Listen to a sample
At the Bottom of the River
- Author
- Jamaica Kincaid
- Narrator
- Robin Miles
- Publisher
- Blackstone Publishing
- Publish Date
- 14 March 2017
- Run Time
- 2 hours 16 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
What to expect
This collection is Jamaica Kincaid’s earliest published writings: her inspired, lyrical short stories.
These stories plunge the listener gently into another way of perceiving both the physical world and its elusive inhabitants. Her narrative is, by turns, naïvely whimsical and biblical in its assurance, and it speaks of what is partially remembered, partly divined. The memories often concern a childhood in the Caribbean—family, manners, and landscape—as distilled and transformed by Kincaid’s special style and vision.
Kincaid leads us to consider, as if for the first time, the powerful ties between mother and child, the beauty and destructiveness of nature, the gulf between the masculine and the feminine, the significance of such familiar things as a house, a cup, a pen. Transfiguring our human form and our surroundings—shedding skin, darkening an afternoon, painting a perfect place—these stories tell us something we didn’t know, in a way we hadn’t expected.
Critics Review
-
“These stories have all of poetry’s virtues—care for language, joy in the sheer sounds of words, and evocative power…beautiful to listen to.”
Anne Tyler, New York Times bestselling author
-
“Eccentric, visionary pieces…[with] all the force of illumination and even prophetic power.”
New York Times Book Review
-
“Hers is a voice you have never heard before…Exhilarating to read and impossible to forget.”
Washington Post Book World
-
“She jumps with grace and ease from the mundane to the enormous, and, fascinated, we believe her.”
Village Voice
See more reviews See fewer reviews
-
“The voice—incantatory, lyric, rhapsodic—is closer to the condition of poetry and music than to fiction in any of its ordinary registers.”
Publishers Weekly
-
“Her first collection is flecked with individuality and talent—especially in the more ironic sequences…Kincaid shows vivid promise in this slim debut.”
Kirkus Reviews
User Reviews
No reviews yet.
Details
- Author
- Jamaica Kincaid
- Narrator
- Robin Miles
- Duration
- 2 hours 16 minutes
- Release Date
- 14 March 2017
- ISBN
- 9781504743174
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Blackstone Publishing
- Genre
- Short stories, Fiction: general and literary
Synopsis
This collection is Jamaica Kincaid’s earliest published writings: her inspired, lyrical short stories.These stories plunge the listener gently into another way of perceiving both the physical world and its elusive inhabitants. Her narrative is, by turns, naïvely whimsical and biblical in its assurance, and it speaks of what is partially remembered, partly divined. The memories often concern a childhood in the Caribbean—family, manners, and landscape—as distilled and transformed by Kincaid’s special style and vision.Kincaid leads us to consider, as if for the first time, the powerful ties between mother and child, the beauty and destructiveness of nature, the gulf between the masculine and the feminine, the significance of such familiar things as a house, a cup, a pen. Transfiguring our human form and our surroundings—shedding skin, darkening an afternoon, painting a perfect place—these stories tell us something we didn’t know, in a way we hadn’t expected.
About xigxag
xigxag is an independent, UK-based audiobook platform and the UK's only B Corp certified audiobook company. We offer nearly 150,000 audiobooks, all with professional human narration. No AI-generated voices. xigxag is rated an Ethical Consumer Best Buy for audiobooks and a top-rated ethical bookshop.
There is no subscription. You buy the audiobooks you want, you own them permanently, and prices start at $13.95. The more you listen over the year, the less you pay per book, and there is always a selection in Listen for Less from $7.95. You can also send audiobooks as gifts using our audiobook gift cards or in-app gifting.
Every audiobook on xigxag has honest reviews covering both the book and the narration, and our community features make it easy to share what you are listening to, discover what others recommend, and find your next listen.
Download or stream on iOS, Android, or in your browser. Browse the full catalogue at xigxag.co.uk.