Barbara's Reviews > The Authenticity Project
The Authenticity Project
by
by

I picked The Authenticity Project on the basis of one of those 'If you liked X and Y then you'll probably love this' recommendations. And as the main comparison was with the Audiobook of 'The Switch' (which I reviewed recently) I was happy to give it a go, even though the audio runs to nearly 10 and a half hours.
I have a long commute. I'm in my car around 2.5 hours a day so I've plenty of time for Audiobooks but I do prefer them shorter rather than longer.
The Authenticity Project won't give you too many surprises. Everything that happens is quite predictable but that's not always a bad thing. It's the audio equivalent of curling up on a comfy sofa in your PJs and slippers with a wood burner in the background and a cat on your lap. In terms of any sense of jeopardy, I can comfortably say there are no dragons or evildoers to be found.
It's a simple tale of people whose lives have a big hole where their relationships and friendships should be who are brought together by finding a notebook with 'The Authenticity Project' written on the cover. As each person finds the book and adds their candid experience to it, they are brought into one another's orbits. There's an aged artist, an uptight cafe owner whose biological clock is ticking, an alcoholic coke-head with a desire to change his ways, a young Australian backpacker, a yummy mummy Instagrammer and a couple more. Most have inner lives that are quite different from the images they project to the outside world. And there's a cast of super support characters - a gay barman, his boyfriend and his Chinese grandmother.
It's sweet. It's fun. It says some useful things about life in a big city where nobody talks to each other any more, about urban loneliness and dislocation. It's very 'now'.
Regarding the audio, the narrator is great. She has a wide range of accents although she seems to slip into slightly Australian intonation rather more than the script calls for, but I found her voice didn't irritate or annoy (and often they do).
This isn't my usual genre, but I believe it to be a good example of its kind and I recommend it.
I have a long commute. I'm in my car around 2.5 hours a day so I've plenty of time for Audiobooks but I do prefer them shorter rather than longer.
The Authenticity Project won't give you too many surprises. Everything that happens is quite predictable but that's not always a bad thing. It's the audio equivalent of curling up on a comfy sofa in your PJs and slippers with a wood burner in the background and a cat on your lap. In terms of any sense of jeopardy, I can comfortably say there are no dragons or evildoers to be found.
It's a simple tale of people whose lives have a big hole where their relationships and friendships should be who are brought together by finding a notebook with 'The Authenticity Project' written on the cover. As each person finds the book and adds their candid experience to it, they are brought into one another's orbits. There's an aged artist, an uptight cafe owner whose biological clock is ticking, an alcoholic coke-head with a desire to change his ways, a young Australian backpacker, a yummy mummy Instagrammer and a couple more. Most have inner lives that are quite different from the images they project to the outside world. And there's a cast of super support characters - a gay barman, his boyfriend and his Chinese grandmother.
It's sweet. It's fun. It says some useful things about life in a big city where nobody talks to each other any more, about urban loneliness and dislocation. It's very 'now'.
Regarding the audio, the narrator is great. She has a wide range of accents although she seems to slip into slightly Australian intonation rather more than the script calls for, but I found her voice didn't irritate or annoy (and often they do).
This isn't my usual genre, but I believe it to be a good example of its kind and I recommend it.
Sign into Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ to see if any of your friends have read
The Authenticity Project.
Sign In »
Reading Progress
November 4, 2020
–
Started Reading
November 4, 2020
– Shelved
November 8, 2020
– Shelved as:
audiobooks
November 8, 2020
– Shelved as:
free-2020
November 8, 2020
– Shelved as:
domestic-drama
November 8, 2020
– Shelved as:
fiction
November 8, 2020
–
Finished Reading