Mr. Sammler's Planet

By: Saul Bellow

Narrated by: George Guidall

Mr. Artur Sammler is, above all, a man who has lasted, from the civilized pleasures of English life in the 1920s and 30s through the war and death camps in Poland. Moving now through the chaotic and dangerous streets of New York's Upper West Side, Mr. Sammler is attentive to everything, and appalled by nothing. He brings the same dispassionate curiosity to the activities of a black pickpocket on an uptown bus, the details of his niece Angela's sex life, and his daughter's lunacy as he does to the extraordinary theories of one Dr. V. Govinda Lal on the use we are to make of the moon now that we have reached it.

Beneath this novel's comedy, sadness, shocking action, and superb character-drawing there runs a strain of speculation, both daring and serene, on the future of life on this planet - Mr. Sammler's Planet - and any other planets for which we may be destined.

©1970 Saul Bellow (P)2019 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

ASTONISHING

The book itself is beautiful. The voice performance brings Sammler to life.
Great experience, well worth the read.

Tiresome

Overall, after listening to Guidall read about 1/4 of the novel, I'm finding little to like here. I don’t know whether to place the blame on the reader or on the author. I don’t much care for Guidall's delivery. I suspect that that he felt his crusty delivery contributed to the overall effect of the work. But in reality, there is plenty of crustiness already in the Sammler character itself, without more being injected into it. As a result, it is quite tiresome to listen to. This just goes to show how important a reader's voice is in an audio book. There are voices that grate on one after awhile, as in this case.

Too philosophical to be a good audiobook

Good book but a little too wordy to be a good audiobook. Read it woud be better than to listen to it.

NOT HIS USUAL STUFF, BUT A DEEPLY SATISFYING READ

If you are looking for some of Saul Bellow's usual literary hilarity, this one isn't for you. This is a very philosophical book. It reaches deep into the heart of a man who has been witness it the worst of what can throw at you, and who has survived to question the meaning of it all in the first place. By far the deepest of Bellow's literary portfolio. I enjoyed it and would even read it again. Highly recommended.

Like Herzog, not a favorite

Like Herzog, this is not one of my favorite Bellow. I find the protagonists in each a bit too philosophical and not quite real. The musings are mildly interesting but, for me, don't support a great novel.

The best part of the novel is near the end, in which Sammler speaks to God and concludes that if we could truly base our lives on our intuitive understanding of good and evil our lives could be positively transformed.

I found the narration clear, and the characterization quite interesting.