A Calling for Charlie Barnes (read by Nick Offerman)

By: Joshua Ferris

Narrated by: Nick Offerman

From a National Book Award Finalist comes a novel about an American family and one man's attempt to understand the many lives of his father.

Someone is telling the story of the life of Charlie Barnes, and it doesn't appear to be going well. Too often divorced, discontent with life's compromises and in a house he hates, this lifelong schemer and eternal romantic would like out of his present circumstances and into the American dream. But when the twin calamities of the Great Recession and a cancer scare come along to compound his troubles, his dreams dwindle further, and an infinite past full of forking paths quickly tapers to a black dot.

Then, against all odds, something goes right for a change: Charlie is granted a second act. With help from his storyteller son, he surveys the facts of his life and finds his true calling where he least expects it—in a sacrifice that redounds with selflessness and love—at last becoming the man his son always knew he could be.

A Calling for Charlie Barnes is a profound and tender portrait of a man whose desperate need to be loved is his downfall, and a brutally funny account of how that love is ultimately earned.

Critic reviews

“Ferris’s abundant skill has been evident since his debut novel, “Then We Came to the End,” was published in 2007, but here he has taken a huge leap forward, twisting semi-autobiographical material in such serpentine ways that even the author’s note is devious. This is a more tender novel than Ferris’s others, but that doesn’t keep it from being murderously funny from start to finish...Ferris's most daring experiment...Ferris’s prose remains taut and gorgeous, even when bleak. Also give him props for finding precisely the right way to meld memoir with satire, to do this with bracing originality and to keep heads spinning from this novel’s first page to its last. Gamesmanship and love don’t mix easily. But Ferris has found a way to do it, and he’s risen to the top of his game.”—Janet Maslin, New York Times Book Review

“Dazzling…There's no shortage of make-believe in A Calling for Charlie Barnes, Ferris' fifth, and best, book. A Calling for Charlie Barnes wears its metafictional heart on its sleeve, but as smart as it is, Ferris never shows any signs of falling in love with his own cleverness. Literary experiments without warmth tend to fall flat for most readers, but Ferris' novel is — remarkably, given its flawed subject — full of heart...In his previous works, Ferris has proved that he's one of the best American authors of comic fiction working today. His humor is on full display with A Calling for Charlie Barnes, but so are his intelligence and compassion; it's a masterpiece that shines a revealing light on both family and fiction itself.”—Michael Schaub, NPR

"Joshua Ferris is one of our best writers, and A Calling for Charlie Barnes is wonderful: fast and deep, urgent and brilliant. Ingeniously written, it had me up reading late into the night. A hilarious, intimate, and scathing takedown of so many American vanities."—Dana Spiotta, author of Wayward

"A deeply funny, very moving book about that most pivotal and permanent of destinations: death. Ferris's hijinks are serious; his play is profound. There is magic in these pages."—Ayad Akhtar, author of Homeland Elegies

“Dazzling. Mind-blowing. About as much fun as you can have without risking arrest.”—Richard Russo, author of Empire Falls and Chances Are…

"If Augie March was a “Columbus of the near-at-hand,” Charlie Barnes is a whole America: a dreaming, scheming paterfamilias forever “expanding out to the coasts” and outstripping whatever inconvenient facts or exuberant fictions might hope to contain him. Is he for real? Are any of us? This much is certain: Funny, moving, and formally a work of genius, A Calling for Charlie Barnes is quite literally the book Joshua Ferris was born to write."—Garth Risk Hallberg, author of City on Fire

strong start but no real plot

This is a character driven novel, with Charlie Barnes being a very interesting character. He's a middle-aged ne'er-do-well, portrayed so well and with so much humor. This felt reminiscent of a John Irving novel. Nick Offerman was the perfect reader. This started so well, but suffered as the novel progressed. The constant back-and-forth in time grew confusing and irritating, plus a plot never emerged. The writing was great, but some kind of story was needed to keep my interest here. Also, the secondary characters played a bigger role in the second half, but they were a lot less interesting than Charlie Barnes.

Wow

This one really surprised me in a good way. Yes it takes some time to get into, and I suggest playing it at 1.35x speed but it turns into such a great story that reminds me of Big Fish (the movie). the end, while I did predict would happen the way it did brought a tear to my eye. such a great novel to cause reflection. As someone called it I believe correctly, a thinking person's novel.

Enjoying & surprising.

If you enjoyed “Life of Pi” you will like this book. The narration was excellent.

Wonderful

Oh! The twists and turns! My heartstrings are stretched and twanging..
Loved the pitch perfect narration, too.

Enjoyed this inventive story!

I needed to listen carefully and there were times where I’d feel confused, but by the end of the book, I understood why I was confused. I really enjoyed this story. It’s a unique look back on a life and Nick Offerman was wonderful.