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    The Lost Weekend
    The Lost Weekend
    The Lost Weekend
    Audiobook9 hours

    The Lost Weekend

    Written by Charles Jackson

    Narrated by Donald Corren

    4.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Reprint of modern classic originally published in 1944 by Farrar Rinehart, Inc. The classic tale of one man's struggle with alcoholism, this revolutionary novel remains Charles Jackson's best-known book--a daring autobiographical work that paved the way for contemporary addiction literature. It is 1936, and on the East Side of Manhattan, a would-be writer named Don Birnam decides to have a drink. And then another, and then another, until he's in the midst of what becomes a five-day binge. "The Lost Weekend" moves with unstoppable speed, propelled by a heartbreaking but unflinching truth. It catapulted Charles Jackson to fame, and endures as an acute study of the ravages of alcoholism, as well as an unforgettable parable of the condition of the modern man.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateNov 14, 2014
    ISBN9781490668857
    The Lost Weekend

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    Reviews for The Lost Weekend

    4.5/5

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    • 4/5
      Of all the novels I’ve read about alcoholics, I think Charles Jackson’s The Lost Weekend (1944) comes closest to giving you an idea of what it’s like to be an alcoholic. It’s probably only remembered today because of Billy Wilder’s surprisingly good movie adaptation, which garnered four Oscars, including best picture of 1945. The book is not very well written – Jackson is awkward and his literary references and dips into stream of consciousness come across as pretentious – but its realism and unflinching honesty still shock.The semi-autobiographical story revolves around a five-day drinking binge rife with blackouts, humiliations and overwhelming desperation. The protagonist, Don Birnam, is a failed writer tortured by his repressed homosexuality and guilt towards his younger brother and his girlfriend. The book is so agonizing largely because of Birnam’s self-awareness; he realizes how horribly he’s acting and how helpless he is to stop it. There are many harrowing scenes, but possibly the most distressful one has Birnam, in terrible physical pain and desperate for another drink, hobbling through New York City looking for a place to pawn the coat he stole from his girlfriend.Lacking any humor and suffused with anxiety and regret, The Lost Weekend is a tough read. Where the movie ends in an ambiguous note – optimistic viewers could interpret the scene as a turning point in Birnam’s drinking – the book does not offer any palliatives. Neither does the author’s life – after a long period of sobriety he relapsed and eventually committed suicide.Judging from the book’s modernist flourishes, I think Jackson would have preferred to have written Under the Volcano, but he clearly didn’t have the chops. Which might have been a good thing, as too much art would have blunted his novel’s impact.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      Wow. I can't say I've read many books centered on addiction to begin with, but I also find it hard to believe that anyone has ever written as believable an account of it as this. Don Birnam is clearly a man who is more introspective and sensitive than most, but he is also a man completely beholden to the vice of liquor. He will do absolutely anything (well, almost anything) for a drink, all the while understanding that his desire will lead to nothing more than wanton destruction. From the very beginning of the weekend and the novel, Don fully acknowledges that he knows exactly the path he will take in his quest for booze and further that he understands where this quest will ultimately lead. He knows he is hurting many more people aside from himself, but he persists with his behavior because he quite literally cannot stop. Hospital visits, near-run-ins with the law, a lack of money...all of these are minor obstacles for Don as he seeks out alcohol. Mr. Jackson has captured the mindset of the alcoholic perfectly (he unfortunately speaks from experience) and it is a paralyzing sad account indeed.

      I think what struck me most was Don's understanding of self, even while drunk, while still being completely powerless to stop his own sickening behavior. There are only a few true events that occur to Don over the course of his lost weekend, but through the lens of these happenings he truly examines every nook and corner of his psyche. This is a must read for anyone who wants to understand the addict or for anyone who wants to observe how one singular, terrible character flaw can absolutely render destruction at every turn.