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The John Updike Audio Collection
5 hours and 46 minutes
The extraordinarily evocative stories depict the generation born in a small-town America during the Depression and growing up in a world where the old sexual morality was turned around and material comforts were easily had. Yet, as these stories reflect so accurately, life was still unsettling, and Updike chronicles telling moments both joyful and painful. The texts are taken from his recent omnibus, The Early Stories, 1953-1975.
In describing how he wrote these stories in a small, rented, smoke-filled office in Ipswitch, Massachusetts, he says, "I felt that I was packaging something as delicately pervasive as smoke, one box after another, in that room, where my only duty was to describe reality as it had come to me -- to give the mundane its beautiful due."
The extraordinarily evocative stories depict the generation born in a small-town America during the Depression and growing up in a world where the old sexual morality was turned around and material comforts were easily had. Yet, as these stories reflect so accurately, life was still unsettling, and Updike chronicles telling moments both joyful and painful. The texts are taken from his recent omnibus, The Early Stories, 1953-1975.
In describing how he wrote these stories in a small, rented, smoke-filled office in Ipswitch, Massachusetts, he says, "I felt that I was packaging something as delicately pervasive as smoke, one box after another, in that room, where my only duty was to describe reality as it had come to me -- to give the mundane its beautiful due."
Audible Audio
First published October 1, 2003
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About the author
John Updike
862 books2,428 followersJohn Hoyer Updike was an American writer. Updike's most famous work is his Rabbit series (Rabbit, Run; Rabbit Redux; Rabbit Is Rich; Rabbit At Rest; and Rabbit Remembered). Rabbit is Rich and Rabbit at Rest both won Pulitzer Prizes for Updike. Describing his subject as "the American small town, Protestant middle class," Updike is well known for his careful craftsmanship and prolific writing, having published 22 novels and more than a dozen short story collections as well as poetry, literary criticism and children's books. Hundreds of his stories, reviews, and poems have appeared in The New Yorker since the 1950s. His works often explore sex, faith, and death, and their inter-relationships.
He died of lung cancer at age 76.
He died of lung cancer at age 76.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
May 6, 2017
Well narrated by several voices including that of the author who also reads the introduction. I've heard a lot about Updike over the years & read a little back in school. He's a good writer & all of these short stories show that. He can paint characters, scenes, & evoke emotions well, but I didn't really care for the subjects. Nothing wrong with them, but nothing terribly compelling about them either.
For instance, there is the couple that have a gal over for drinks & the husband walks her home afterward. She invites him up to see her place. He goes, kind of knowing he shouldn't. What follows is one of those awkward times. She may want him to make a pass at her, but he doesn't want to & leaves after a bad joke too well received. Been there, done that. It's one of those things that happen; nothing desperate or sordid about it although it might have become so had he accepted. It could have also been inconsequential, fun, or slightly embarrassing quickie. One of those "We'll agree never to speak of this again." kind of moments. It was anyway. In the end, it just was a well described null moment that life is full of.
The story of the pool might have been the best simply because of the quirky way the story was told.
It was sad, a divorce told through the eyes of the pool from the mess of its construction, the energetic & sexually charged early days, & its rather sordid decay and destruction. A mundane cycle of life.
I think his reputation was better deserved in the time (1950s-70s) & media (The New Yorker) in which it first appeared. Now they're just blasé stories.
For instance, there is the couple that have a gal over for drinks & the husband walks her home afterward. She invites him up to see her place. He goes, kind of knowing he shouldn't. What follows is one of those awkward times. She may want him to make a pass at her, but he doesn't want to & leaves after a bad joke too well received. Been there, done that. It's one of those things that happen; nothing desperate or sordid about it although it might have become so had he accepted. It could have also been inconsequential, fun, or slightly embarrassing quickie. One of those "We'll agree never to speak of this again." kind of moments. It was anyway. In the end, it just was a well described null moment that life is full of.
The story of the pool might have been the best simply because of the quirky way the story was told.
