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  • The Motion of the Body Through Space

  • A Novel
  • Written by: Lionel Shriver
  • Narrated by: Laurence Bouvard
  • Length: 12 hrs and 11 mins
  • 3.8 out of 5 stars (9 ratings)

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The Motion of the Body Through Space

Written by: Lionel Shriver
Narrated by: Laurence Bouvard
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Publisher's Summary

In Lionel Shriver's entertaining send-up of today's cult of exercise - which not only encourages better health, but now like all religions also seems to promise meaning, social superiority, and eternal life - an aging husband’s sudden obsession with extreme sport makes him unbearable.

After an ignominious early retirement, Remington announces to his wife Serenata that he's decided to run a marathon. This from a sedentary man in his 60s who's never done a lick of exercise in his life. His wife can't help but observe that his ambition is "hopelessly trite". A loner, Serenata disdains mass group activities of any sort. Besides, his timing is cruel. Serenata has long been the couple's exercise freak, but by age 60, her private fitness regimes have destroyed her knees, and she'll soon face debilitating surgery. Yes, becoming more active would be good for Remington's heart, but then why not just go for a walk? Without several thousand of your closest friends?

As Remington joins the cult of fitness that increasingly consumes the Western world, her once-modest husband burgeons into an unbearable narcissist. Ignoring all his other obligations, he engages a saucy, sexy personal trainer named Bambi, who treats Serenata with contempt. When Remington sets his sights on the legendarily grueling triathlon, MettleMan, Serenata is sure he'll end up injured or dead. And even if he does survive, their marriage may not.

The Motion of the Body Through Space is vintage Lionel Shriver written with psychological insight, a rich cast of characters, lots of verve and petulance, an astute reading of contemporary culture, and an emotionally resonant ending. 

©2020 Lionel Shriver (P)2020 HarperAudio

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Two narrators who have "had their day."

Lionel Shriver’s wit provides us with a somewhat bitter and unsympathetic main character whose observations about the cult of exercise are scathingly funny. Unfortunately there are some places where the humour becomes heavy handed and the tone turns sour. It is the ultimate irony that the protagonist of “The Motion of the Body Through Space” is a voice-over artist and narrator of audio books because the real life narrator of this Audible book does one of the poorest jobs voicing male characters I have encountered. The issue of mimicry comes up with respect to the protagonist’s vocation. There is no way the narrator of this recording should go anywhere near trying to replicate male voices..

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Lionel Shriver gets to the important issues again

although the reviews concentrated on the cult of exercise, there's so much more here.

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