I'll Get There. It Better Be Worth the Trip.

By: John Donovan

Narrated by: Michael Urie, Stacey Donovan, Brent Hartinger, Martin Wilson, Kathleen T. Horning

When the grandmother who raised him dies, Davy Ross, a lonely 13-year-old boy, must move to Manhattan to live with his estranged mother. Between alcohol-infused lectures about her self-sacrifice and awkward visits with his distant father, Davy's only comfort is his beloved dachshund, Fred. Things start to look up when he and a boy from school become friends. But when their relationship takes an unexpected turn, Davy struggles to understand what happened and what it might mean.

©1969 John Donovan (P)2011 Audible, Inc.

Real and one of my favorite listens

A touching, tactful, and entertaining novel. The plot is very simple, and it revolves around a 13-year old, his family, his dog, and a friend. The narrator does a fantastic job; I especially liked his rendering of the mother, which kept me entertained through the first half of the novel, where little seems to happen. The essays at the end of the story helped me locate the novel in its context. I wish I could have read this as a teenager, and reading it now pleased the teenage inside of me immensely.

Definitely recommended

We get a lot of backstory at the start, which shows just how much Davy's life will be disrupted by his grandmother's sudden death. Then, he gets to NYC, with his initial impressions. Cutting to the chase, the crucial scene happens later in the book than some might be expecting, but there's some foreshadowing.

Not going to say much about the sexuality issue. Some reviewers are frustrated that it isn't more ... aggressively handled. I think it was dealt with just fine. The ending seemed optimistic to me (remember, this was 50 years ago).

Grieving is also a big part of the story, both for Davy, as well as Altschuler whose BFF has just died. Being a child of an alcoholic is here as well, presented raw and real. However, I had trouble accepting that Davy's mother was able to "claim" him after being deemed unfit for the past decade. The plot required him to be in NYC, but in real life he'd have been much better off with his aunt and uncle in Massachusetts.

Point-of-view seemed like Davy looking back on things much later than real-time from a 13 year old. Narration a good fit, although Altschuler sounded older to me rather than same age. I couldn't relate to Davy's father as he seemed caring, but seemingly distant. His step-mother seemed more clued-in that he needed to get out of a bad situation with his mother.

Good Story, But Unfulfilling

This title is a small roller-coaster. I had a hard time connecting with almost every character. The mother made me angry, there were very few heart to hearts, and the entire story wrapped up with plenty of unresolved conflict. There are too many unanswered questions, and I have yet to figure out how crazy Davy actually is. Not my favorite book, but the performance is spectacular.

Will I get there?

the story is good you keep listening intensely waiting for the story to start, which takes about 5 hrs before the pilot ends and the action start.
good voice on the narrartor