Saul and Patsy

Baxter, Charles

ISBN 10: 159777149X ISBN 13: 9781597771498

Publisher: Phoenix Audio, 2007

Synopsis

Five Oaks, Michigan is not exactly where Saul and Patsy meant to end up. Both from the East Coast, they met in college, fell in love, and settled down to married life in the Midwest. Saul is Jewish and a compulsively inventive worrier; Patsy is gentile and cheerfully pragmatic. On Saul's initiative (and to his continual dismay) they have moved to this small town-a place so devoid of irony as to be virtually "a museum of earlier American feelings"-where he has taken a job teaching high school. Soon this brainy and guiltily happy couple will find children have become a part of their lives, first their own baby daughter and then an unloved, unlovable boy named Gordy Himmelman. It is Gordy who will throw Saul and Patsy's lives into disarray with an inscrutable act of violence. As timely as a news flash yet informed by an immemorial understanding of human character, Saul and Patsy is a genuine miracle.

About this title

About the Authors

Charles Baxter is the author of ten books, including "The Feast of Love," a finalist for the National Book Award, and "The Art of Subtext: Beyond Plot," He lives in Minneapolis.

Rubinstein has performed on Broadway.

Reviews

For the first quarter of this novel, even the talented John Rubinstein can't save it from sounding like Annie Hall Redux. The clash between Midwest WASP and East Coast Jew is better captured by Woody Allen in a single line. However, this quirky novel improves vastly when the none-too-bright Gordy, performed to slow-talking perfection by Rubinstein, stalks Saul's family, and the plot shifts into a different gear. Rubinstein subtly controls the voice of Gordy's aunt Brenda so that she sounds simultaneously greedy and grieving. He individuates Saul's friends and family and occasionally provides amusing sound effects—for example, Mad Dog inhaling pot and then speaking with his throat full of smoke. Rubinstein's well-paced narration extracts as much humor from the novel as possible. Unfortunately, the audio's production is far from perfect. Awkward silences separate the tracks, and each CD ends abruptly. Occasional bits of music seem randomly dropped in. Despite the technical flaws, Rubinstein's fine performance makes Saul & Patsy a notable new audio. A Vintage paperback (Reviews, Sept. 28, 2003). (Aug.)
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This novel of newlyweds Saul and Patsy is a touching and comedic story from Charles Baxter. Narrator John Rubinstein offers a theatrical performance that transcends the limits of audiobook narration. Rubinstein simply becomes every character he voices throughout, without so much as the slightest change in tone or accent. Rubinstein understands these characters through every possible range of emotion that Baxter tosses in the mix, and the result is a truly memorable listening experience. As Rubinstein brings this story to life in a way that is rarely experienced but is incredibly refreshing, both Saul and Patsy are deeply crafted and interesting in their own right. Rubinstein captures their essence and sends it out to his audience in this wonderfully underplayed narration. L.B. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Edition details

• Publisher: Phoenix Audio
• Publication date: 2007
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 159777149X
• ISBN 13: 9781597771498
• Binding: Audio CD