Galapagos

By: Kurt Vonnegut

Narrated by: Jonathan Davis

Galapagos takes the listener back one million years to AD 1986. A simple vacation cruise suddenly becomes an evolutionary journey. Thanks to an apocalypse, a small group of survivors stranded on the Galapagos Islands are about to become the progenitors of a brave, new, totally different human race.

Kurt Vonnegut, America's master satirist, looks at our world and shows us all that is sadly, madly awry - and all that is worth saving.

As an added bonus, when you purchase our Audible Modern Vanguard production of Kurt Vonnegut's book, you'll also receive an exclusive Jim Atlas interview. This interview – where James Atlas interviews Gay Talese about the life and work of Kurt Vonnegut – begins as soon as the audiobook ends.

This production is part of our Audible Modern Vanguard line, a collection of important works from groundbreaking authors.©1985 Kurt Vonnegut (P)2008 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Beautiful...provocative, arresting reading." ( USA Today)

"Vonnegut is a post-modern Mark Twain.... Galapagos is a madcap genealogical adventure." ( The New York Times Book Review)

"The best Vonnegut novel yet!" (John Irving)

Narrator doesn’t seem to understand satire

This narrator has a very earnest delivery and makes the whole story sound sad and serious. If he is correct in his tone, then I don’t like Vonnegut very much. If I am right in the way I read Vonnegut, then he’s my favorite author. In my head he sounds sweet and not too serious and just kind of befuddled and charmed by the world. This narrator made me want to drive off of a cliff.

Engaging and prophetic beyond explanation

Vonnegut was ahead of his time, as a novelist, and possessed a vision of bad things that would come to, pass, and have. Provided that one accepts the origin of species as fact, they will be glad to have read this.

Imagination,satire,Darwinism

Funny and sad at the same time. Interesting naturalist pictures of wildlife of Galápagos Islands along with and embedded in the story, that I appreciated because of my upcoming trip to Galapagos. Very good reader.

Daunting and Enlightening

Where does Galapagos rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Number two, right after The Alchemist.

Who was your favorite character and why?

My favorite character would have to be The Captain because for all his faults, vanity and ignorance he seemed the most real.

Have you listened to any of Jonathan Davis’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No. But I loved his voice and he, like Jeremy Irons, seems to embody each and every character as though they existed inside him.

Who was the most memorable character of Galapagos and why?

Most memorable character...hmmm. Ok, I'd said it is Mary. She is consistent and steadfast in her faith of humanity. Right up to the end she risks it all to save what she believes will improve the minds of future generations...but thanks to Vonnegut's wry sense of humor...I won't be a spoiler.

Any additional comments?

Vonnegut's style is both depressing and playful but more than anything he cuts through to the truth many have not and will not face.

An odd tale written by a wondefully odd man.

This is not my favorite Vonnegut title, mostly because it feels like he is still finding his voice here. He tells the story from an unusual perspective and deals in very non-linear time. If you know KV's work, you'll know that's not uncommon, but here it is a little more messy than in other books. I do really love the story, the characters and the commentary, but the way the story is told doesn't really allow me to grow terribly attached to any of it. This may very well have been the whole point, but from a personal experience perspective, it makes it a tough read. The narrator also does a very lack-luster job of telling this tale. He has a strange monotony to his speech patterns that makes me want to give up on the book... and life. His actual voice is nice, smooth and easy to listen to, but he's reading the book like a student reading an essay for an oral presentation. It's hard to properly explain. All-in-all I'm glad to have this book in my brain, but I know Vonnegut has made much better.

Always different

You've got to love him or you won't like it.

Great from start to finish

I'm in college, and had to read this for one of my classes. With the workload from my other classes, I knew I'd struggle a bit reading this, or that it'd take me longer than it should've. So I decided to give the audiobook a try, and I don't regret it. Jonathan Davis was great. I normally am picky about my performers, because I usually like to make it all in my head rather than have someone do the voices for me. But Davis was fantastic. When I found that I actually had time to sit down and read, I didn't want to, unless I was listening to Davis.

As far as the story is concerned, I don't want to say too much, but I will say this: Galapagos follows a unique cast of characters as it chronicles the evolution of the human species over a million years, to a time when the species is free from their "big brains". This was my first Vonnegut, so naturally I got a little confused. But in the end, after the story has woven through countless instances, and millions of years, Vonnegut crafted a masterwork of the tenacity of the human spirit. Written shortly after the Vietnam war, you can tell this acts as an antithesis to all the bad humans can cause, and works as a contemplative work on the greatness we inherently posses. I really loved it, and I'm looking forward to more Vonnegut, and Jonathan Davis, in the future.

A Timely Experience

In this year of Darwin celebrations, and a severe world economic downturn, this book makes some harrowing echoes. As another commented, you probably need to really like Vonnegut's work or you won't enjoy it. I do, and I did.

He is my all-time favorite modern author, but until now I hadn't read 'Galapagos'. It has been on my shelf for at least 15 years unread. I can't explain why I hadn't gotten around to reading it, but I am certainly glad to have finally caught up.

I must heartily commend the book's reader - his gentle unhurried tone matched Leon's narration flawlessly.

An excellent audio book experience marred only by the absence of a way to present an 'asterisk'. Readers of the dead tree edition will know what I mean...

Love Vonnegut? Listen to this...

Kurt Vonnegut was obviously born on another planet, his perspective is so deliciously different. I am very sympathetic to his atheistic world view. He almost heroically presents fiction that tickles my fancy. At the same time, he presents scenarios that are totally grounded in possibility, yanking our minds out of the hum-drum daily grind. If there is a God, Vonnegut must be their favorite creation, he sheds so much light upon the human condition...

Vonnnegut is always great but....

For Vonnegut this was definitely a 60%. Cool premise, just never fleshed anyone out. Missed opportunity to make it what it would of been if it were written in his early days. IMO. I’m no professional lol.