It was sad, a divorce told through the eyes of the pool from the mess of its construction, the energetic & sexually charged early days, & its rather sordid decay and destruction. A mundane cycle of life.
I think his reputation was better deserved in the time (1950s-70s) & media (The New Yorker) in which it first appeared. Now they're just blasé stories.
June 8, 2009
My husband and I listened to this collection on another road trip. I actually fell asleep for a few, but I'm still going to call it "read." =)
I loved "A&P" when I was in school, so I was expecting a lot more of that sort. But, come to find out, "A&P" seemed kind of a fluke compared to Updike's usual "voice," which I found a little bit disappointing. But still, it was a good collection. For some reason, I can't seem to find a list of titles, so I'll just have to describe my favorites: "A&P" (of course), one about a man who has a run in with an old girlfriend in a doctor's office, one named (I think) "Your Lover Called" which is about a couple (The Maples--featured in several stories) who, when they answer the phone and the person on the line hangs up, think that the other is cheating, and then finally one about a small boy who is trying to set to right the idea of death and God, which involves pidgeons. So, there you go. Sorry I couldn't find the titles.
I have to say though, the best part for me was actually the prologue, in which Updike explains how he became a writer and about his writing process and his inspirations for stories, including his childhood. He even talks about a time that his editor was meeting with another editor and they decided to make it a foursome. Who was the other editor's writer? J.D. Salinger. Very cool.
I loved "A&P" when I was in school, so I was expecting a lot more of that sort. But, come to find out, "A&P" seemed kind of a fluke compared to Updike's usual "voice," which I found a little bit disappointing. But still, it was a good collection. For some reason, I can't seem to find a list of titles, so I'll just have to describe my favorites: "A&P" (of course), one about a man who has a run in with an old girlfriend in a doctor's office, one named (I think) "Your Lover Called" which is about a couple (The Maples--featured in several stories) who, when they answer the phone and the person on the line hangs up, think that the other is cheating, and then finally one about a small boy who is trying to set to right the idea of death and God, which involves pidgeons. So, there you go. Sorry I couldn't find the titles.
I have to say though, the best part for me was actually the prologue, in which Updike explains how he became a writer and about his writing process and his inspirations for stories, including his childhood. He even talks about a time that his editor was meeting with another editor and they decided to make it a foursome. Who was the other editor's writer? J.D. Salinger. Very cool.
February 29, 2020
Jane Alexander and Edward Herrmann are perfect choices to narrate Updike stories, with their proper Yankee voices and inflections. They know just how to read this great writer's work, and do an even better job than Updike himself, who reads a few of them also, which is not to say that he is a weak narrator. It is interesting that a female narrator does not detract at all from the stories; Updike's point of view was clearly male but he was no macho dude. Any fan of his work should appreciate this collection, and when you listen to his writing, it brings out the flowery, finicky, yet richly expressive character of his prose.
I suppose I could complain about the selection, which seems a bit random, but does cover a few of the different things that he does. A couple of the Maples stories are included - they are the young couple that Updike followed from youthful marriage through infidelity and divorce. I still can't get a handle on the character of Richard Maples; he is an odd duck, proper and successful, but also impulsive, emotional, and a little feminine.
Another thought that crossed my mind as I listened to this: Updike was not really a story-teller. There is the occasional dramatic moment, but he was primarily a literary portraitist (and wordsmith). He created witty, often humorous portraits in words - of families, of struggling couples, of men, of homes, of gatherings, and of the times and places in which his characters lived (which were the same times and places that the author lived in). And as a literary portraitist, he probably had/has very few peers.
I suppose I could complain about the selection, which seems a bit random, but does cover a few of the different things that he does. A couple of the Maples stories are included - they are the young couple that Updike followed from youthful marriage through infidelity and divorce. I still can't get a handle on the character of Richard Maples; he is an odd duck, proper and successful, but also impulsive, emotional, and a little feminine.
