The Absurd Life of Barry White by Rob Harris and narrated by Iain Batchelor is an everyman story with a golden twist thanks to a punt on the races.

Iain Batchelor is outstanding in this audiobook. Perfect to tell the story of a man from a tiny village in Wales. The variety of voices is performed with heart and soul perfectly suited to each character and really captures the ambience and culture of small-town Wales

Barry has grown up in the shadow of his father, a famous local Rugby player, the sport at the heart of Wales since the dawn of the game (I am a HUGE Rugby fan so I jumped on tthis ARC!) Barry's father passed away many years prior, but still, he finds himself trying to achieve the same standard in his local team, but while he can drink just like his father, and has a great sense of humour, he is just not good at te game. Or so he thinks (the storyline with James is lovely I have to say, very heartwarming) It was a matter of the position he was playing and not his ability at the game that mattered

Barry's relationship with his mam was so sweet and this storyline was particularly poignant. It really touched my heart. There are a few hefty twists in the storyline and they just enhance what is already an awesome novel

I could wax lyrical about each of the characters, the storyline, the world description, but suffice to say, this audiobook made me laugh until my sides ached and smile with recognition of a different time. A perfect listen for anyone tbh, whether you like rugby or not. If you have a family, if you llive in a small community, if you feel you just don't meet the mark. This is absolutely wonderful

Thank you to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, the author Rob Harris and narrator Iain Batchelor for this stunning ALC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

Rob Harris's 'The Absurd Life of Barry White' follows none other than Barry White- no not that Barry White- as he discovers more than he bargained for about himself and those around him. Propelled by an unexpected finical windfall, Barry sets out to maintain the homeostasis of his life, living with his mother and skirting by at his work-from-home job, and in the process, grows up.

I enjoyed the character development in this story, I freely admit to actively disliking Barry for at least the first third of the book. Harris's ability to change the reader's perception of Barry is masterful. I was lucky enough to review this book in audio format and found the narration to add to the experience of the book, with Iain Batchelor's deadpan delivery of Barry's inner monologue being a standout feature of my reading experience.

Thank you to Rob Harris and Dreamscape Media for the this audio ARC in exchange for an honest review of The Absurd Life of Barry White.

Barry White Jr’s life is unusual for sure but at the heart of it all is love. Love for his mom, his friends, his rugby team and the town he lives in. I loved the growth of Barry’s character throughout the book. This book with an unusual main character is quite heartwarming in the end. Thank you Net Galley and Dreamscape Media for the advanced copy of the audiobook in exchange for my honest review

Loveable Barry White, is your typical underdog, he has a job he doesn't particularly like but is good at, he's a good friend and a rubbish rugby player, who still lives at home with his mam at 44 years old, like he's doing her a favour. He just wants to do some good.

This is a hilarious story of Barry and his mates bumbling through their lives and how they're trying to deal with everything life has to thrown at them, from the sublime to the ridiculous, while trying to live up to everyone else's expectations of them and failing at every hurdle.

Some chapters had me laughing so much, it is so well written, but also some very tender moments too, including mild sexual content.

I honestly wasn't sure what to expect from this when I requested it, but I'm so glad I did, it's been an absolute joy to listen to and the narration is spot on, with great characterisation and importantly for me being Welsh a good Welsh accent and pronunciation of Welsh names and places.

I would highly recommend this an audiobook, as it feels more like a stand up audio.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a copy of this ARC.
I will add links on Publishing day once posted.

Barry White, Jr’s life is fairly absurd, but luckily it is also pretty funny to read about. This is not the kind of book I often read, but I love books that are humorous, especially on audiobook. I’m glad that I gave this a try. It is genuinely funny, although also sad in places, and also thoughtful. I liked how things turned out, however, the actual ending seemed a bit abrupt. I learned a lot about Wales, rugby, and what life is like in small towns. I’d definitely recommend this on audiobook—the narrator is excellent. Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to provide an honest review of this audiobook.

I loved this book! It was so heartwarming and funny. I enjoyed Ove, Iona, and The Big Finish. If you loved these then you'll love Barry.

I think this was a lot of fun for me because I could identify with this character who's a bit of a slacker and people keep razzing on him, especially when it comes to sport. I also believed his journey, he filled out his own life the way he meant to, of course he'll never be a hero but I quite liked him. To me, the narrator sounded snarky sometimes, and I enjoyed that too. This is a light read, although of course it's sad when he loses his mom, but a nice glimpse into a guy who was a bit of a character. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me listen to this audiobook

This one wasn't for me. The humor just didn't hit for me and I didn't find the plot interesting. I will not be leaving a review anywhere else our of respect for the author.

