Let The Great World Spin by Colum McCann

Reminded me over and over again of the quote from the 1959 movie, 'Suddenly Last Summer' '.each day like a piece of sculpture, leaving behind us a trail of days like a gallery of sculpture until suddenly.Let the Great World Spin is a novel by Colum McCann set mainly in New York City in the United States. The most poignant was Jasslyn's last moments with Claire. laying on a bed, looking out a window, gazing, just sitting quietly with another. The moments where those where the character was alone. Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you? The narrators seem to have not only read the book, but immersed themselves into the persons experience the are giving voice to. It is present in reading print, but it is undeniable in audio. You can tell when someone is interested in talking to you, the lift, the pace of their voice. It always seems that I notice the cadence. What does the narrators bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book? All of 18 years old and understands with a sudden clarity the connection that is more than just conversation. Sam Peters, the youngest of the computer hackers. Not just learning about the character, meeting them in their lives right where they are. What did you love best about Let the Great World Spin? I found myself regretting choosing Audible for this one I think this is just one that was meant to be read. I'd recommend the book, but not the audiobook.

It's beautifully written and captures a New York that I remember seeing, mostly out of my peripheral vision, when I was growing up along the city's edge. It's a lovely story, though, with a diverse array of characters-some I would have like to have heard less from, some I wanted to know more about. (I had to listen to much of it on 1.5x just to make it sound normal). It's beautiful prose, but it's supposed to be set in New York, and no New Yorker speaks that slowly.

Also, the narration was mind-numbingly slow. When that's the case, the narrator essentially becomes my own voice internal reading the book, rather than a 'performance' by a 'cast.' This story switches the POV frequently, and each time a new actor comes on to read-and I just found it distracting and annoying. I generally prefer narration that disappears, when a single reader just reads the book in a lively voice (and PLEASE-don't 'do' voices). but I suspect my troubles with it were due to the uneven (and sluggish) performances in the audiobook. Parts of this book I loved, and parts I just wanted to get through. Wish I'd chosen the book, rather than audio.

Let The Great World Spin by Colum McCann