Lost at Sea: The Jon Ronson Mysteries

Like a Collection of TAL Episodes

Ronson's journalistic style and various narrative journeys remind me of the weekly podcast episodes of This American Life, with Ira Glass. I particularly related to the stories of the credit/bank clusterfluck of 2008 - and Ronson was writing way before this crisis started to peak - and the missing cruise ship staff member. Ronson has a signature method of starting small, with an individual or seemingly low impact situation, and then developing the larger picture with expanded implications.

His narrative voice is good, but takes some getting used to. Initially he sounds slightly hoarse, with little projection at a very low volume, but once I became more familiar with his auditory style, it was all good.

Compilations of stories and episodic collections used to be exactly what I would avoid purchasing on audible, but now I find myself enjoying the varied range of perspectives and story lines afforded by edited groupings of shorter pieces. I think this is partly due to looking at why I listen - I'm not always seeking a 9-to-21-hour plot line and buildup to a specific result; nor is "how it all ends" my predominant purpose in listening to books rather than reading the print versions. I just like the explorations of emotional landscape and inner dialogue and it's not that relevant for me to have a specific factual ending. Another aspect of listening for me is that I can read books while doing other things - working, walking, running, driving, so listening to one full-length story is not a huge factor.

This is a superb collection and well-suited to the investigative journalist's voice of Jon Ronson.

41 of 42 people found this review helpful

One of my favorite audiobooks

This has to be one of the best audiobooks I have ever listened to. Ronson is insightful, funny, and most importantly picks really interesting topics to write about. I do not want to list all the topics or chapters but there are not too many dull moments (even stories I have heard before are given an interesting twist by Ronson. A great listen for anyone that wants something funny and somewhat topical/non-fiction but not 'silly'

17 of 17 people found this review helpful

Bizarre Bazaar

Jon Ronson is a master of the absurd which both surrounds AND is within us. Whether it is indigo children, alien abductees, Christian pentecostalism, SETI, Insane Clown Possee or Stanley Kubrick, Ronson probes into all that is weird and wonderful.

Perhaps one of the best things about Ronson (and his delightfully appropriate narrative style) is that he eschews the superior tone characteristic of most skeptics in favor of a wryly self-deprecating humor which acknowledges his own (and by implication, our) attraction to these phenomena. Not all of it is light-hearted; there is a darker side to some of his subjects, such as the would-be school shooters in North Pole, Alaska. Throughout, Ronson has an extraordinary ability to sympathetically engage with his subjects while retaining his sense of gentle skepticism. His aim is not to ridicule but to understand and to be amazed and sometimes to be saddened--and he invites us to do the same.

Ronson does not have an agenda. Don't be surprised if your own particular ox is gored; but in Ronson's hands the experience is humbling rather than enraging. To paraphrase Pogo, he reminds us that "we have met the crazies…and they are us."

38 of 40 people found this review helpful

Clever as always

I adore Jon Ronson and his fantastic, quirky voice.

I would recommend listening to this book as you might a podcast and not straight through as it is more enjoyable in smaller doses.

11 of 11 people found this review helpful

Quirky Journalism ... Loved It

Jon Ronson is a British journalist who has made a career of finding weird and crazy stories/people and writing about them in a heartfelt but snarky way. I found him very enjoyable, and I liked his somewhat subtle and sly sense of humor. The stories are just amazingly odd and intriguing (Robbie Williams and his obsession with UFOs, the hidden Christian message of Insane Clown Posse, the archives of Stanley Kubrick, the quest of the Jesus Christians to donate their kidneys, real-life superheroes). I never knew what Ronson would be writing about next, and it was fun to see what oddities he unearthed for each story. I particularly enjoyed how he inserted himself into the stories (whether he is flagging down a taxi to avoid a gun fight in Seattle or interviewing a robot). He brings a healthy sense of curiosity, skepticism and personality to his writing, which I enjoyed a great deal. If you like hearing about people who live on the fringes of “normal,” this would be a great read or listen. I definitely plan on reading more of Ronson’s stuff.

9 of 9 people found this review helpful

Essential Listening

If you could sum up Lost at Sea: The Jon Ronson Mysteries in three words, what would they be?

Amusing, astounding, enlightening

What did you like best about this story?

I am interested in the same things that Jon Ronson is obsessed with.

Which character – as performed by Jon Ronson – was your favorite?

John Ronson is an excellent reader of his own work, and since the central character in this book is himself, I'd have to say John Ronson is my favorite character in the book. Although I also loved hearing about Stanley Kubrik!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, but I did it in two.

Any additional comments?

I'd highly recommend this audiobook to anyone. It's a great listen. Ronson is an excellent journalist and this collection of insightful short pieces gets right to the heart of what is going on in the world today.

8 of 8 people found this review helpful

Excellent Listen!

If you could sum up Lost at Sea: The Jon Ronson Mysteries in three words, what would they be?

This was an excellent listen! The author/narrator sounds a lot like Bill Bryson, very similar personality also. I highly recommend!!!

6 of 6 people found this review helpful

Enjoyable and insightful...and delightfully morose

Any additional comments?

Ronson's book is a wrap-up of many of his essays and articles. For those who have read them before and want to hear them again, this is a nice way to do it. Ronson takes an intensely objective view at controversial figures and topics, and does so in a way that is self aware and often ingenious. His narration is perfectly suited to his writing style, and you come away with a sense of being wiser about the bits of the world that are usually somewhat veilled from us.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

quirky, funny, and fascinating

You'll recognize Ronson's narration from This American Life or other such broadcasts. He has a voice and style, like David Sedaris, that is perfect for his writing. A collection of subjects that he investigated/interviewed/tried to sort out - few people can find the subject matter and true life characters that Ronson looks at and narrate it with dead pan sincerity.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

A journey into the strange and bizarre!

My dad used to tell me, "The truth is stranger than fiction, Ange. You couldn't make this stuff up!"

My dad would love Jon Ronson.

Ronson is known for ferreting out strange people with strange beliefs or behaviors and exposing them to the world. He does it again in "Lost at Sea," a wonderful collection of tales about his odd encounters. Ronson makes himself a central character in all of his stories. He plays the good-natured skeptic who kind of wants to believe - the very role we imagine for ourselves in Ronson's place. His openness helps us empathize with his bizarre cast of characters. In the end, we, like Ronson, are a little bit better for having learned what they have to teach.

Perhaps the best part of this book is that Ronson himself narrates, and no one could do it better. Each emotion is clearly expressed through his lilting accent, which is at times quite hilarious. I've said it in previous reviews and I will say it again, you will want to talk like Jon Ronson for days after listening to his work because everything sounds funnier when you say it like Jon Ronson.

If you love the strange and bizarre, you will love this book. If you are a Ronson fan, you will not be disappointed by this latest installment of the strange and weird.

ADDED BONUS:

My top three picks:
1) Doesn't everyone have a solar? (Ronson interviews high functioning robots.)

2) Who killed Richard Cullen? (Ronson invents alteregos with various personality traits to see who is most likely to be solicited by ads for credit cards and bank loans.)

3) Is she for real? (Ronson signs up for a cruise featuring "grumpy" psychic Sylvian Brown.)

Enjoy!

3 of 3 people found this review helpful