It's strange, disjointed and kind of silly. Not being a huge fan of poetry, I did not connect with Walt Whitman the way I did with Virginia Woolf in The Hours. Oh well, Michael Cunningham is still a god in my book. "
— Jennifer, 1/16/2014 -
" I didn't not like this book. "
— Lauren, 12/27/2013 -
" Just awful. How could the author of The Hours and Flesh and Blood think this pile of crap was a good idea? It actually made me angry to read it, and I apologize to my book group for putting them through it. "
— Josh, 12/25/2013 -
" Ok, follow-up to The Hours, has a time leaping and common thread similarity to The Hours, with a past, present and then an extremely futuristic story entwined together. Loved it, but I can see why reviews were so negative, as third story is tough sell. "
— Theo, 12/21/2013 -
" Great writing, great storytelling, fantastically woven together. I really liked this one. "
— Joann, 11/8/2013 -
" I wept at the end of this book. You will like it if you can swallow genre bending forms, a love of Walt Whitman, and have an open mind. I wept, that's all I'll say. "
— Katie, 11/3/2013 -
" loaned to me by a nurse supervisor...walt whitman from manhattan sweatshops to alien nannies "
— Darrell, 10/18/2013 -
" Short stories that would be more interesting if I'd read Leaves of Grass. "
— Carol, 10/15/2013 -
" I didn't like it as much as The Hours - but then again, I loved that book, so it might not be a fair comparison. Overall, though, very good. "
— Joy, 8/31/2013 -
" Well written, another good read by Michael Cunningham. I can't say it resonated with me as much as The Hours - but I enjoyed it and admire his writing talent. "
— Heather, 7/8/2013 -
" Weaves excellent prose. The human element shines through, even when dealing with non-humans. "
— Warren, 4/30/2013 -
" Intriguing trilogy of stories surrounding three different men named Simon and their efforts to claim a life that appears to be denied them. "
— Tony, 11/5/2011 -
" I just love Michael Cunningham and his ability to link things that don't seem to be connected. This collection of short stories is no exception. "
— Jennifer, 6/7/2011 -
" Despite the book's subtitle, this isn't a novel; it's three distinct novellas, linked by subtle threads. The first, 'In the Machine', is the best, a ghost story in which Walt Whitman figures. "
— Barbara, 5/29/2011 -
" I'm not gonna lie, I only read the first two of the three novellas - once I read about lizard people, I shut the book. I'm not opposed to science fiction, nor am I opposed to historical fiction, but Michael Cunningham should stick to contemporary portraits. "
— Lucas, 4/21/2011 -
" Beautiful book. It also introduced me the fantastic Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman. Anyone that achieves that is brilliant in my book. "
— William, 4/8/2011 -
" This is a great book, to describe it as three stories with recurring themes and characters would be to reduce it, it's not an intellectual exercise, yet it is a smart piece of writing. Frequently dark, sometimes quite touching, never dull and populated by beautifully rendered characters, "
— Zarb, 3/10/2011 -
" Beautifully written. This is three novellas that take place in different eras (past, present, future) with characters who have the same names but aren't related to the forebear. That made it difficult for me, as I "do" novels for the story - each story ended and you wanted more.... "
— Judybrown0013, 2/25/2011 -
" This was my favourite book for a long time. I'm not sure what is now. "
— Adam, 1/12/2011 -
" I want to like it but can't wait for it to be done. Let's see if my book club can shine the light on this thing. "
— Sharon, 1/11/2011 -
" Wow, wow, wow. What a read! This novel of three novels is engaging and interesting; I couldn't let go. In particular I loved the second section, "The Children's Crusade." <br/>Though I really wanted to finish this book, I'm now sad that it's over. "
— Nancy, 12/31/2010 -
" oddly effective book. not as straight on as The Hours but very well written. "
— Barry, 11/26/2010 -
" This book was a 4 star rating until the last part of the book. It felt like there was such a disconnect from the other 2 portions of the book that I wouldn't be surprised if someone else had written that portion. "
— Candice, 10/28/2010 -
" I had trouble with this book and I feel like I'm missing something. Each story was fine but I just didn't think it was all that... "
— Denise, 10/3/2010 -
" Great use of Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass. I would have never thought three entirely different time periods could relate so much to his work whether it was narration, dialogue or character depiction. It really opened my eyes to the beautiful themes of the poem as well. "
— Cruz, 10/1/2010
About Michael Cunningham
Michael Cunningham is a novelist, screenwriter, and educator. His novel The Hours received the PEN/Faulkner Award and the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1999. He has taught at Columbia University and Brooklyn College. He is a professor at Yale University.
About Alan Cumming
Alan Cumming is an award-winning actor, singer, writer, producer, and director. He recently starred in an acclaimed one-man staging of Macbeth on Broadway and appears on the Emmy Award–winning television show The Good Wife. Cumming won a Tony Award for his portrayal of the Emcee in the Broadway musical Cabaret. He is the winner of the 2015 Audie Award for Best Autobiography/Memoir narration and Best Narration by the Author Award as well as six Audiofile Earphones Awards. He hosts PBS Masterpiece Mystery and has appeared in numerous films, including Spy Kids, Titus, X2: X-Men United, The Anniversary Party, Any Day Now, and Eyes Wide Shut.