I Cheerfully Refuse

De: Leif Enger

Narrado por: David Aaron Baker

Duración: 11 h y 55 m

Resumen del Editor

A storyteller “of great humanity and huge heart” (Minneapolis Star Tribune), Leif Enger debuted in the literary world with Peace Like a River, which sold more than a million copies and captured audiences’ hearts around the globe. Now comes a new milestone in this boldly imaginative author’s body of work.

Set in a not-too-distant America, I Cheerfully Refuse is the tale of a bereaved and pursued musician embarking under sail on a sentient Lake Superior in search of his departed, deeply beloved, bookselling wife. Rainy, an endearing bear of an Orphean narrator, seeks refuge in the harbors, fogs, and remote islands of the inland sea. Encountering lunatic storms and rising corpses from the warming depths, Rainy finds on land an increasingly desperate and illiterate people, a malignant billionaire ruling class, crumbled infrastructure, and a lawless society. Amid the Gulliver-like challenges of life at sea and no safe landings, Rainy is lifted by physical beauty, surprising humor, generous strangers, and an unexpected companion in a young girl who comes aboard. And as his innate guileless nature begins to make an inadvertent rebel of him, Rainy’s private quest for the love of his life grows into something wider and wilder, sweeping up friends and foes alike in his strengthening wake.

I Cheerfully Refuse epitomizes the “musical, sometimes magical and deeply satisfying kind of storytelling” (Los Angeles Times) for which Leif Enger is cherished. A rollicking narrative in the most evocative of settings, this latest novel is a symphony against despair and a rallying cry for the future.

“A heart-racing ballad of escape, shot-through with villainy and dignity, humor and music. Like Mark Twain, Enger gives us a full accounting of the human soul, scene by scene, wave by wave.”—Josh Ritter, singer and author of The Great Glorious Goddamn of It All

©2024 Reuben Land Corporation (P)2024 Recorded Books

Hope amidst despair. Loved it.

I was drawn in by the characters and story line. Despair and chaos but still love, hope and staying true to oneself prevail. It gave me a sense of hope as well. Loved it.

beautiful sadness

Frighteningly close to us. Peaceful sadness that still offers hope. Gorgeous cadence while being read.

Dystopia rust belt odyssey

This story felt like a take on The Odyssey with all the strange characters along the way of a sea journey. It is grim and dark for sure- as some readers have noted, but this is dystopic fiction, although in this case it was more dystopian literature which made it a winner to me.

Delight unfurling

I’ve listened twice through already. Another gem from one of the best. Long may he write.

A great book

Part Orpheus, Odysseus, Aeneas and Dante with Don Quixote. This book is a robust ode to a life jolly, cantankerous and free. It is a call to grow, to love truth and to love it with mercy, grace and cheer. A story of beauty. Unless you’ve fully realized a sense of home, acceptance, truth, joy and forgiveness, you should read this book

Dystopian Beauty

Enger’s unique take on the dystopian genre is distinctly his own. The language is lush, the main character warm and authentic,

Excellent Writing

My issue is not with the writing but more with the all pervasive sadness. The author was able to straddle the depressive atmosphere with moments of brightness but it was not enough to lift the spirit of the book. I suspect that is the point. I didn't need to add moroseness to my book diet. I was fooled by the title. Ultimately I am glad I had no real preconceived expectations of this book. Leif Enger is a masterful wordsmith. The book evoked a lot of feelings for me. I was especially enamored of the book titles referenced throughout, I chuckled heartily at the oblique nod to Steven Sherrill.

Another great one for Leif Engler

Great narration and a story that kept me interested throughout. Dystopian and mystical with a satisfying ending to boot.

Maybe I would dance...

A beautiful and sort of innocent story. His writing always leaves me wondering if he's flirting a little.☺️

On the Sea and Through the Straits

Enger plies the storied waters of open seas and narrow straits, from the sad realities of Lenin and Mao to the dystopias of Huxley and Orwell—just fictional enough to be entertaining and just real enough to be frightening. Though his production, in numbers, is sparse, his dealings in all his novels are vast. Leif Enger is easily my favorite author.