4 3 2 1

A Novel

By: Paul Auster

Narrated by: Paul Auster

"...listening to 4 3 2 1 in audio is worth the commitment, thanks to the author’s easy-on-the-ears baritone" — Newsday

This program is narrated by—and includes a bonus interview with—the author.

Paul Auster’s greatest, most heartbreaking and satisfying novel—a sweeping and surprising story of birthright and possibility, of love and of life itself: a masterpiece.

Nearly two weeks early, on March 3, 1947, in the maternity ward of Beth Israel Hospital in Newark, New Jersey, Archibald Isaac Ferguson, the one and only child of Rose and Stanley Ferguson, is born. From that single beginning, Ferguson’s life will take four simultaneous and independent fictional paths. Four identical Fergusons made of the same DNA, four boys who are the same boy, go on to lead four parallel and entirely different lives. Family fortunes diverge. Athletic skills and sex lives and friendships and intellectual passions contrast. Each Ferguson falls under the spell of the magnificent Amy Schneiderman, yet each Amy and each Ferguson have a relationship like no other. Meanwhile, listeners will take in each Ferguson’s pleasures and ache from each Ferguson’s pains, as the mortal plot of each Ferguson’s life rushes on.

As inventive and dexterously constructed as anything Paul Auster has ever written, yet with a passion for realism and a great tenderness and fierce attachment to history and to life itself that listeners have never heard from Auster before. 4 3 2 1 is a marvelous and unforgettably affecting tour de force.

©2017 Paul Auster (P)2017 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

"[Paul] Auster's deep understanding of his characters, soothing baritone, and skillful pacing...deliver an immensely satisfying experience overall for listeners" -AudioFile Magazine

"[Paul] Auster’s compelling, mesmerizing voice so embodies all the Fergusons that “4321” is ...worth an entire week’s worth of listening." -Winston-Salem Journal

"[L]istening to “4 3 2 1” in audio is worth the commitment, thanks to the author’s easy-on-the-ears baritone." -Newsday

Starts Out Great...

then ambled further than even a patient me could sometimes tolerate. The writing was very good, but some serious tightening of the story and extensive editing were needed. I did enjoy quite a few parts, nevertheless, so it was still worth a listen.

Narrated by the author

English is not my native language so getting through the book on my own would have been a struggle. The story is so well written (i.e. told) that listening to the author telling it seemed just as it was meant to be. Thank you Mr. Paul Auster.

Gift that keeps giving

An incredible book. An incredible performance by author Paul Auster, who has such a great voice. 37 hours -- this one feels like the gift that keeps on giving.

Brilliant historical fiction at its luminous best

It took a loooong time to finish, however was well worth it. Auster weaves a brilliant 4-part coming-of-age narrative about a NY-area Boomer, with poignancy and power. A must for all lovers of NYC and of Auster.

Could not put this down!

I fell in love with the characters, and their different iterations. They all sprang to life inside my car while I was driving or when I was walking on the streets. I enjoyed the historical backdrop. I was still very young during the tumultuous late 50’s and 60’s. But I’m aware of how there was so much going on then. All in all a satisfying read and the fact that it was narrated by the author made me feel like he was reading it to me. This alone felt like a treat.