The Tribulations of August Barton

By: Jennifer LeBlanc

Narrated by: James Oliva

August Barton could never have mentally prepared himself for his freshman year of college: not only has his anxiety increased, but his parents are divorcing, his new roommate thinks Augie is the biggest nerd in existence, and his grandma, a retired prostitute named Gertie, has taken to running away from her nursing home. Augie just wants to hole up in his dorm room with his Star Wars collectables and textbooks, but Gertie is not about to let that happen. What ensues is a crazy ride, including: naked trespassing, befriending a local biker gang, and maybe - just maybe - Augie defeating his anxiety and actually getting the girl.

©2016 Jennifer LeBlanc (P)2018 Jennifer LeBlanc

What a hoot!

Your first day as a college freshman can be nerve-wracking, for sure, but Augie really isn’t looking forward to it. Nerdy and shy, he isn’t the least bit prepared for his new roommate, the very loud and boisterous Isaac, and is scared to death of going to his first college party. Things back home—only 15 minutes away—aren’t great either what with his mom and stepdad heading for divorce and his mom’s mom, Grandma Gertie, stashed away in a nursing home. Augie is very fond of Gertie and she’s the reason he’s planning to go into gerontology. Still, what’s about to happen with him and Gertie and a girl named Rose and Gertie’s pal, Auntie Tunes, is way beyond even his worst fears. I mean, how did he end up with Gertie as his date to that party?

This story is pure fluff and I loved it, laughing all the way through. Ms LeBlanc has created the most motley and wonderful cast of characters, every single one of them coming to life but, what really seals the deal is the narrator, James Oliva. Holy moly, this man is fabulous with the most wide-ranging collection of voices I’ve ever heard and I immediately knew who each character was as soon as Mr. Oliva opened his mouth.

Well done, Jennifer LeBlanc and James Oliva! I can’t wait for the next book, The Revelations of August Barton 😉

Great story. Brilliant narration!!!

Everything about this story is why I Iove audiobooks!!

Auggie was a great central character. He was quirky and sweet and socially inept but a fighter. I loved him. His first year at college was faced with some unusual challenges, not the least of which was his grandmother, the best whore on Fremont street in her day. This was a great listen!!

Oliva's narration was incredible, simply incredible. He added some production value that elevated the listen but at the core was very distinct character voices that put you deep into the story and evey aspect was felt and believed.

I'm so glad there is a book two!!

I Laughed So Hard!!

This story was so funny, that it had me rolling with laughter throughout. I could totally vision this awkwardly college freshmen doing all of these things. Loved Issac and Gertie! Gertie sounds like the most awesomeness grandma ever, and don't forget about her best friend Petunia. They were a riot with their bubbly energy and attitude for getting things done. Love them! Why couldn't I have and a college room like Issac?? Loved his laid back attitude and crazy sense of humor, especially with him and his cappuccino/coffee maker.

James Oliva, just took this awesome book up a notch, with his multiple voices (LOVED ALL OF THEM) and his background noises, which just added to the hilariousness of the story....James, thank you for your added "magic" to this piece.

Look forward to book 2 in this series.

I received this audiobook at no-cost from Audiobookworm Promotions. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.

A ride from start to finish

I loved the writing in this book, from how it depicted anxiety attacks and their coping methods, to some of the more lewd details. This book is chock full of comedy and serious topics, both handled wonderfully and in equal measure.
And James's reading, from the emotion put in to the distinct voices for each character, truly breathes life into this story, making it feel so intensely real.
This book will leave you laughing your a** off, and thats a guarantee!

Super fun read!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! And the narration of James Oliva was perfect! It was funny and poignant with some fun twists. Highly recommend!

Such a fun, quirky story.

This story is ridiculous and fun. Auggie is one of those genuine characters that is a bit awkward, but not compromising his beliefs for anyone, not even a chance at his dream girl. His grandma and Tunes. I just could not get enough of those crazy old broads. A shorter story to be sure, but fully packed of adventures. A great book for if you are looking for something lighter and different. At first, I thought the narrator was talking a little fast, but he was phenomenal. He had so many different voices to do and it was fantastic.

Funny, Emotional, Fabulous

This story was certainly not what I was expecting! I was expecting it to be a little bit crazy, awkward and funny. What I actually got was all that and much, much more. I thoroughly enjoyed this book which at one point had me laughing and ugly crying.

