Under the Volcano

A Novel

By: Malcolm Lowry

Narrated by: John Lee

On the Day of the Dead, in 1938, Geoffrey Firmin, an alcoholic and ruined man, is fatefully living out his last day, drowning himself in mescal while his former wife and half-brother look on, powerless to help him. The events of this one day unfold against a backdrop unforgettable for its evocation of a Mexico at once magical and diabolical.©1947 Peter Matson (P)2009 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"The book obviously belongs with the most original and creative novels of our time." (Alfred Kazin)
"One of the towering novels of [the twentieth] century." ( New York Times)
"[Lowry's] masterpiece...has a claim to being regarded as one of the ten most consequential works of fiction produced in this century...." ( Los Angeles Times)

Excellent book

Where does Under the Volcano rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This is one of the best books I have ever listened to. It was very well read.

What did you like best about this story?

I liked the way the angles and foreshadowing all came to a blurry crash at the end.

Have you listened to any of John Lee’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No

Any additional comments?

Again, this was a great book. I highly recommend it.

Mehhhhhhhh

I can't say I was really enamored with this novel. While the prose certainly has its charms and it's eloquently and beautifully written, much of it seems to me to hold little semblance of a narrative or a coherent story.

In that regard the book fails to do much for me. I can appreciate nice words as well as anyone, but I prefer my novels to tell me good stories, or at least pepper in some entertainment along with the philosophical meanderings of the mind.

Stream of consciousness like this doesn't hold much to make it worthy of my attention or praise.

Difficult novel, rewarding

Difficult novel, a painful evocation of suffering, alcoholism, self-destruction, and demise, but such beautiful and unforgettable prose, it certainly deserves its fame. The narrator on the audio edition is excellent. Reading the text while listening is recommended.

Desperate aching plot. LOVED THE NARRATOR

Struggled with this novel. Difficult, distant time in history. I love historical fiction but I could not make sense of this. I stayed until end because I LOVED the narrator!
For me, a desperate depressing novel. Wonder why it was so lauded in history?

Get a Different Edition

For the first time in my life I couldn't finish a book. To say that the performance by John Lee is unlistenable is, in my opinion, giving the performance too much credit. For a story that utilizes as much Spanish you'd think that the performer would be able to put together more than a slurred Italian interpretation. I'd rather listen to Brad Pitt read Cormac McCarthy.