Audiobook6 hours
The End of the World as We Know It: Scenes from a Life
Written by Robert Goolrick
Narrated by Peter Berkrot
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
4/5
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About this audiobook
It was the 1950s, a time of calm, a time when all things were new and everything seemed possible. A few years before, a noble war had been won, and now life had returned to normal. For one little boy, however, life had become anything but "normal." To all appearances, he and his family lived an almost idyllic life. The father was a respected professor, the mother a witty and elegant lady, someone everyone loved. They were parents to three bright, smiling children: two boys and a girl. They lived on a sunny street in a small college town nestled neatly in a leafy valley. They gave parties, hosted picnics, went to church-just like their neighbors. To all appearances, their life seemed ideal. But it was, in fact, all appearances. Lineage, tradition, making the right impression-these were matters of great importance, especially to the mother. But behind the facade this family had created lurked secrets so dark, so painful for this one little boy, that his life would never be the same. It is through the eyes of that boy-a grown man now, revisiting that time-that we see this seemingly serene world and watch as it slowly comes completely and irrevocably undone.
Contains mature themes.
Contains mature themes.
Author
Robert Goolrick
Robert Goolrick was the author of the bestselling novels A Reliable Wife, Heading Out to Wonderful, The Fall of Princes, The Dying of the Light and the acclaimed memoir The End of the World as We Know It.
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The Dying of the Light: A Novel Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5A Reliable Wife Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Heading Out to Wonderful Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Fall of Princes Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
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Reviews for The End of the World as We Know It
Rating: 3.8473684378947373 out of 5 stars
4/5
95 ratings15 reviews
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5A dark, well done memoir. The tone in his book, Reliable Wife now makes more sense.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Very sad, painful life.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5What a sad, painful story with some dark humor, but IMO not really funny as some other reviews have stated. Although the book is written in beautiful prose, it reminds me of the graphic novels of Alison Bechdel [Fun Home] and David Small [Stitches: A Memoir]The writing is compelling, but the story is so painful at times that I had to put it down for a few hours.Family secrets are so toxic, especially for children.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5at times heartbreaking. at times astonishing. at times tremendous writing. at times too much and i had to put it down.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Robert Goolrick is best known for A Reliable Wife, which I thought was a fine, if not fantastic, book. Despite this, I picked up a copy of his memoir, The End of the World As We Know It, which he describes as "scenes from a life", because I read the first paragraph and was hooked. Goolrick sucked me into the story of his relationship with his parents and didn't let go until I closed the book. This book, which takes events from his life, or themes, and places them into non-chronological chapters that could be read in any order, although the way he has set things up is to show elements of his life, the alcoholism, say, or the stay in a mental hospital, and then to later put them into the context of his childhood, which was not a carefree one. This is a horrifically difficult book to read, and a compulsively readable one. Goolrick's writing is simultaneously gorgeous and unflinching. I probably would not have picked up this book if I'd known the contents ahead of time, but I'm very glad to have read it. Don't read it if you would prefer not to look at the worst of humanity, but also avoid it if you're a fan of the "misery memoir". This book avoids sugarcoating anything, but there are also no vicarious thrills or moments where love conquers all. It's a very, shockingly, honest account from a damaged and difficult individual, who writes with immense skill.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Goolrick's talent for describing a scene is both a blessing and curse and easily evident in this memoir.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Couldn't put it down - so well written but very intense
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Intense from beginning to end. I just wanted to finish it, but I want to read more of his work. Beautiful writing.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5This is as bleak as a memoir gets, and I hope that it was cathartic for Robert Goolrick to write it. I made it through 100 pages and then closed it. There are simply too many books that enlighten and touch my heart to continue reading. I hope that Goolrick finds the peace that he deserves and people he can trust with his love.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Heartbreaking story about a man raised by people who should not have children. It tells a tragic story in a casual way. Great prose. While he tells stories most people bury, he does it in ways that are part of a complete picture and not his story as a victim. This book is not for the faint of heart.
- Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5I have never wanted more to just stop reading a book halfway through than I have while reading this one. It was so incredibly boring. The stories went on forever- some of them seeming totally unnecessary for the book. I couldn't have been more happier to finish this book and never have to pick it up again.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The way this story was told is somewhat jarring at times like the jump from his parents being mad at him to him being in the loony bin (his words) was jarring. No explanation of why he cut himself just that it happened and that he was in the Bin.It was explained in later chapters though.This man’s life, what he has been through and still going through are tough to read about. After telling us about his cutting himself over and over then when he comes to the chapter about the night in September it all makes sense.I read this book because I read his fiction book The Reliable Wife and I saw a lot of similarities between his life and what he wrote in The Reliable Wife like Ralph’s mother told him she didn’t hold him for the first year of his life, Robert’s own mother actually said this to him.I also feel that the character of Ralph in The Reliable Wife is very much a portrait of Robert himself.Heartbreaking and Thought Provoking.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I read this book because I was intrigued by the author's novel, A Reliable Wife. End of the World is a very moving memoir that leaves you wondering how the author makes it through the day, and I'm astounded that he has the energy to produce 2 very fine books. The tragic effects of bad parenting are heartbreaking and I won't forget this family. The two books together could lead to a great book group discussion. Mr Goolrick: Please keep writing. We need your voice.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I've had this book for nearly a year and just got around to reading it - in just two extended sittings. This is a memoir that reads like a novel. It grabs you by the shirt on page one and yanks you along to the bitter end - and it really is a bitter one. Goolrick is, it would seem, a very screwed up guy, who does not hesitate to admit. But he earned his screwed-up-ness the hard way, through a sad history of abuse, both subtle and physically horrific. A failed suicide who "cuts himself" and a sad man who has endured unhappy love affairs with both sexes, this guy's story just hurts to read sometimes. But his style is near hypnotic. There is nothing fancy or flowery about it. It is terse, stripped-to-the-bone and to-the-point language. There is not a wasted word. It is a mesmerizing look at what it was like to be a part of the "genteel poor" on the academic cocktail circuit in Virginia in the fifties and sixties. This is a slice of America from those times, but not a very tasty one. Goolrick's story is raw and painful, and I often found myself wincing in horror at what he reported. Unhappy or not, this guy can WRITE! I plan to read his novel soon.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5All of a sudden, in the middle of this book, the writing changed and it became a searing, exquisitely written, amazing turning inside out of a devastated man's soul.