AUDIOBOOK
About
Dazzlingly rich, lyrical and elegiac, Thomas Wolfe's vibrant autobiographical first novel, Look Homeward, Angel, follows the story of Eugene Gant, the ninth and last child born to alcoholic Oliver and go-getting Eliza in the fictional town of Altemont, based on Wolfe's hometown of Asheville, North Carolina. The novel recounts Eugene's early life, up to his departure from home at the age of 19. A brilliant and restless young man struck by family tragedy, Eugene possesses a great imagination and voracious appetite for experience, which give him a burning desire to leave his tumultuous small-town life in search of something better. Thomas Wolfe's epic voice - poetic and rhapsodic, brimming with joy, existential terror and rage - had an earth-shattering effect on the literary landscape of America in the early 20th-century, raising him up alongside legendary writers of the American South, such as William Faulkner and Flannery O'Conner.
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Reviews
"Adam Sims infuses this iconic American coming-of-age story with controlled energy. Considered an autobiographical novel and an example of Southern Gothic literature, the story of Eugene Gant and his family's struggles is rich in detail and poetic in language. Sims's voice has subtle depths that capture difficult scenes with the right amount of emotion. He does well with character voices, especially those of the more distinctive personalities, and develops tones and accents consistently. Sims especially shines in his delivery of the extensive descriptions and lengthy exposition. His patient pace keeps the 25-hour performance fresh. Confident phrasing of complex sentences makes the narrative easy to follow as listeners immerse themselves in this family saga. L.B.F. � AudioFile 2025, Portland, Maine"
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