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Wild Abandon

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Wild Abandon

By: Emily Bitto
Narrated by: Lewis Fitz-Gerald
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About this listen

A breath-taking new audiobook from the Stella Prize-winning author of The Strays.

In the fall of 2011, a heartbroken young man flees Australia for the USA. Landing in the excessive, uncanny-familiar glamour and plenitude of New York City, Will makes a vow to say yes to everything that comes his way. By fate or random chance, Will's journey takes him deep into the American heartland where he meets Wayne Gage, a fast-living, troubled Vietnam veteran, would-be spirit guide and collector of exotic animals. These two men in crisis form an unlikely friendship, but Will has no idea just how close to the edge Wayne truly is.

Wild Abandon is a headlong tumble through the falling world of end-days capitalism, a haunting, hyperreal snapshot of our own strange times. We listen with increasing horror and denial as we approach the cataclysmic conclusion of Will's American odyssey, dreading what is galloping towards us, but utterly unable to look away.

This lyrical and devastating new audiobook from the Stella Prize-winning author of The Strays offers us startling and profound visions of the world and our place in it.

©2021 Emily Bitto (P)2021 W F Howes Coming of Age Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Heartfelt Feel-Good

Critic Reviews

"Thrilling and heart breaking by turns-a glorious novel." (Michelle de Kretser)

"Wild Abandon made me fall in love with fiction again.... Only a superlative can do it justice: this is a great novel." (Christos Tsiolkas)

"What a fearless talent...and what an exhilarating novel." (Malcolm Knox)
All stars
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I adored Emily Bittos first novel and was initially hoping for this one to be similar in tone and theme. It is about as different as it is possible to be, but breathtakingly good!
At times I found myself wondering where the plot was going, or what the point of certain characters were, but it all came together perfectly. A truly unique and compelling listen, wonderfully narrated.

Brilliant

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This story is so beautiful and complicated but it takes the same road as the main character that inevitably leads to utter heartbreak.
I wish I hadn’t read this because it’s so traumatic. But nevertheless it’s an extraordinary book. Emily Bitto is a writer of tremendous depth and talent.
But books with devastating conclusions like this need to be consumed sparingly.

My heart is totally broken

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I liked some of the elements of this book and really wanted to love it, but it feels like two half-written stories smashed together to become a 'coming of age road trip' story. Part drug-fueled party. Part Tiger King (although not based on Tiger King, instead based on an 'incident' in Zanesville, Ohio, in 2011).
I listened to the audiobook and probably wouldn't have finished the regular book version; the writing was ... overly embellished in places?

Inconsistent

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A lovely and engaging story that takes an adult look at life and explores what makes us tick.

A bold story

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hard going to start with but the story climaxed towards the end to an interesting conclusion.

wild Abandon

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I enjoyed this book mainly because the narrator was so good. Interesting Australian author and characters with a US setting.

Terrific narrator

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I really enjoyed this. Relatable characters, an engaging story. This one is worth the listen.

Wild Abandon - a wild ride

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Emily Bitto’s storytelling (and the superb narration) are the reasons to read this book. However, the author is less successful when she pulls back and becomes a commentator. The commentary is distancing and breaks the connection with the scene and the characters. My other criticism is that it sometimes feels as though Bitto engages in overly graphic detail, sometimes repulsively graphic detail, for its own sake. Will’s self journey ultimately feels incomplete; perhaps that is par for the course.

Superb Narration; Good Storytelling

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Story is about 23 year old Will who goes to America to get over a heart break, takes lots of drugs and gets involved in a Tiger King kinda situation. Unfortunately the characters are all desperately uninteresting and the story is boring. To avoid at all costs if you don’t like dead animals, guns, drugs or dramatic Vietnam vets.

Superbly written and amazing narration but…

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Vastly different from Bitto's last book, and not for the good. Story felt derivative of Australian pop understanding of the US. Seems a shame to have an Australian writing on the US, when there's no shortage of American writers and so many Australian stories to tell. Narrator had a lovely voice but was all wrong for the main character (much older than protagonist).

Yeah, nah

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