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The Spectacular Now Audiobook
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(3.01) - 1,544 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
So, my girlfriend, Cassidy, is threatening to kick me to the curb again, my best friend suddenly wants to put the brakes on our lives of fabulous fun, my mom and big sister are plotting a future in which I turn into an atomic vampire, and my dad, well, my dad is a big fat question mark that I’m not sure I want the answer to.
Some people would let a senior year like this get them down. Not me. I’m Sutter Keely, master of the party. But don’t mistake a midnight philosopher like me for nothing more than a shallow party boy. Just ask Aimee, the new girl in my life. She saw the depth in the Sutterman from that first moment when she found me passed out on the front lawn. Okay, so she’s a social disaster, but that’s where I come in.
Yes, life is weird, but I embrace the weird. Let everyone else go marching off into their great shining futures if they want. Me, I’ve always been more than content to tip my whisky bottle and take a ride straight into the heart of the spectacular now.
"A smart, superbly written novel.” - Publishers Weekly, starred
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"Definitely a coming of age story. Once Sutter met Aimee, I couldn't stop reading. The story is realistic and easy to read. I hope the film comes out soon! It will star Brie Larson, Miles Teller, and Shailene Woodley. I pictured them while reading the book and they fit the characters perfectly."
— Krysten (4 out of 5 stars)
Awards
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A New York Times bestseller
The Spectacular Now Listener Reviews
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" A teen angnst book that I borrowed from Kate to read. The main character is a high-school drunk who wants to only live in the "now" and the story follows him in his travails with girls and the self-delusion that he has as to his place in life. I will give the author credit, there is no definitive end to the book or climactic moment, there is only the spectacular now. "
— Luke, 9/8/2013 -
" A teen angnst book that I borrowed from Kate to read. The main character is a high-school drunk who wants to only live in the "now" and the story follows him in his travails with girls and the self-delusion that he has as to his place in life. I will give the author credit, there is no definitive end to the book or climactic moment, there is only the spectacular now. "
— Luke, 9/8/2013 -
" Great character voice, interesting story. Tim Tharp is under appreciated. "
— MaryAnn, 8/21/2013 -
" Great character voice, interesting story. Tim Tharp is under appreciated. "
— MaryAnn, 8/21/2013 -
" A young adult novel where the main character is exactly like Jeff Spicolli from Fast Times at Ridgemont High except less of a stoner and more of an alcoholic, constantly drinking whiskey and 7up from a giant 7-11 cup. It's funny but not exactly humor, but not a problem novel either. "
— Meghan, 7/13/2013 -
" A young adult novel where the main character is exactly like Jeff Spicolli from Fast Times at Ridgemont High except less of a stoner and more of an alcoholic, constantly drinking whiskey and 7up from a giant 7-11 cup. It's funny but not exactly humor, but not a problem novel either. "
— Meghan, 7/13/2013 -
" Meh...would have liked it better if Sutter wasn't such an unlikeable, irresponsible buffoon. I thought it would be more of a comic story. I really like the cover art, though. "
— Chris, 7/1/2013 -
" Meh...would have liked it better if Sutter wasn't such an unlikeable, irresponsible buffoon. I thought it would be more of a comic story. I really like the cover art, though. "
— Chris, 7/1/2013 -
" Didn't love this personally but really one of the better male-authored books for teens to appeal to young male readers that I've come across. Sort of a Catcher in the Rye for the 21st century with a lot more humor. "
— Maryanne, 5/22/2013 -
" Didn't love this personally but really one of the better male-authored books for teens to appeal to young male readers that I've come across. Sort of a Catcher in the Rye for the 21st century with a lot more humor. "
— Maryanne, 5/22/2013 -
" I was kind of disappointed in this one. I wasn't expecting a happy ending for Sutter, but he's genuinely likable (as anti-heroes tend to be) and to see his ending be so... non-committal made me feel a little cheated. "
— Stacey, 5/16/2013 -
" I was kind of disappointed in this one. I wasn't expecting a happy ending for Sutter, but he's genuinely likable (as anti-heroes tend to be) and to see his ending be so... non-committal made me feel a little cheated. "
— Stacey, 5/16/2013 -
" Definitely a coming of age story. Once Sutter met Aimee, I couldn't stop reading. The story is realistic and easy to read. I hope the film comes out soon! It will star Brie Larson, Miles Teller, and Shailene Woodley. I pictured them while reading the book and they fit the characters perfectly. "
— Krysten, 1/7/2013 -
" I really really loved the characters in this book. Can't wait to see the movie adaptation!One of my favorite coming of age stories. "
— Lila, 10/14/2012 -
" I really really loved the characters in this book. Can't wait to see the movie adaptation!One of my favorite coming of age stories. "
— Lila, 10/14/2012 -
" This is a well-told book, but pretty depressing. It probably deserves a 4-star rating in many respects. A difficult book for me to read, much like Crank was hard to take. "
— T.W., 7/6/2012 -
" This is a well-told book, but pretty depressing. It probably deserves a 4-star rating in many respects. A difficult book for me to read, much like Crank was hard to take. "
— T.W., 7/6/2012 -
" A brilliantly written book with one of the best ending lines ever. (No peeking. You have to get there honestly.) "
— Cassandra, 3/31/2012 -
" A brilliantly written book with one of the best ending lines ever. (No peeking. You have to get there honestly.) "
— Cassandra, 3/31/2012 -
" YA Fiction--from YALSA's 2009 Best Books for Teens list. Teenaged drinking and romance. Sutter Keely is the narrator and is, at least in his view, the life of the party. But graduation is near and his future is very uncertain. "
— Bayneeta, 12/4/2011 -
" YA Fiction--from YALSA's 2009 Best Books for Teens list. Teenaged drinking and romance. Sutter Keely is the narrator and is, at least in his view, the life of the party. But graduation is near and his future is very uncertain. "
— Bayneeta, 12/4/2011 -
" Kind of sad and depressing, but kind of makes you think. "
— Allison, 10/2/2011 -
" Kind of sad and depressing, but kind of makes you think. "
— Allison, 10/2/2011 -
" First things first - who ever approved the cover art? my god... Now, the book was ok. but the main character 'Sutter' was kinda pitiful and annoying. but i like a drunk, so he passed my standards test. "
— Misha, 3/4/2011 -
" First things first - who ever approved the cover art? my god... Now, the book was ok. but the main character 'Sutter' was kinda pitiful and annoying. but i like a drunk, so he passed my standards test. "
— Misha, 3/4/2011 -
" Great character voice, interesting story. Tim Tharp is under appreciated. "
— MaryAnn, 1/1/2011 -
" Great character voice, interesting story. Tim Tharp is under appreciated. "
— MaryAnn, 1/1/2011 -
" Did it have to end like that? :o( "
— Tatiana, 4/15/2010 -
" Did it have to end like that? :o( "
— Tatiana, 4/15/2010
About Tim Tharp
Tim Tharp lives in Oklahoma, where he teaches at Rose State College. He is the author of the highly acclaimed YA novels Badd, Knights of the Hill Country and The Spectacular Now, which was a 2008 National Book Award finalist.
About MacLeod Andrews
MacLeod Andrews is a multiple Audie, Earphones, and SOVAS award-winning and Grammy-nominated narrator with hundreds of credits to his name. Perhaps best known for a cinematic approach with full characterizations and intimate deliveries in series such as The Reckoners, Sandman Slim, and Warriors, he’s also been noted for his straight reads ranging from memoirs to modern classics. When not doing books you can hear him in video games, cartoons, commercials, podcasts, and reading you the news on Apple News +. Or check out one of his films.