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.

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

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.

City of glass - beautiful ❤️

I find that all three books are well written and I couldn’t stop reading/listening. But the only one which was an enormous pleasure to read was ‘city of glass’. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Great stories with characters who you really care about.

I enjoy Paul Auster’s stories an writing style. The reader was the perfect voice for this book.

Such an enjoyable listen

And I can't say exactly why. I just finished and know I'll listen again. This is meant to be read aloud/audible. Completely different than most things you've read but if you've read a lot, you'll see pieces, thoughts from other books. I know these stories will stay in my brain and I'll just have to listen again.

Intriguing but at times goes off on less interesting tangents

Paul Auster is a masterful story teller and this trilogy takes you on twists and turns that leave you wondering what it’s all about long after finishing the books.

The narrator does a wonderful job and has just the right tone. Throughout each of the parts, there are themes that mirror each other and you’re never sure what it all means or where it all leads. This trilogy would be brilliant for a book club that you could have endless in depth conversations any.

Genre Deconstruction at its Best

Paul Auster’s New York Trilogy takes all the tropes of the classic detective noir, shines a direct light onto each of them, and then says, “Now watch this!” The result is a bizarre and at times dizzying story (or stories) about writers who are detectives.. or is it detectives who are writers? Each of whom, in an effort to outsmart their mark, wind up over analyzing the situation. “Am I following or am I the followed? Am I pulling the strings or are my strings being pulled?” These are questions you’ll be asking along with the characters. Auster’s inclusion of a version of himself in his work adds another layer to the mystery of what is real and can anything the narrator says be trusted at all.