Specimen Days: A Novel Audiobook

" This was the first book that I read from M.C. I was blown away. There are three seemingly unrelated stories here, but he weaves them together with such a mastery. Its imaginative and well written. "

" rather weird and bizarre book "

" Amazing. A collection of stories around New York, some in the past, some in the dystopian future. The first story in particular is richly detailed, powerful and moving. Great writing "

" Michael Cunningham is one of my favorite authors, but I think I missed the boat on this one. "

" This was my favourite book for a long time. I'm not sure what is now. "

" I found, to my surprise, that I liked the third of these stories, the futuristic science-fiction-y one, the best. The first story almost made me discard this book because I was very frustrated with the character of Simon's brother. I'm glad I continued with the book, though, because the second and third stories were more enjoyable. I liked that the bowl was a constant in the stories and kept expecting it to be quite significant in one of them, but it pleased me that it wasn't. I think I would have gotten more out of this book had I known more about Whitman's "Specimen Days". Ah well. Still a good read. "

" The three sub-books that comprise this innovative novel unfortunately decrease in quality as the chronology advances. The first section, set in the industrial revolution, shows Cunningham on his most solid ground, spinning an eerie ghost story about a boy who hears the whisperings of his dead brother in the factory machines. The second section is nearly as good, a modern thriller about children who are turned into suicide bombers. Unfortunately, Cunningham caps off the triad with a less successful foray into science fiction than never finds its purpose and never really meshes with the rest of the novel. Despite this miscalculation, the first two-thirds are quite good, and worth a read. "

" Three novellas set in three time periods in New York. The characters have the same names and ages and the reader can draw parallels between the stories. Walt Whitman poetry is referenced in each story. "

" I must read Walt Whitman! "

" 3 long stories, loosely connected, the first of which is one of the best things I've ever read. The only reason I put this down for 4 stars instead of 5 is because the last two stories simply don't hold a candle to the first. I'd even recommending buying this book just to read the first section. "

" I can rarely bear to put a book down unfinished, but I gave up on this one after part 2 of 3. There's an interesting concept behind this book, but it was not terribly well-executed. :( "

" Only listened to the first of 3 stories. It was wierd but good. "

" I really disliked this book and its sci-fi feel. "

" I read this book one summer during a Biology class, haha...I couldn't put it down, maybe that's why I had to take the class again...It's such a weird look at the past, present, and future... "

" I rather liked this, but the structure and narration is unconventional. If you liked The Hours, you'll likely be drawn to Specimen Days: A Novel. "

" Couldn't finish it. Which is rare. "

" 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. "

" Beautiful book. It also introduced me the fantastic Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman. Anyone that achieves that is brilliant in my book. "

" 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, "

" 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.... "

" This was my favourite book for a long time. I'm not sure what is now. "

" 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. "

" 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." Though I really wanted to finish this book, I'm now sad that it's over. "

" oddly effective book. not as straight on as The Hours but very well written. "

" 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. "

" 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... "

" 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. "