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A Café in Venice

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A Café in Venice

By: Dorian Mode
Narrated by: David Tredinnick
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About this listen

 Quirky and neurotic, Gordon B. Shoesmith is a 30-something jazz musician seeing his twelfth psychiatrist in as many years. He increasingly discovers that there is a conflict between his artist's idealism and the hard reality of life, fuelled by his ambitious journalist girlfriend, Jenny, and her disapproving parents. Gordon finds himself on an improvised, medicated roller-coaster ride of self-discovery that drags him from cockroach-infested, inner-city anonymity to mercurial artistic success, to the cynical world of advertising. He's finally tossed onto a road that leads to a café, run by Joe, a middle-aged, Palestinian Elvis impersonator, in the desert town of Venice, South Australia.©2001 Dorian Mode. (P)2002 Bolinda Publishing Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Fiction

Editorial reviews

Dorian Mode’s incisive and devastatingly funny coming-of-age story is brought vividly to life by the talented David Tredinnick, whose sharp, sardonic delivery navigates the listener through endearingly neurotic protagonist Gordon B. Shoesmith’s wild and unpredictable journey from inner-city starving artist to chum of a Palestinian Elvis impersonator in Venice, Australia.

Part biting satire of the music industry, part sobering look at the treatment of Aboriginal Australians, the ambitious A Cafe in Venice hits many notes, and is held together by Mode’s wry prose and Tredinnick’s superb performance.

Critic Reviews

"A Café in Venice is a surreal, comic insight into the personal fulfilment we aspire to in a mad, intransigent world. A Café in Venice made me laugh out loud." (The Sydney Morning Herald)
"Moments of delicious irony and recognition." (Courier Mail)
All stars
Most relevant
I took a punt on this audio book given the short introduction didn’t exist. It paid off in dividends. Such a great first novel, I can’t wait for the next. Captures so beautifully Australian life and it’s characters all brought to life by David Tredinnick who never disappoints as a narrator. Thankyou

A great read a wonderful Australian Story superbly read

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Well written , good fun .
Great narration .
A slice of Aussie .
My go to road trip book ( Just don't hit any kangas)

A jolly good laugh . Very Aussie

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In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.