Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Chicago: A Novel
    Chicago: A Novel
    Chicago: A Novel
    Audiobook7 hours

    Chicago: A Novel

    Written by Brian Doyle

    Narrated by Wayne Mitchell

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    On the last day of summer, a young college grad moves to Chicago and rents a small apartment on the north side of the city, by the lake. This is the story of the five seasons he lives there, during which he meets gangsters, gamblers, policemen, a brave and garrulous bus driver, a cricket player, a librettist, his first girlfriend, a shy apartment manager, and many other riveting souls, not to mention a wise and personable dog of indeterminate breed.

    A love letter to Chicago, the Great American City, and a wry account of a young man's coming-of-age during the one summer in White Sox history when they had the best outfield in baseball, Chicago is a novel that will plunge you into a city you will never forget and may well wish to visit for the rest of your days.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateAug 27, 2019
    ISBN9781515948131
    Chicago: A Novel
    Author

    Brian Doyle

    Brian Doyle is the award-winning author of many beloved children's books. He lives in Chelsea, Quebec.

    More audiobooks from Brian Doyle

    Related to Chicago

    Related audiobooks

    Coming of Age Fiction For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Ten Must-Read Crime Books Set in the American West

      Dec 27, 2019

      This list of must-read crime titles forms part of a lesser-known West, an awesomely weird landscape in which the line between Good and Evil shimmers like a mirage. The post Ten Must-Read Crime Books Set in the American West appeared first on The Mill

      4 min read

    • Article

      The Great Divide

      Apr 22, 2022

      It’s easy to imagine a conversation about Louise Kennedy’s debut novel, Trespasses, that goes something like this: “What’s it about?” “Well, it’s about a young Catholic woman in Belfast in the 70s, at the height of the Troubles.” “Punishment beatings

      2 min read

    • Article

      Jonathan Franzen’s New Novel ‘Crossroads’ Is Set In The Chicago ‘Burbs And Launches A Trilogy. He Knows You Already Have An Opinion About It.

      Oct 20, 2021

      Jonathan Franzen’s New Novel ‘Crossroads’ Is Set In The Chicago ‘Burbs And Launches A Trilogy. He Knows You Already Have An Opinion About It.
      8 min read

    • Article

      A Year in Reading: Michael Bourne

      Dec 18, 2021

      I became a Whitehead evangelist, reading all his books and pressing them on friends. The post A Year in Reading: Michael Bourne appeared first on The Millions.

      4 min read

    • Article

      Jan Morris

      Jun 15, 2018

      I have always rather envied the poet Ovid, who was banished from Rome by the emperor Augustus, you may remember, to a remote place called Tomis on the shores of the Black Sea. There he died, ten years later, and his exile has gone into legend and int

      17 min read

    • Article

      My Day with Andy Warhol

      Jun 1, 2018

      My Day with Andy Warhol
      10 min read

    • Article

      Speedboat

      Mar 24, 2022

      Nobody died that year. Nobody prospered. There were no births or marriages. Seventeen reverent satires were written – disrupting a cliché and, presumably, creating a genre. That was a dream, of course, but many of the most important things, I fi nd,

      14 min read

    • Article

      “Really?”

      Jun 2, 2022

      “Really?”
      6 min read

    • Article

      Spellcheck

      Jan 1, 2019

      Whose history I do not know. I do know I’ve been e-upbraided for my fast and loose spelling of Woden, the god whose last worshipper must have slipped under the sod during the medieval period, somewhere in the 10th century—imagine those bog-soaked des

      5 min read

    • Article

      Stop Hating on Adjectives!

      Jun 12, 2019

      A common admonition in creative writing pedagogy is, “Cut as many adjectives as possible.” I propose that this rule springs from mere prejudice. The post Stop Hating on Adjectives! appeared first on The Millions.

      7 min read

    • Article

      The Five People You Meet In A Pandemic

      May 14, 2021

      The Five People You Meet In A Pandemic
      5 min read

    • Article

      Bead, Bed, and Alley

      May 30, 2019

      Bead, Bed, and Alley
      12 min read

    • Article

      Life In The past Lane

      Aug 27, 2021

      Life In The past Lane
      5 min read

    • Article

      Station to Station

      Dec 3, 2020

      Station to Station
      6 min read

    • Article

      Getaway Driver

      Feb 10, 2022

      Getaway Driver
      11 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Chicago

    4/5

    44 ratings9 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 3/5
      I found the story to be a bit slow in the beginning but the author makes up for it with precise descriptions that really drew me into the story. The descriptions were so beautiful and so exact it made getting through the novel a breeze because I kept craving more.
    • 5/5
      A lovely book. A treasure. I love the space the stories of Bryan Doyle occupies. A wonderful dreamland where truth and facts are blended with such skill and feeling. A pleasure.
    • 4/5
      I have never finished a Brian Doyle novel before this one. I have friends who would sing his praises to me and so I tried, gods know I tried, but he just never worked for me. I've enjoyed his short works, but the novels defeated me every time.

