Henry, Himself: A Novel
Kindle
$13.99
Available instantly
Audible Logo Audiobook
$0.00
with membership trial
Hardcover
$23.42
Paperback
$8.50
Audible Logo Your audiobook is waiting!
Enjoy a free trial on us
$0.00
  • Click above for unlimited listening to select audiobooks, Audible Originals, and podcasts.
  • One credit a month to pick any title from our entire premium selection — yours to keep (you'll use your first credit now).
  • You will get an email reminder before your trial ends.
  • $14.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel online anytime.
Learn more about membership
Sold and delivered by Audible, an Amazon company
List Price: $20.25
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible’s Conditions Of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice.
Sold and delivered by Audible, an Amazon company
Amazon book clubs early access
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Amazon book clubs early access

Join or create book clubs

Choose books together

Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Explore Amazon Book Clubs

Henry, Himself: A Novel Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Stewart O'Nan (Author), Richmond Hoxie (Narrator), Penguin Audio (Publisher)
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 333 ratings
See all formats and editions

A member of the greatest generation looks back on the loves and losses of his past and comes to treasure the present anew in this poignant and thoughtful new novel from a modern master.

Stewart O'Nan is renowned for illuminating the unexpected grace of everyday life and the resilience of ordinary people with humor, intelligence, and compassion. In this prequel to the beloved Emily, Alone, he offers an unsentimental, moving life story of a 20th-century everyman.

Soldier, son, lover, husband, breadwinner, churchgoer, Henry Maxwell has spent his whole life trying to live with honor. A native Pittsburgher and engineer, he's always believed in logic, sacrifice, and hard work. Now, 75 and retired, he feels the world has passed him by. It's 1998, the American century is ending, and nothing is simple anymore. His children are distant, their unhappiness a mystery. Only his wife, Emily, and dog, Rufus, stand by him. Once so confident, as Henry's strength and memory desert him, he weighs his dreams against his regrets and is left with questions he can't answer: Is he a good man? Has he done right by the people he loves? And with time running out, what, realistically, can he hope for?

Like Emily, Alone, Henry, Himself is a wry, warmhearted portrait of an American original who believes he's reached a dead end only to discover life is full of surprises.

Previous page
  1. Listening Length
    11 hours and 59 minutes
  2. Author
    Stewart O'Nan
  3. Narrator
    Richmond Hoxie
  4. Audible release date
    April 9, 2019
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    Penguin Audio
  7. ASIN
    B07QFBP6HL
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
  10. See all details
Next page

Read & Listen

Switch between reading the Kindle book & listening to the Audible audiobook with Whispersync for Voice.
Get the Audible audiobook for the reduced price of $9.49 after you buy the Kindle book.

Product details

Listening Length 11 hours and 59 minutes
Author Stewart O'Nan
Narrator Richmond Hoxie
Whispersync for Voice Ready
Audible.com Release Date April 09, 2019
Publisher Penguin Audio
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B07QFBP6HL
Best Sellers Rank #230,292 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#2,142 in Fiction Sagas
#4,214 in Family Life Fiction (Audible Books & Originals)
#8,397 in Literary Fiction (Audible Books & Originals)

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
333 global ratings
Nothing happens. It happens slowly. I kind of love it.
4 Stars
Nothing happens. It happens slowly. I kind of love it.
Henry, Himself is the third story by author Stewart O’Nan set around characters within the Maxwell family. While this novel is narrated by Henry, the first two books Wish You Were Here and Emily, Alone focus on Henry’s wife, Emily.I found this story to be profoundly moving in its description and depiction of every day life. There are no huge revelations or soap-opera style dramatic turns here. Instead, this is a quiet, calm novel about an established older man, his wife, and his world. We see the painstaking efforts required to make every day life work, the multi-layered and endlessly fascinating complexities of a marriage spanning multiple decades, and the quiet indignities and losses that accumulate in growing older. O’Nan never patronizes or preaches through Henry. Instead, he gives a clear portrayal of the beauty and boredom of everyday life. I have never read anything by O’Nan before, but I was immediately struck by his spare, precise language that forced me to slow down and pay careful attention to each word.My work puts me in contact with many in “the Greatest Generation.” Henry’s thoughts and actions resonate with what I have seen through many who share a quiet pride in history, a wariness of the changing world, and a resigned grief at the loss beloved of traditions and customs. Reading this book made me think carefully about my own mortality and the permanent and impermanent marks we make on the world.While I was blown away by O’Nan’s writing, I am hesitant to read further in this series. I did not find Emily to be especially engaging of likeable in the supporting role of the this book. What made the lack of action and quiet writing so effective for me was the connection I felt to Henry. I am curious as to whether two novels focused on Emily would make the same impact. With the caveat that the reader must understand the deliberate pacing and quiet tone, I recommend this book as a meaningful reflection on aging and family.
Hide
Thank you for your feedback
Sorry, there was an error
Sorry we couldn't load the review

Top reviews from the United States

Bridget Lovett
5.0 out of 5 stars Lyrical and beautiful
Reviewed in the United States on April 23, 2022
Verified Purchase
This is a quiet and lovely character study. I fell in love with Henry, and I’m going to miss him. I love his steadiness and his goodness. I’m going to go back and reread Emily, Alone so that I don’t have to leave Henry yet; I can still hear about him through Emily’s thoughts and memories.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
April Bayne
4.0 out of 5 stars interesting rememberances
Reviewed in the United States on March 10, 2024
Verified Purchase
An easy read about a family told from the point of view of the grandfather. I liked that his understanding of others is opaque. Like all of us we only know about a the details of others lives that they show us. The older person’s perspective is accurate although all the characters have active lives. There is no plot, just a series of stories about a year in a retiree’s life.
Helpful
 Report
Mary Lins
5.0 out of 5 stars Henry is Extraordinary in His Ordinariness
Reviewed in the United States on May 5, 2019
Verified Purchase
Oh, how I adore Stewart O’Nan! His novels (and his non-fiction) are all so varied, so different, so unique, and yet all so good! Having loved “Emily, Alone”, I was primed to love “Henry, Himself”, and I certainly did! Henry reminded me very much of my own late father; also a WWII vet, married over 50 years, husband, father, grandfather, church-goer, good citizen. I wonder what secrets he never revealed.

In his inimitably beautiful prose, O’Nan, takes us through the life of Henry Maxwell, from his young-boy crush on his German piano teacher, to his long marriage to Emily. The way O’Nan reveals him, Henry is extraordinary in his ordinariness. He is so like most men of his generation, which is a type, yet still unique, as all humans actually are. He has secrets and regrets, WWII memories, and dark thoughts. O’Nan is a master - he can make the quotidian interesting - he describes a trip to the grocery store for a red pepper and dish-washing detergent
(baring the wrong coupon), as somewhat fraught with significance.

I often wonder, the way Henry does, about luck and happiness, “How much of life was accidental and how much was work, and practically, what were they supposed to do?” We are each such the sum of our parts, our pasts, our relationships; this lovely story of Henry will cause you to consider your own life and how you got where you are today, holding on to this gem of a novel.
25 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Weekly Reader
3.0 out of 5 stars 300 pages of tedious humdrum daily life
Reviewed in the United States on August 17, 2019
Verified Purchase
Tedious daily minutiae is the theme in this book. It works well in that it matches the tedious minutiae of mature adult life. Maybe. Sheesh. I had to force myself to read it to the end. Maybe if I also read the companion books I will have a more rounded understanding of Emily and Henry. Emily is not likable. At all. Henry is too accommodating but knowing more backstory may help. Not sure I have the patience to wend my way thru more of this tho. I rated it a 3 because I respect O'Nans talent (read 'Lobster')
2 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Blue in Washington (Barry Ballow)
4.0 out of 5 stars The refuge and comfort of routine - 4+
Reviewed in the United States on May 22, 2019
Verified Purchase
Henry and Emily Maxwell are in their 70s. Henry has long since retired from a professional, white-collar job and his world has become his wife, dog, house, puttering, and visits with his sister and children. This is a middle-class existence in middle-America (Pittsburgh) and it has plenty going for it.