Another thought that crossed my mind as I listened to this: Updike was not really a story-teller. There is the occasional dramatic moment, but he was primarily a literary portraitist (and wordsmith). He created witty, often humorous portraits in words - of families, of struggling couples, of men, of homes, of gatherings, and of the times and places in which his characters lived (which were the same times and places that the author lived in). And as a literary portraitist, he probably had/has very few peers.
August 14, 2014
I was not impressed with this collection of short stories.
A&P was the only piece I enjoyed, because his voice was so dramatically different there than in the others.
Updike's descriptions, while occasionally poignant, are never powerful or beautiful.
The scenarios the characters are placed in are often bland, opaque New England small towns, family meetings, or lovers trysts. Which is sad. Any of these scenes have the potential for a striking story, it's just never realized. The descriptions hang limply off the page, the characters are sad, pitiful, mumblers. They never get what they want, they're passive aggressive, and they're dull.
The most disappointing feature of Updike's writing is that every story, every single one, centers around frustrated sexuality. None of his characters experience life without the looming spectre of a wasted relationship or a guilty escapade drowning out all their current pleasures. Not to say that this isn't a part of life.
For Updike, though, life is nothing else.
http://joshuarigsby.com
A&P was the only piece I enjoyed, because his voice was so dramatically different there than in the others.
Updike's descriptions, while occasionally poignant, are never powerful or beautiful.
The scenarios the characters are placed in are often bland, opaque New England small towns, family meetings, or lovers trysts. Which is sad. Any of these scenes have the potential for a striking story, it's just never realized. The descriptions hang limply off the page, the characters are sad, pitiful, mumblers. They never get what they want, they're passive aggressive, and they're dull.
The most disappointing feature of Updike's writing is that every story, every single one, centers around frustrated sexuality. None of his characters experience life without the looming spectre of a wasted relationship or a guilty escapade drowning out all their current pleasures. Not to say that this isn't a part of life.
For Updike, though, life is nothing else.
http://joshuarigsby.com
September 13, 2011
This one was hit and miss for me. You'd think it would be a little thrilling to hear such an iconic author read his own stories, but Updike has one of the most soporific voices imaginable (dangerous when listening to this book in the car). He wasn't the only reader, so that was a minor qualm. My bigger complaint is how all the stories started to feel the same after awhile. He seemed obsessed with infidelity, and it got old quickly. The stories that stand out (I'm writing this review about 3 months after the fact) are one about girls in swimming suits in a grocery store (proof of Updike's writing prowess, that he could wring a fascinating and compelling story out of such an inane premise) and one about a family reunion in a field. The rest were "his mistress blah-dee-blah," "They were separated, blah-dee-blah," etc. I like John Cheever a lot more.
April 4, 2025
Right off, I am a big John Updike fan. I have read just about everything he wrote and there are novels of his that are in my top 20 but his short stories are probably what I love best. I could argue with the selections here which I believe feature mostly earlier work. I’ve heard some of these before as audio books, but if you were new.
Edward Herrman and Jane Alexander and Updike read the stories. Ed and Jane are assigned ones that have male and female narrators or a kind of gender bias. I’m guessing that John picked ones that he liked. The readers are all very good. I particularly like John‘s introduction which is an essay in itself.
His prose has always seemed to me to be poetic. These stories often mix relationships, marriage, and affairs in with religion, God, aging and death.
Short stories don’t seem to get the attention they once did and I think that’s a shame. I have taught a short story course several times and I find it (and I hope the students find it) more engaging than spending multiple sessions on a novel.
Edward Herrman and Jane Alexander and Updike read the stories. Ed and Jane are assigned ones that have male and female narrators or a kind of gender bias. I’m guessing that John picked ones that he liked. The readers are all very good. I particularly like John‘s introduction which is an essay in itself.
His prose has always seemed to me to be poetic. These stories often mix relationships, marriage, and affairs in with religion, God, aging and death.
Short stories don’t seem to get the attention they once did and I think that’s a shame. I have taught a short story course several times and I find it (and I hope the students find it) more engaging than spending multiple sessions on a novel.
