E-audio
Slouching towards bethlehem [electronic resource] : Essays. Joan Didion.
Record details
- ISBN: 9781250384263 (sound recording)
- Physical Description: 1 online resource (6 audio files) : digital
- Edition: Unabridged.
- Publisher: New York : Macmillan Audio, 2024.
Content descriptions
| General Note: | Unabridged. |
| Participant or Performer Note: | Narrator: Maya Hawke. |
| Summary, etc.: | This program is read by actor and singer-songwriter Maya Hawke, star of Netflix's Stranger Things . Celebrated, iconic, and indispensable, Joan Didion's first work of nonfiction, Slouching Towards Bethlehem , is considered a watershed moment in American writing. First published in 1968, the collection was critically praised as one of the "best prose written in this country." More than perhaps any other book, this collection by one of the most distinctive prose stylists of our era captures the unique time and place of Joan Didion's focus, exploring subjects such as John Wayne and Howard Hughes, growing up in California and the nature of good and evil in a Death Valley motel room, and, especially, the essence of San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury, the heart of the counterculture. As Joyce Carol Oates remarked: "[Didion] has been an articulate witness to the most stubborn and intractable truths of our time, a memorable voice, partly eulogistic, partly despairing; always in control." A Macmillan Audio production from Farrar, Straus and Giroux. |
| System Details Note: | Requires the Libby app or a modern web browser. |
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| Subject: | Nonfiction. Literary Criticism. |
| Genre: | Electronic books. |
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Library Journal Review
Slouching Towards Bethlehem : Essays
Library Journal
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The late essayist, journalist, and multiple award-winning literary luminary Didion (The Year of Magical Thinking) first published this collection of nonfiction essays in 1968. With her signature precision and clarity, Didion captures the essence of 1960s California, crafting an enduring historical portrait that remains relevant today. Known for her sharp powers of observation, she transforms her insights into prose with rhythm and precision, with each word chosen with care. These 20 essays evoke the spirit of the time and place, covering topics such as Didion's gimlet-eyed view of San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury district; reflections on storytelling, acting, and illness ("John Wayne: A Love Story"); and, in "7000 Romaine, Los Angeles 38," the influence of money and power as realized in Howard Hughes's art deco residence. Actor and singer-songwriter Maya Hawke narrates, offering spot-on pacing and a thoughtful tone that perfectly complements Didion's work. Her crystalline voice illuminates the author's elegant language, rendering it with no gimmicks so listeners can focus on the words rather than the performance. VERDICT Didion's timeless essays shine with Hawke at the helm. This audiobook will bring new listeners to this classic and is highly recommended for libraries everywhere.--Christa Van Herreweghe
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