Spooner

By: Pete Dexter

Narrated by: Tom Stechschulte

Warren Spooner was born after a prolonged delivery in a makeshift delivery room in a doctor's office in Milledgeville, Georgia, on the first Saturday of December, 1956. His father died shortly afterward, long before Spooner had even a memory of his face, and was replaced eventually by a once-brilliant young naval officer, Calmer Ottosson, recently court-martialed out of service.

This is the story of the lifelong tie between the two men, poles apart, of Spooner's troubled childhood, troubled adolescence, violent and troubled adulthood, and Calmer Ottosson's inexhaustible patience, undertaking a life-long struggle to salvage his step-son, a man he will never understand.

©2009 Pete Dexter (P)2009 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic reviews

"The rambunctious narrative is filled with hilarious scenes, including a naval burial at sea that goes horribly awry, a literary luncheon featuring Spooner and Margaret Truman that ends with a stampede of little old ladies, and a misguided act of vengeance that backfires and puts Spooner in the hospital. The novel's premise - that life is one big vale of tears and that writing about it wittily and exuberantly is the best one can do - might not work in real life, but it pays off in spades for Dexter and his tragicomically conflicted alter ego." ( Publishers Weekly)

So so good!

This is one of the few audiobooks that I revisited. It's a wonderful blend of characters,humor, triumphs, setbacks, and restarts.
I've enjoyed Dexter is writing for sometime now. I started with deadwood which is also very humorous and moved on his less humorous Paris Trout, Brother's keeper et al. All of his books are rich but this one is special like Spooner himself. I feel like this is the book John Irving comes close to with Garp but it's not so cartoonish and flamboyant, rather it builds and pulls you in and keeps you there in a world full of people you'd want to know.

I loved this book

I enjoyed this book from the start. I couldn't stop listening. I love listening to Tom Stechschulte and this is such a great story. Spooner is so lovable and this book was very interesting to listen to.

Great Book.

I listened to the book after it was mentioned on NPR by a featured Librarian that summarized books she called "below the radar screen". I'm so glad I heard he recommendation.

The book has very interesting characters and really keeps your attention. The narrator was extremely good.

a tall tale of a life

I chose to read Spooner based on a four star review/synopsis in Bookmarks magazine. Then, listening to the sample of the Stechschulte narration, I couldn't resist the audio. He's gruff and fabulous. Perfect for this book.

At first I thought this was going to be simply a tall tale but I was surprised to learn that Spooner is semi-autobiographical! Hard to believe the decisions some people make, but there it is.

Some incidents are laugh-out-loud funny but there is quite a bit of angst in this tale. Some people may be offended by some of the language, although it's pretty mild by today's standards.

One thing I can say is that the story never loses your interest. It is fascinating, insightful and maddening but in the end, a great story. You may never put your shoes on again without thinking of Spooner.

Hilarious and touching

I had read a review of this book and went looking for it. It was a touching, gentle story of family and relationships that span years. The characters are endearing and you find yourself rooting for them every step of the way. Pete Dexter manages to weave humor and irony throughout the various stories that make up this book. I found myself laughing out loud as I walked my dog, drove my car, and just enjoyed being told this tale. Excellent narration, totally absorbing.