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The Spectator Bird

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About this listen

 Joe Allston is a retired literary agent who is, in his own words, "killing time before time gets around to killing me." His parents and his only son are long dead, leaving him with neither ancestors nor descendants, tradition nor ties. His job, trafficking the talent of others, had not been his choice. He passes through life as a spectator. But a postcard from a friend causes him to return to the journals of a trip he had taken years before. The memories of that trip to his mother's birthplace move through layers of time and meaning, and reveal that Joe Allston isn't quite spectator enough.©1976 Wallace Stegner (P)2009 Blackstone Audio, Inc. Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction

Critic reviews

  • National Book Award Winner, 2006

"Elegant and entertaining. . . .Every scene is adroitly staged and each effect precisely accomplished." ( The Atlantic)
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Wonderful writing, human observation, of a time which was nice to revisit, witty, interesting. Edward Hermann’s narration sublime, so appreciated his voice and take on it. Clever. Loved it.

Brilliant

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I listened to this because it was free and read by the actor who played Richard Gilmore - he delivers a fine performance and makes this enjoyable enough. The story was fairly engaging but some of the language is vaguely offensive and sexist (of its time I guess, though I don’t see that as a valid excuse).
The process of growing old is timeless, though, and this book is a slightly depressing reminder that it’s coming for us all, if we’re lucky enough not to die first.

Well read but dated

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