I tried. I really did. I wanted to like this one so much, but just couldn't get into it... The narrator is excellent. The snark factor is high and it has some great moments, but on the whole I felt confused and just not into the story. Maybe it's because I don't know enough about rugby. Maybe it's my inability to relate to the life choices of our fearless (ha!) protagonist. Regardless, I was just not the right reader/listener for this one...

Initially it was hard to feel empathy for Barry White Jr. He’s a 44-year-old virgin living with his mother and putting as little effort into his remote job as possible. He’s the son of the famous late Barry White Sr., a Welsh rugby superstar, but has inherited none of Sr.’s prowess on the field. He borrows and owes a lot of money from gambling. Yet, there’s something about Barry Jr. that drew me in. His indefatigable optimism, his loyalty, his love of online videos featuring a gorilla eating and farting….OK maybe not this last one, but Barry did grow on me. And when things happen in his life, Barry rises to meet the challenges. It’s a delightful story of friendship, love, family, and the rugby community that evolves in this former coal town.
My thanks to the author, publisher, and #NetGalley for early access to the audiobook for review purposes. I recommend #TheAbsurdLifeofBarryWhite for its often funny, occasionally poignant story.

4.5/5 Stars

A slice of life story with a very engaging audiobook narration.
I enjoyed the humor, the characters and the storyline. A very breezy and entertaining listen. I definitely would recommend the audiobook for an enhanced experience.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for this ARC.

3.5/5 stars rounded up
The Absurd Life of Barry White is a cute, funny, light and easy read. This is a story about a man named Barry, a 44 year old who lives with his mother and has zero ambition, zero goals, zero plans, zero purpose. All Barry wants to do with his life is play his video games, play rugby, work the bare minimum, and drink his pints of beer. Suddenly something happens to Barry that would change anyone's life. The charm of this book is in how he handles this life-changing occurrence. The audiobook narration was exquisitely done and I believe played a big role in the cheekiness of the story. Thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Dreamscape Media for gifting me this ALC in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely loved this book about a grown-up Welsh man living with his mum who still looks after him. Due to Covid, he is living the life of Riley working from his bedroom in his pants while his mum cooks, cleans, and irons his clothes for him. Hilarious! Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC/Audiobook and the brilliant Welsh accent.

A big thank you to NetGalley for this ARC audiobook.
This book almost carries a "Fredrik BackMan" vibe to it. Barry White is character that you cannot help but love. He's the underdog, the friend, and sadly the joke of the rugby team. He is a 44 year old mama's boy who has a gambling problem. He only wants to bring good into the world while simultaneously figuring out what his purpose in life is.

Well, we find out. We follow Barry and his team of nutty friends work their way through the circle of life. This novel is hilarious. Chapter 30 had me laughing so hard it brought tears to my eyes. I had to listen to the chapter again, because I could not hear the full bit due to laughter. Highly recommend!! Very mild sexual content. Ages 16+

𝐀𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐨𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰
3.5 🌟
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The premise of this story is what caught my attention, and I have to say it wasn't a bad read (well, listen) at all. The narrator was the star of this book by bringing it to life with his comedian voice. His British accent is a "Chief kiss" and easy to understand him.
Now, this is not my normal genre, so I don't know if I would have READ it, but the audiobook was good.
It's quick, shirt, and straight to the point.
𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 July.30
Thank you, Netgalley, and Dreamscape Media for the audiobook for my honest review.

4.25⭐️
I am thankful to have gotten the audio ARC for free from Netgalley and Dreamscape Media so I can leave my voluntary and honest review.

Ok so this is NOT my typical genre at all! Honestly it was a middle of the night fever dream request that got accepted. And like every good fever dream it worked out in the best way!

This was so cheeky and made me chuckle throughout at the life of Barry White. I am not a person who laughed at comedy routines but I do like real life natural comedy. This has that effect as it’s just a narration of Barry’s life which is a hot mess.

The narrator was great. He had a clear British accent and did a great job with his inflections without going overboard. I did have to speed up the rate to 1.25x which made it a perfect speed as it was very slow in its original format.

I do suggest the audio book as it makes it more like listening to a comedy act of sorts. I honestly don’t think k I would have enjoyed it as much had I read the print version.

It’s also done in modern times post Covid lock down times but still working from him complete with Zoom meetings and accidental naked bums showing up on co-workers screens and how his mom had to do things to make sure he stayed awake for the work day.

So if you’re looking for something cheeky that makes you a feel good about your own life, give this one a go when it comes out on July 30 2024

My rating system since GoodReads doesn’t have partial stars and I rarely round up.

⭐️ Hated it
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, really not my cup of tea (potentially DNF’d or thought about it)
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meh, it was an ok read but nothing special
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really enjoyed it! Would recommends to others
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! Will circle back and read again