Une voix dans la nuit (original: 2000; edição: 2002)

Writer and broadcaster Gabriel Noone is asked to write a blurb for a book purportedly written by a 13 year old who was abused as a child and is now living with AIDS and who is a big fan of Gabriel.

I'm not a great fan of books with unreliable narrators, and Gabriel freely admits he is given to embellishing narratives, but I found Gabriel himself so engaging and he struck so many chords with me that I just kept going. My desire to know what had really happened was particularly acute in the part set in Wisconsin but after the ending I really didn't mind not being fully certain. ( )

I'm not sure there is anyone who can tell a story like Armistead Maupin. I've seen him on stupid talk shows and he is so engaging, I just want to carve him out of the TV and into my living room so I can hear more. The Night Listener is close to getting that 'more'. I've heard it described and read reviews and nothing comes close to describing the experience of reading it so I'm not going to try. Just go get it and read it. ( )

Maupin is an excellent writer but the subject matter of this novel (based on a true story) was too dark for me. I could not finish it. ( )

Maupin is an excellent story teller, and if his ending hadn't sucked so bad, I would have given him three stars. Still, you could a lot worse than listen to this book. I was totally sucked in, and the fact that I felt so betrayed by the weak ending is testament to how very sucked in I was. Also, you learn about "glory holes" in this novel, casually mentioned by the narrator, as if going out for a round of nine at the local course; and I'd have to say that this reader's little mind boggled for quite a while afterwards once he learned what exactly takes place at this kind of "club". However, that last isn't exactly germane to the story, but it certainly does lend atmosphere. ( )

wonderful book, great insights, great suspense, great twists ( )