Listen free for 30 days
Listen with offer
-
Imaginary Friends
- A Novel
- Narrated by: Christopher Kipiniak
- Length: 10 hrs and 28 mins
Failed to add items
Add to basket failed.
Add to wishlist failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
99p for the first 3 months
Imaginary Friends
Buy Now for £19.00
No valid payment method on file.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Summary
Tom McCann, a professor of sociology, and his young assistant, Roger, infiltrate a religious cult group based in New York State, deciding it will make excellent study material. But they find it hard to maintain their deception, especially as Verena, the cult's leader, is an attractive woman.
More from the same
What listeners say about Imaginary Friends
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- PaulT Edinburgh
- 23-10-23
An enduring delight
I read this many years ago, in part because it's one of the very few books were sociologists feature as the main characters. Despite the fact that the professional context is a little dated now, it's observations on academic attitudes and actions remain pertinent. However, you certainly don't have to be a social scientist to enjoyed this book. A Professor and a post-doctoral student infiltrate a small 'religious' sect that adds an extraterrestrial twist to the usual menu of supernatural belief systems. Predictably, it doesn't go well. Though the inevitable repetition of a lot of very daft beliefs held by the group can get occasionally irritating, there is rich potential for comic as well as humane insights into the well drawn characters as two world's collide. The narrators ability to capture a large variety of voices adds to the pleasures.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 27-01-24
Funny, clever with a wonderful narrator
An odd and engaging idea for a novel, where a sociology professor and his young sidekick, who tells the story, find their way into a small town group of religious fanatics meaning to study the group dynamics. I don’t want to say too much as I wouldn’t want to give anything away, but I did wonder if Alison Lurie had written this book tongue in cheek, but mostly it shows the impact of the cult on the sociologists, who let go of their professional attachment in the face of group lunacy. I thought the narrator was wonderful in the way he bought the novel to life and in some places, had me laughing aloud. But ultimately this book is clever, with a clever ambiguous twist at the end. Definitely highly recommended.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!