February 23, 2022
I've always liked the way Updike writes. I've read A&P before but it definitely felt different now than when I was a teenager. My favorite was Pigeon Feathers. This collection includes:
Killing
The Family Meadow
The Orphaned Swimming Pool
A&P
Gesturing
Snowing in Greenwich Village
The Bulgarian Poetess
The Persistence of Desire
The Man Who Loved Extinct Animals
Lifeguard
Your Lover Just Called
Ace In The Whole
Pigeon Feathers
Killing
The Family Meadow
The Orphaned Swimming Pool
A&P
Gesturing
Snowing in Greenwich Village
The Bulgarian Poetess
The Persistence of Desire
The Man Who Loved Extinct Animals
Lifeguard
Your Lover Just Called
Ace In The Whole
Pigeon Feathers
July 19, 2023
I have to give this collection five stars even though I did not like every single story, but just because of Updike's elegant and masterful prose. Here, every description has a reason for being, and even subtly moves the stories forward. I particularly like the stories about marriages, one falling apart and told through the metaphor of the abandoned backyard swimming pool This kind of writing stands out in contrast to so much that gets published today and is touted as extraordinary.
May 27, 2020
I don't care that people resent the fact that English teachers all made students read "A&P". It is still a great short story, as are many of stories. He knows how to present a situation without silly stunts or endless ruminations. Bravo! Please, writers of today, learn from him!
December 30, 2023
I usually love his writing so much.
January 9, 2025
Great craft, but his stories speak to a lost time. They ring like short glimpses into the past of the human condition rather than a current glimpse.
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November 27, 2025UGH so boring! So so so boring. I was feeling homesick and wanted to read something from the north of Boston milieu I was raised in. This is that and it’s so boring.
February 13, 2009
"I feel that my lust makes me glow; I grow cold in my chair, like a torch of ice, as I study beauty. I have studied much of it, wearing all styles of bathing suit and facial expression, and have come to this conclusion: a woman’s beauty lies, not in any exaggeration of the specialized zones, nor in any general harmony that could be worked out by means of the section aurea or a similar aesthetic superstition; but in the arabesque of the spine. The curve by which the back modulates into the buttocks. It is here that grace sits and rides a woman’s body."
November 6, 2007
Not a huge American fiction fan, but thought I'd try Updike because he's such an icon and I really have little exposure to him. I only listened to the first CD - the first three stories - so probably not the greatest sample. I found it detailed, a bit sad, and irksome in the same undefineable way I do John Steinbeck's work. If you like one, I'm guessing you'll like the other - it's just not for me!
March 28, 2009
Updike passed away in January 27 this year, and reading the obituaries encouraged me to check out this collection of some of his stories. He is best known for his "Rabbit is Rich" series of novels, but he also wrote many short stories. Several of the stories were read by the author himself, and I enjoyed hearing his voice. I found many of the stories well-written and enjoyed much of the prose; but there was too much sexuality for my taste.
October 21, 2014
If I were to use one word to describe Updike's writing it would be "precise".
His writing is exquisite (check out "Pigeon Feathers"), but couldn't help being put off by the glint of misogyny that flashes throughout much of his work.
His writing is exquisite (check out "Pigeon Feathers"), but couldn't help being put off by the glint of misogyny that flashes throughout much of his work.
January 3, 2016
A&P is my favorite Updike story. I appreciate Updike's skills in writer-craft, but I've always been lukewarm about the worlds he illuminates. Why do I still read him? Why do I give him 5-stars? Craft.
April 30, 2009
I enjoyed the stories as I listened to them, but at the end I could remember very few of them.
January 24, 2010
Wonderful!
January 7, 2012
A master demonstrating the breadth of his prowess!
September 7, 2013
A lot of post middle age misery. Depressing even if we'll written. A&P's my favorite.
August 19, 2015
I can't say I loved them, but these stories are generally very well written, and most of them are interesting enough. Worth a listen.
April 24, 2022
An old favorite and continues to be.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews