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A Confederacy of Dunces Audiobook— narrated by Barrett Whitener
A Confederacy of Dunces is the great comic novel of New Orleans: a riotous, big-hearted farce built around Ignatius J. Reilly, a fat, flatulent, medieval-minded blowhard who lives with his mother and rages against the modern world while spectacularly failing to function in it.
Why the audiobook wins
Barrett Whitener built a career on this performance. He gives Ignatius a booming, self-important bellow of a voice, then turns around to voice a dozen New Orleans regulars, Mrs. Reilly's exhausted drawl, Burma Jones's sly patter, Lana Lee's bar-owner rasp, each one distinct enough that you never lose track of who's talking. It plays less like an audiobook than a one-man stage production.
At about thirteen and a half hours, it's a solid commute-week listen for anyone who wants New Orleans dialect performed rather than just described on the page. The humor is broad and relentless read aloud, so it suits a listener who wants farce, not a quiet bedtime story.
The review calls Ignatius deliberately insufferable and the comedy relentless, and Whitener's performance is what makes four hundred pages of him funny instead of merely tolerable. This is a strong case for one of the great comic audiobook performances on record. One credit, and the whole chaotic circus starts with a free trial.
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Audiobook questions
- Who narrates the A Confederacy of Dunces audiobook?
- Barrett Whitener narrates the audiobook edition of A Confederacy of Dunces.
- How long is the A Confederacy of Dunces audiobook?
- The audiobook runs 13 hr 32 min.
- Is the A Confederacy of Dunces audiobook worth listening to?
- We scored A Confederacy of Dunces 4.1 out of 5. Barrett Whitener built a career on this performance. He gives Ignatius a booming, self-important bellow of a voice, then turns around to voice a dozen New Orleans regulars, Mrs. Reilly's exhausted drawl, Burma Jones's sly patter, Lana Lee's bar-owner rasp, each one distinct…
- Can I listen to A Confederacy of Dunces free with an Audible trial?
- Eligible new Audible members can use a free-trial credit to listen in the Audible app. Eligibility and current offer terms are set by Audible.Listen to A Confederacy of Dunces free with an Audible trial
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- Is A Confederacy of Dunces on Kindle Unlimited?
- No. A Confederacy of Dunces was not included with Kindle Unlimited when we last checked on September 7, 2026.
- How much does A Confederacy of Dunces cost?
- On Amazon: Kindle $8.67. Prices as of September 10, 2026 at 3:46 AM EDT and may change.