For a relatively short audiobook it certainly contained a full, well penned, funny and emotional story.

Augie starts college and is absolutely dreading it. Especially when he meets his jock room mate. Augie likes Star Wars and has anxiety and panic attacks Isaac is loud and loves to party.

Things take a turn when Augie's retirement home escaping, proudly ex-prostitute grandmother insists that she and Augie attend one of the college parties where Augie encounters the girl of his dreams and finds out that his gran is really pretty cool (and embarrassing)

While Augie planned to spend college keeping to himself, thanks to his growing relationships (especially with his wonderful grandmother) he actually finds himself, learning coping strategies to deal with anxiety and finds a determination to try to get the girl.

Throughout this wonderful audiobook we meet Augie's mum Diane, his grandmothers best friend who is another ex-prostitute called Auntie Toons, a biker gang, and an elite restaurateur amongst other fantastic characters. He finds that first impressions are indeed not reliable and which is highlighted early on when he get to know Isaac a  bit better.

This is a funny journey through college life but what ultimately shines through is that it is a story of love, friendship, support and learning to take risks.

I have 1 criticism- sound effects. I hate them in audiobooks and James Oliva is perfectly versatile enough to not need them. Thankfully there were not too many and I still thoroughly enjoyed Jennifer LeBlanc's charmingly and skilfully penned, journey.

The narration was brilliantly done with consistent voice characterisation, expressions of mood and situation and along with the hugely talented writing of Jennifer LeBlanc a wonderful talent for bringing the funny and the emotional together seamlessly.

'Rock on Toons'
(Trust me, if you take the time to listen to this and find out what those three words mean and why they are a wonderful sign off for this review then you will not regret it.)



I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Jennifer LeBlanc. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.

I adored Gertie. She's a hoot

I don't think I've ever laughed so hard before. Well, actually, I have. But that's besides the point. This book is simply amazing. It's funny, it's got its moments when it makes you think about possible consequences. And its got sweet romance wrapped in there. I adored Gertie, August's grandmother. She's a hoot, that one. Jennifer LeBlanc is an amazing author and I cannot wait to read more from her.
I have read this book before, but I've didn't experience it quite like this. James Oliva did a fantastic job with his narration. It was like a movie. And though he's a little older, Augie reminded me of Adam Goldberg (The Goldbergs). His voice did anyway. It was so well done. Each scene was describe and the proper emotion was felt. If the next August Barton book has this same narrator, I will not hesitate to add it to my library.

I Don't Know What I Expected, But I Loved It!

Look out world, Augie Barton is starting to figure life out! The Tribulations of August Barton is a college kid's coming of age story like none other I've ever read.

In the beginning, we meet August Barton, or Augie if you please, who's struggling with anxiety, his mother's pending second divorce, and the great unknown that is starting post-secondary education. Fortunately for Augie his new roommate Isaac is the friendly, understanding type who both helps keep Augie grounded and pushes him past his comfort zone. Unfortunately for Augie, his ageing grandmother is also determined to do some pushing of her own. What's Augie's grandmother like? Gertie is a flamboyant and shameless retired prostitute who is extremely proud of the life she lead and not at all shy about sharing tips. What could possibly go wrong when Grandma Gertie invites herself to Augie's first college party and supplies the alcohol?

I absolutely adored this book! It's fun and silly, for sure, but it also has deeply heartfelt and gut-wrenching moments. This book captures a year in the life of Augie Barton, including love found and lost and found again, the rocky and painful mending of a broken family, two semesters of course work and exams, the best sort of friendship with his roommate Isaac, and a side serving of benevolent biker gang crime. It's not at all what I was expecting, but now that I've sat through it, I'm not sure what I expected. What I got, though, was perfect.

Story: 5 Stars
Narration/Performance: 5 Stars
Overall: 5 Stars!

At just 174 pages or 4 hours and 28 minutes of listening time, this book is a quick enough read that there's no excuse not to pick it up and experience it right now! I see it listed as a series in various places, and I'm quite excited by that. I can't wait for more about Augie, Isaac, Rose, Gertie, and Dianne.

Thank you to the author for granting me access to a review copy through the book tour organized by Audiobookworm.

So good! Highly recommended!!

One of my very favorite audio books ever! Really well done in both writing and performing.