The New York Trilogy

By: Paul Auster

Narrated by: Joe Barrett

Paul Auster's brilliant debut novels, City of Glass, Ghosts, and The Locked Room brought him international acclaim for his creation of a new genre, mixing elements of the standard detective fiction and postmodern fiction.

City of Glass combines dark, Kafka-like humor with all the suspense of a Hitchcock film as a writer of detective stories becomes embroiled in a complex and puzzling series of events, beginning with a call from a stranger in the middle of the night asking for the author - Paul Auster - himself. Ghosts, the second volume of this interconnected trilogy, introduces Blue, a private detective hired to watch a man named Black, who, as he becomes intermeshed into a haunting and claustrophobic game of hide-and-seek, is lured into the very trap he has created.

The final volume, The Locked Room, also begins with a mystery, told this time in first-person narrative. The nameless hero journeys into the unknown as he attempts to reconstruct the past, which he has experienced almost as a dream. Together these three fictions lead the reader on adventures that expand the mind as they entertain.

As an added bonus, when you purchase our Audible Modern Vanguard production of Paul Auster's book, you'll also get an exclusive Jim Atlas interview that begins when the audiobook ends.

This production is part of our Audible Modern Vanguard line, a collection of important works from groundbreaking authors.©2006 Paul Auster (P)2009 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Auster harnesses the inquiring spirit any reader brings to a mystery, redirecting it from the grubby search for a wrongdoer to the more rarified search for the self." ( New York Times Book Review)

"Eminently readable and mysterious.... Auster has added some new dimensions to modern literature and - more importantly even - to our perspectives on the planet." ( Boston Globe)

"By turning the mystery novel inside out, Auster may have initiated a whole new round of storytelling." ( The Village Voice)

Pretty good read

Although not a fantastic book, I did like the 3 stories. The fact that they all had looking for someone git a bit old. I did like the character development and the book made a good summer read.

Why did I wait so long?

Paul Auster is yet another great author I learned about only when he died. These three connected short novels are “mystery novels” in the generic sense only on the surface. You will quickly realize the true mystery is that of existence itself.

Gripping, thought-provoking, hilarious

I loved this read. The middle story did drag - like repeating the first story without any of the fun stuff. But the first and last stories were fantastic - really genuine and free of many of the usual story-telling conventions that can stifle an author's voice. Also, this is one of the few audiobooks in which the narration is so good I don't think I would have gotten as much out of it if I'd simply read it. So good I gifted the audiobook to a friend.

I have read this book cover to back 3 times

I have little idea what happened, but it is powerful and I am losing my sanity

Amazing!

Imagine if Beckettt had written a Dostoyevsky book. That is what you are getting with the new york trology.

An exploration of loss

City of Glass is a strange and masterful work. It borrows elements of detective fiction, but is mainly an exploration of loss and its deep effect on the main character Quinn. Loss and the way Quinn’s identity is affected is at the core of this fascinating novel. The writing is compelling and the narrator is superb. Highly recommended.

Exquisite from beginning to end

This trilogy is an amazing work. All stories are interconnected but not on an obvious level but in a more intricate one. The narrative is delightful and the characters are built in an exquisite way. The narrator it’s just the cherry on top giving live not only to the story but to the dialogues in a beautiful way.

Good fun!

The stories are specific and obtuse at the same time. Noir in character. Excellent narration. I learned of Paul Auster listening to Fresh Air and found him
Compelling. The trilogy did not disappoint.

The best audiobook I've heard

I don't blindly scatter 5 star reviews around, but this audiobook gets top marks. I'd heard people talk about this book for years, but never read it. Not everyone was complimentary, but even the detractors conceded that it had a certain elusive narrative quality that set it apart.

I finally bought the audiobook about 18 months ago, and have just listened again to the whole thing, for the 3rd time now.

Art, including literature, and including audiobooks, is totally subjective -- it barely needs saying. So there is no criticism or sneering from me towards anyone who doesn't enjoy this audiobook, and/or this story. But I must say that for me, an audiobook fan, New York Trilogy is the best. The narrative, weaving through reality and delusion, is both thrilling and disturbing, and so evocative of hidden corners of our our own lives. The clincher though is the magnificent narration. I say without hesitation that the world-weary tones of Joe Barrett turns from a very good book into a magnificent audiobook.

Starts slow...but gains speed

I would recommend this book but only to a reader with a great deal of patience. The story takes chapter upon chapter to get going. It starts out well, then falls flat, picks up again, then falls flat, then takes off and remains quite interesting. But that occurs in the second part. So if you can survive the uneven-ness of the first part - you should be alright. I wasn't inamoured of the narration either. Well Mr. Barrett has a pleasantly relaxing style - I found it maybe too relaxing and sometimes much drabbly monotone. He was putting me to sleep - or maybe it was the story. Maybe it's not my cup-o-tea.