Ragtime

By: E. L. Doctorow

Narrated by: E. L. Doctorow

Ragtime, a classic work of historical fiction first published in 1975, details the lives of three families in early 20th-century New York. The novel interweaves fictional characters with actual historic events and figures.

The story opens in 1906 in New Rochelle, New York, at the home of an affluent American family. One lazy Sunday afternoon, the famous escape artist Harry Houdini swerves his car into a telephone pole outside their house. Almost magically, the line between fantasy and historical fact, between real and imaginary characters, disappears. Henry Ford, Emma Goldman, J. P. Morgan, Evelyn Nesbit, Sigmund Freud, and Emiliano Zapata slip in and out of the tale, crossing paths with Doctorow's imagined family and other fictional characters, including an immigrant peddler and a ragtime musician from Harlem whose insistence on a point of justice drives him to revolutionary violence.

A rich tapestry, Ragtime captures the spirit of America in a unique historic context.

Time magazine included the novel in its Time 100 Best English-language Novels from 1923-2005.

©1997 E. L. Doctorow (P)1997 E. L. Doctorow

Critic reviews

"Doctorow does a fairly nice job reading his justly celebrated portrait of 1906 America. He has a sandy, pleasant, lightly accented voice and a fine sense of the dramatic." ( AudioFile)

Fiction or Non-fiction?

I liked this book much better than I ever thought I would when I started it. At first, I was really confused as to whether it was fiction or non-fiction because of the style E. L. Doctorow uses in his writing. I have never read or listened to anything quite like it. But I soon realized it was a combination of fact and fiction, pulled together in a way that was compelling and interesting from the outset. I found myself looking people up on Wikipedia to see if they were real, and what their real stories were. I learned a lot. Most of the characters with names were real people. Maybe some of the nameless characters were too, but I couldn't check them out. It is a rather dark story, but it does have its light and happy moments, and has a great ending. It is a great commentary on real life.

After a fiasco with a certain author's books (I bought five but I could not stand the first one so I never read the rest of them), I decided not to read more than one book per author unless the one I read was really life-changing, but in the end, I promised myself to try another E. L. Doctorow novel in the future. I would like to hear it read by someone besides the author, though, or just physically read it. Not that E. L. was bad, but it is a rare author who can really read like a professional narrator.

I can highly recommend this book to anyone interested in history, especially early 20th century, or anyone who wants a well written, interesting, but definitely different kind of book.

Ragtime Still in Sync

As I revisit some of the landmark works from my younger days, in literature, film, music, whatever, I discover that some remain as fresh as ever, the very definition of classic, while others do not withstand the test of time -- time may have passed them by, or maybe so much time has passed me by that I am no longer able to see in them what I saw back then.

Ragtime holds its own forty years later. I read the book when it was originally published, found the movie version just OK, and stayed away from the musical version because I stay away from all musicals as much as possible. I had no particular plans to re-read it, but being immersed this past year in the world of audiobooks, I could not resist listening to it because of one reason -- E.L. Doctorow himself is the narrator.

It's just about a truism that one will always get more out of a book when an author reads his own work. But this is a step beyond. Ragtime was hailed, rightly so, for its lyrical writing style, so hearing Doctorow read it in (what I assume) is the way he wrote it, that's a real treat. Surprisingly, after quoting Scott Joplin in his epigraph, saying that ragtime is meant to be played slowly, Doctorow narrates rather quickly, but this is no complaint -- the pace is perfect.

Ragtime music is noted for is syncopated rhythm. Doctorow clearly was inspired to apply that syncopated style to what would normally be called historical fiction, although that term does not do him enough justice. He masterfully interweaves the tales of three fictional families with a stream of true historical characters from the early years of the 20th century, taking on issues of social, racial, and economic justice that still resonate today, and the rhythm is perfectly timed.

Many works of historical fiction are described using a visual metaphor -- as tapestries. Ragtime is all of that, but it also appeals your another sense, with the musical metaphor of the title.

So Interesting

I gobbled it up. My parents were born in the 20’s and I feel like I learned so much. Unique perspective. I highly recommend if you’re into historical fiction

A great experience for those who already love this book.

Hearing the author read this book was a joy and a revelation. Highest recommendation - not to be missed.

Doctorow narrates!

Wonderful, absorbing tale, taking you back to an extraordinary time in our nation's history. While mostly engaging in the manifold layers of inequality and abuse of power, it is simultaneously a lyrical evocation of the exuberance and excitement of the time.
Doctorow is an excellent narrator, not true of all authors, and so the nuance in meaning in the scenes and characters are beautifully revealed

Enjoyed book, not narration

Usually I love authors reading books, but he is not good. I hate to be that blunt. But man this book is good but I think I would have liked it more with a more effective and better performer. Great author, not performer.

Presenting the past and pasting the present

Though Ragtime was written through the lens of social unrest in the 70s, it is nonetheless sobering to be reminded that a few decades (or even a full century) of time alone are an insufficient catalyst to provoke radical departures from the underlying patterns and antecedents of societal attitudes and behavior. The various vignettes draw attention to differences in class, racial, and gender experiences, the ways characters are aware or blind to such, and subsequently how this may affect their opinions of others outside their circle. Pay attention to any news coverage about police violence, income inequality, or other socially contentious issues and it is clear that these portraits are no less relevant 40 years later.

Solid

A few people have criticised the performance of the reader and it nearly threw me off purchasing this book. I am glad I didn't. The book was amazing the story really made the era feel alive. As for the narrator - I listened at 1.45 speed and it sounded great.

Am I missing something?

Maybe this is a book that’s meant to be read, not listened to? The author reads a bit fast, and just doesn’t have the inflection needed for different characters. I wanted to read it because I knew the musical was based on it (which I’ve never seen.) I give it 2.5 stars. It took 45% of the way through the book to get to the characters I knew about from the musical. I don’t know, I just didn’t enjoy the stories much at all and I’m confused as to why this is such a classic.

Slightly Dated But Very Strong

This is a modern classic for a reason. Doctorow is able to weave numerous stories into one kaleidoscopic vision of these United States at a pivotal time in the country's history. While there were some descriptions of sexual content that lingered for longer than they need to, one has to remember that this is a book written by a white man in the 70s. It's about par for the course. As well, they don't fully take away from the strength of the narrative.

The weakest part of this whole enterprise is honestly Mr. Doctorow himself. For some reason, his narration reminded me of F. Murray Abraham's character from Galaxy Quest. It felt thrown off and uninspiring. This book deserved better than him reading it.