Henry Maxwell represents a lot of the Boomer Generation, who have lived longer than most of their parents, are still in relative good health and are looking for daily purpose in their lives. Family and routine are the obvious reasons to go on. Occasionally, an outside event will bring some change--sometimes pleasurable, sometimes concerning--but it is the familiar that gets Henry and Emily up every day and keeps them going.

While there is no special menace or existential overhang to this story, its substance does pose questions of purpose and responsibility that most of us (of a certain age) can easily identify with. There is an continuing, if slight, gloss of humor throughout the story, even in the occasional moments of friction and stress that are part of the Maxwell family's lives--just as they are for all of us. It's a beautifully written book that will leave most readers in a reflective mood at its conclusion.
10 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
ulysses4
5.0 out of 5 stars Wise and Gentle Book
Reviewed in the United States on March 6, 2020
Verified Purchase
Inside most of us oldsters, there is a decent, thoughtful and caring individual, aware of our shortcomings as well as our strengths. We have the benefit of a lot of life experience, a good measure of insight, paid our dues and still care deeply about family, neighborhood and doing the right thing. Like any age group, others may typecast us and fail to see our worth. I'm glad some do.

O'Nan is a superb writer. Like a master painter patiently crafting a large mural, slowly, surely with subtle nuance, he builds a detailed and fully believable portrait of Henry, Emily, Rufus and the extended family. Perhaps the family is a bit more sketchy, but this is not "War and Peace". The lead characters are rightly in the foreground.

As an engineer by trade, a Pittsburgh native and someone able to deftly incorporate hundreds of little cultural details adding timeliness and texture without tedium, the book moves along at a leisurely but lifelike pace. The family get togethers and tensions on holidays, the importance of Chautauqua, and memories of WW2 and of parents and grandparents long gone ring true and poignant.

We care for and understand this family and celebrate a long and loving marriage. If that is not enough for a Hollywood blockbuster, it is more than enough for me. It is a beautiful book about some folks we would be honored to have as neighbors and friends.
2 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Susanne
5.0 out of 5 stars Another wonderful Stewart Onan
Reviewed in the United States on June 10, 2019
Verified Purchase
I'm giving this book 5 stars as the writing drew me in..I feel like I know Henry and Emily now. And it truly was impactful as it helped me see myself, my husband, and how much I cherish our daily routines!
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Majel Redick, N.E. Texas
4.0 out of 5 stars I think Henry's a Virgo!
Reviewed in the United States on August 26, 2020
Verified Purchase
Great book. I really liked Henry because he's so obsessive/compulsive. His sense of humor, his way of dealing with Emily his wife, and with Rufus the dog, at first I considered gentle. Later I consided him patient, and meticulous.
It's the story of a family over the years and captures each one's struggles, weaknesses, and strengths. READ IT!
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report

Top reviews from other countries

Anne Duff
5.0 out of 5 stars A year in a life...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 14, 2019
Verified Purchase
This is a beautifully written insight into a very ordinary year in the life of a very ordinary 75 year old man living in the US. Curl up with this book in front of the fire and become Henry as you read his thoughts, his hopes, fears and dreams. It's a book of family and love. It's comforting and enchanting, homely and heart-warming.
Report
EV
4.0 out of 5 stars Gently engrossing
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 18, 2019
Verified Purchase
I got to quite like Henry as he shared a year of his life in this book. Living in the UK, I found some aspects of his everyday life in the USA quite intriguing. We get to learn about his family, his two homes and his interests as he negotiates the life of a middle-class retiree. Don't expect excitement or drama, this is much more subtle than the usual 'old person being slightly odd' book. in fact Henry seems a very normal sort of bloke. Read if you enjoy good language and subtle humour.
Report
P Martin
5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect and wonderful and great
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 6, 2019
Verified Purchase
This book is everything good to read. I don't know how the author can get inside a character, a marriage, a family and take me there too. I really enjoy all of O'Nan's books but this one is very special. I usually reread his books as they are so good and I will definitely read this one again.
Report