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Nightmare Alley
- Narrated by: Adam Sims
- Length: 10 hrs and 23 mins
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Nightmare Alley
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Editor reviews
Gresham's little-remembered noir masterpiece deserves a whole new generation of readers, and Adam Sims's dark performance is a marvelous way to reach them. The story begins in a carnival, which provides a narrator's dream assortment of characters. Though some are unmistakably comic, Gresham's vision is anything but lighthearted. His protagonist, Stanley Carlisle, is a mind reader cum spiritualist who preys on the lonely and despairing without recognizing the blackness at his own center. Sims is alive to the tragedy of Carlisle but never seeks to soften him. He coldly follows Carlisle on his unmerciful path - right to the devastating but inevitable end.
Summary
Nightmare Alley is American author William Lindsay Gresham’s first and best-known work. The novel - most admired by noir fiction fans - was published in 1946, adapted into a film in 1947 starring Tyrone Power and subsequently printed as a graphic novel by Spain Rodriquez. During the 1940s Gresham worked as an editor for a genuine crime pulp magazine in New York, during which period he wrote this book; characters range from hustlers to Machiavellian femme fatales in a dark world of show business. Stan Carlisle is an ambitious ‘carny’ who eventually becomes a spiritualist for the rich and gullible. It appears that the world is at his feet, but not everything is as it seems….
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your My Library section along with the audio.
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What listeners say about Nightmare Alley
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 11-02-22
Brilliant.An audio must listen for all noir fans..
The audio equivalent of being pushed into a bath of raw crude oil,and held under .?
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- DHP
- 08-01-22
Excellent
A great story, excellent narration. Really atmospheric and transports you into a lost carnival world. Superb.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- TIM H.
- 18-05-22
Lucky in love
I bought two books one a organised crime thriller and this, muddling I read this which soon seemed more Frued than Marx but was glued because it sent me this way and that through the emotions from male jealousy and gentler notions of care and compassion hardboiled style
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Sarah Faichney
- 26-01-22
Outstanding!
Brilliant book and the audio narration by Adam Sims is outstanding! Highly recommend. Can't wait to see the film.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Asmodeous
- 08-01-22
An Outstanding Story/Narration - Brilliant Audio
This is a darkly themed, psychological masterpiece. A very well written American Noir which really puts the reader in the very heart of the story. I don’t want to say too much about the story as others have described it well without ruining the plot and you just need to go in with as little knowledge as possible about the story and trust that this is one hell of a brilliant story teller. There were many stand out moments in the story but one really Wtf scene that might be the single most darkly comic moment in the history of all fiction. A special word must go to the narrator. What a wonderful performance that just grew in it’s brilliance as the story went along - I am sure the narrator enjoyed the story and the vocalising the incredible cast of characters. I think this narration definitely added to the story and I will now be seeking out the narrators other works,
A final note is that the book has now been filmed two times - in 1946 or around then with Tyrone Power and more recently (2021) starring Bradley Cooper. I was wondering whether to watch one of the films first and then read the book, My strong advice would be to read the book first - the subtle complexity into the characters inner lives and the world described can only be glimpsed at in a film adaptation. The book is a must read and in my humble opinion is up there with the best of Steinbeck, Hemingway and Faulkner but it is an incredibly accessible read and fascinating from start to finish. This is the only book I have enjoyed that I long to re-read again at the next earliest opportunity, to savour it all again.
It is tragic that the author was not able to produce other masterpieces - I think though he may have put his very soul into the book and the pdf. that accompanies the book or introduction section if you buy the kindle or paperback book version reveal that life can also tragically imitate art.
Update: Since writing this review I have gone back to both re-listen and re-read the story again. It was devoured first time and is now savoured on a re-read. It really is very cleverly done. Looking at reviews I am surprised that not all rer]views are universally positive and surmise that it might have its own acquired taste. So if you are unsure here are some helpful comments - if you like noir fiction, psychological dramas, stories about quirky damaged characters and novels that have a grounding in the vulnerabilities and exploitation of human nature then give this a try. If you enjoy the readings of the narrator then give this a try - the narrator really gives a stellar reading that enhances the whole story. Keep with it when the early chapters begin as the narrative can switch at first from character and then settles down - I loved this technique as it gave a great insight into the psychological mindset of the different characters but some readers may wander at first where it is all going. Stay with it - the journey is thrilling and the pay off is extraordinary.
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 04-02-22
pointless
advertised as a suspenful thriller, when infact it is a pointless bore of a book, let's hope the movie is nothing like this.
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