Libra

By: Don DeLillo

Narrated by: Michael Prichard

In this powerful, eerily convincing fictional speculation on the assassination of John F. Kennedy, Don DeLillo chronicles Lee Harvey Oswald’s odyssey from troubled teenager to a man of precarious stability who imagines himself an agent of history. When “history” presents itself in the form of two disgruntled CIA operatives who decide that an unsuccessful attempt on the life of the president will galvanize the nation against communism, the scales are irrevocably tipped.

A gripping, masterful blend of fact and fiction, alive with meticulously portrayed characters both real and created, Libra is a grave, haunting, and brilliant examination of an event that has become an indelible part of the American psyche.

Engaging story

Great story/writing. Lived up to my expectations. Narration was a bit stale in my opinion

Interesting Take on Oswald

He was a lot more like us than we'd like to think... at least I think that's what the book is trying to say. An engaging story that adds some humanity to the rote retelling of American mythology.

alternative, speculative fiction

Libra by Don DeLillo is a work of speculative fiction, or alternative history, which tells the story of the assassination of President Kennedy by Lee Harvey Oswald. Sort of. This is book that is based on the premise that Oswald was part of a conspiracy with the CIA, and was hired to kill the president. DeLillo wrote a convincing story that could easily convince a reader to believe in conspiracy theories. This one talks about the Bay of Pigs and surrounding anti-Cuban sentiments, the U2 spy missions, and loads of espionage. This book is filled with actual history intertwined seamlessly with the speculative history created by the author. It all fits so well together that I found myself turning to Google often.

Intense imagination created for the minds of the characters.

Don deLillo book Libra manages to write with acute insights into the possible thought and emotions of the characters and of the country that is the USA.
An impressive and emotional read.
I got to understand facets of L H Oswald and what he believed in. This is a second read and I’m still able to feel the madness of an assassination of a president.
Thank you writing the book and Thankyou to audible for adding another layer to listening while reading. ☮️☮️❤️🗽

Well researched and imagined

As the book that inspired James Ellroy to write American Tabloid, Libra also serves as an excellent companion to that novel. While many of the events from Libra are well researched, DeLillo imaginatively fills in the gaps to create a seemingly plausible conspiracy behind the JFK assassination. Some reviewers have complained about Michael Pritchard's narration (too monotone) but I feel it goes perfectly with the novel's staccato style of sentence structure which at times also seems similar to Ellroy's, albeit with deeper observations of human interactions. The entire read was enjoyable.