      And then Chicago came along and I fell in love--with the language, the characters, the city of Chicago as seen through the narrator's eyes--and I finally understood what my friends had been trying to tell me. What was different this time? Maybe it's simply that this is a city book and I am a city girl. Maybe it's that the narration was in first person and so took on a more personal, confessional tone, which lent an intimacy to the reading experience. Whatever mystical alchemy was at work here, this novel just clicked for me. I want to live in Miss Elminidies's apartment building. I want to ride the Sound Asleep Bus. Mostly, though, I want Edward to be my friend, forever and ever.
    • 5/5
      A hymn to my native city. Although a bit bemused by the sentient dog, Edward I came to love this book. Writing is spectacular.
    • 5/5
      Outstanding book! When you are burned out on all the overwrought books trying to send you reeling into the depths of despair, take a break and go to Chicago with Mr. Doyle. It was magically delightful! I want to go to his Chicago, explore the neighborhoods, attend the games, and, most of all, hang out with the magnificent Edward. It was just what I needed in this gloomy world of the present.
    • 5/5
      My second Brian Doyle book: Chicago is a fiction memoir of a nostalgic five-season residence along the north shore of Chicago. The author's run-on paragraphs draws the reader in to his descriptions of White Sox baseball games, jazz clubs, pickup basketball games with gang members, and much more. A central character in an apartment building of unique dwellers is Edward, a supernatural dog who communicates with his numerous human friends. Seemingly ageless, the canine Edward is a Lincoln scholar and philosopher. A great read, now on to other books by Doyle.
    • 4/5
      Rose colored glasses story of Chicago in the early 80s. Lovely writing and fabulous characters. I'm willing to overlook some errors in geography and the occasional gratuitous celebrity mention. Made me pause to think about the reasons to love this city, which was refreshing because there has been much to not love recently.
    • 4/5
      The 1970's, a young man moves to Chicago, fresh out of college to write for Catholic Magazine. He moves into an apartment complex on the North side of the city, close to the lake and falls in love, with the city, with the many characters living in his apartment. I came to love many of them too, oh and the dog. An amazing dog.It is always special to read about places you are familiar with and I was raised in Chicago, lived there for 28 years. Knew all the places mentioned, but seeing them through this young man's eyes, I remembered things I had forgotten. The street gangs, the Gaylords and the Latin Kings, the wonderful restaurant Bergoffs, where we had many lunches, the snow storm of 1979, which paralyzed the city and ultimately cost a mayor his job. All vividly depicted , spotlights of an amazing city, and so many other places. Of course I am a Cubs fan and this young man became a White Sox fan. No accounting for taste. The greed and corruption, Bishop Cody and the political machine. The young man makes a statement in the book about how even when one leaves the city, the city never leaves them. So true. Of course, like many cities violence has become the norm, the city I knew back in the seventies, the city of neighbor helping neighbor, of safety in your own neighborhood, is no more. And that's just sad.
    • 4/5
      A book that reminds me very much of A Tree Grows In Brooklyn..not that great but still good. Chicago by Brian Doyle is a slow read but one that is very detailed in it's characters and the lives they lead. Eccentric and traditional wrapped into one little neighborhood within the great growing city of Chicago. The coming of age tale of a young man...to which I don't recall knowing the name of but that doesn't even matter because he is telling us the stories and lives of the people around us and it is these stories that give us a glimpse of who he is because of them or his reactions to the quirky things they do in their daily routines. My favorite character being Miss Elminides. There was so much going on with her from introduction to end..it was quite easy to fall in love with her..to sympathize with her...to want to get to know more about her. So many characters...weirdest of all being Edward. The Dog. The Dog who is a dog..acts like a dog but has this almost magical, philosophical, all knowing street smart, people smart way about him helping the main character to get around in the city of Chicago. You just have to read it to understand it. You should read it to understand it. SO lots of characters to get through and then we get into the details of Chicago..Chicagoness as it is referred...all things Chicago. If you didn't know a thing about that city you will after reading this book...a love affair with a great place. I almost want to visit the place now myself. Beautiful and poetic...don't want to sound cliche but it's true. From music to landmarks...to lifestyles...you feel yourself there in those moments. I love that about books..and this one delivers the same feeling from time to time. The White Sox...if you love baseball you'll love all the talk on it...if you don't you mind learn to understand the great mystique of the game...America's sport.I recommend the book...but not if a fast read is what you have in mind. I recommend it as a light read..a beautiful read..a read that gets you in your "reminiscent feels" ...nostalgic...timeless ..something to read at a slow pace and enjoy. Thanks to LibraryThing for the opportunity to win my advanced readers copy free in exchange for an honest review to which I gladly and voluntarily gave.