Without Feathers

By: Woody Allen

Narrated by: Woody Allen

Length: 2 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's summary

Now in audio for the first time, Without Feathers is narrated by Woody Allen himself. Here they are 16 of the funniest tales and ruminations ever recorded, by one of the great comic minds of our time. From "The Whore of Mensa", to "Fabulous Tales & Mythical Beasts", to "No Kaddish for Weinstein", old and new Allen fans will laugh themselves silly over these sparkling gems. A small sample: "Getting through the night is becoming harder and harder," writes Allen in his "secret" journal. "Last evening I had the uneasy feeling that some men were trying to break into my room to shampoo me."

Without Feathers delivers more of Allen's New Yorker-style humor. Worthy stand-outs include "If the Impressionists Had Been Dentists", a genius piece that puts oral surgery in a whole new, much more exciting light. Throughout, Allen grapples in his wildly inventive way with the targets that obsess him: death, God (or lack of God), women (or lack of women), intellectuals, the arts, and even wildlife.

There is a distinct romantic strain that runs through much of his writings, which the author describes as "either Byronic or moronic". Allen is forever at war with the universe and claims unequivocally that he is "at two with nature". His artistic ambition, as he puts it, is to "forge in the smithy of my soul the uncreated conscience of my race. And then see if I can get them mass-produced in plastic."

Woody Allen's short-story collections Without Feathers, Side Effects, Getting Even, and Mere Anarchy are available separately or together as part of The Woody Allen Collection.

Listen to Without Feathers, Getting Even, Mere Anarchy, and Side Effects - or all four in The Woody Allen Collection.

©1986 Woody Allen (P)2010 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Throughout my life, literally thousands of people have made me feel inadequate, but none more so than Woody Allen." (Larry David, Producer, Writer, Actor)
"Woody Allen brought modern comedy to the cinema screen." (Ricky Gervais)

Excellent

A real good book, it is definitely recommended. Worth the money.You can enjoy this. MUST read

Early Woody Allen

I love this book. I read it years ago, when it first came out. Back then, I was enchanted with Woody Allen's non sequitur humor and witty phrasing. Over the years, I've found myself quoting bits and pieces from the stories in this book. Woody Allen's early work is, I think, his funniest - when he was a new and fresh voice in the entertainment industry.

Finding an audiobook form of Without Feathers was a pleasant surprise. The fact that Woody Allen himself reads his work, makes this a priceless addition to my library. This is Woody Allen at his best.

same old Woody

Somebody on here said he sounded old. No, he sounded like he's always sounded -- nervous and a little nerdy. I could not detect any oldness in his voice in these recordings.

What was clear to me in his voice was his usual strange sense of humor. These are great recordings. If he sounds old, I suggest you upgrade your download quality from AM radio to mp3 or higher. Everybody sounds old on AM radio.

This is great stuff. Get this and lighten up for a while.

Surprisingly good

What can I say- like pretty much everybody I'm a big fan of Woody Allen. And I was excited to find out that he teamed up with Audible to read and release this and his other short story collections. I admit, though, that I was a little apprehensive. Allen is great, there's no question, but he is getting on in years, so I worried that his narration might not turn out so well. Thankfully, I had nothing to worry about. This collection is largely jokes, and his delivery is fantastic. I'd tried to get through this in print format before, and had never been able- but listening to it, it's like an awesome late night monologue. I'm not sure I would recommend this if you weren't a Woody Allen fan already, but if you are, I think you'll really like it.

Starts well and then wanders off

Woody Allen has a tremendously good voice. Somewhat ponderous - but that's countered by simply speeding up the narration (I liked 1.5x). I found Without Feathers to start off with far more promise than Getting Even. Unfortunately most of the good stories are at the front, with the end of the book trailing off into what can only be described as either confused ramblings, or intentionally random flights of fancy. But if you like Woody Allen's style, you'll love these books - the narration is superb.

funny stuff

Brings back fond memories of laughing at Woody Allen movies with my dad when I was a kid. I especially liked Mythical Beasts - I think the animal with the head of a crab and the body of a CPA may be a relative.

Woody Allen is the funniest human in history!

"The next day, I contemplated suicide again - this time, by inhaling next to an insurance salesman." Woody Allen is the funniest writer in history, which is well documented in these collections of humorous essays. He was also a hilarious stand-up comedian and comic actor, talents which make him the greatest narrator imaginable for his own writings. These audio books are a non-stop laugh fest. This collection is priceless - funnier than you can imagine. Grab it - it's worth its weight in laughs.
"How wrong Emily Dickinson was. Hope is not 'the thing with feathers'. 'The thing with feathers' turns out to be my nephew. Must bring him to see a specialist."

3 ½ stars. I laughed several times,

but not as much as I hoped.

I like to hear his odd weird thoughts. The biggest problem was W. Allen did not pause enough. I had to stop the tape frequently to think about what was said or to laugh. It’s like rushing from one joke to the next with no time to laugh.

DATA:
Unabridged audiobook length: 2 hrs and 13 mins. Swearing language: none that I recall. Sexual content: nothing explicit. Book copyright: 1975. Genre: humorous thoughts.

Great read, even better listen.

These books have been old friends of mine for many years. And now to hear them read by the author, I know I will return to them again and again. This was a great purchase!

Funny, Dry and Perfect!

The best is having Woody Allen reading his own material. Very entertaining!! I enjoyed the short stories and the dilemmas his characters get in, all too funny!