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All the Little Live Things  By  cover art

All the Little Live Things

By: Wallace Stegner
Narrated by: Edward Herrmann
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Publisher's summary

Joe Allston, the retired literary agent in Stegner’s National Book Award-winning novel The Spectator Bird, returns in this disquieting and keenly observed novel.

Scarred by the senseless death of their son and baffled by the engulfing chaos of the 1960s, Allston and his wife, Ruth, have left the coast for a California retreat. And although their new home looks like Eden, it also has its serpents: Jim Peck, a messianic exponent of drugs, yoga, and sex, and Marian Catlin, an attractive young woman whose otherwordly innocence is far more appealing—and far more dangerous.

©1967 Wallace Stegner (P)2010 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“Timely and timeless....Will hold any reader to its last haunting page.” ( Chicago Tribune)
“A novel of crackling vividness.” ( New York Times Book Review)

What listeners say about All the Little Live Things

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Another winner from Stegner

I always feel like I have to say at the top of a Wallace Stegner review, "No, it's not Angle of Repose." But not many things are. It ranks high on my all time favorite list. But it is Wallace Stegner and that's always better than nearly anyone else.

There's a certain honesty in the way Stegner writes that takes my breath away. He has a way of admitting to his weaknesses and failures in a way that makes you understand that it's possible to own those things. He doesn't dwell on it, but that honesty always sits right in the front.

He writes about the world as it is - not the world he wants it to be. And that is what makes his books so lovely.

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34 people found this helpful

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Depressing, but oh so well written

This story is told through the eyes of a man whose son died at an early age, and he's not sure what he could have done to prevent it. It also centers on his neighbor lady who is dying of cancer. In spite of these sad circumstances, the book is well worth the read. The prose is so utterly descriptive, it requires you to read on and on. And before you know it you have come to the end longing for more. Cheers, Ken

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13 people found this helpful

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Herrmann Strikes Again

Ed Herrmann provides a masterful performance of this under-appreciated Stegner novel. Listening was a treat, a privilege. Read it (or listen)!

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8 people found this helpful

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I know a novel is good when....

When no words are left, but the characters remain in my mind, and I wonder how the rest of their lives turned out, I know that, for me, it was a good novel. That is happening to me now. Julie, were she real, would be my age now. Joe was born the same year as my dad, but now I’m near Joe’s age then. I read this book with the awareness of time and relativity. I realize I shortchanged the Joes of my youth. I have more empathy now. It’s also interesting to see some of the subtle societal changes—burning trash, for instance. And littering. And a man objecting to women over 60 wearing shorts. On major issues, for the most part, it has stood the test of time. Marian’s decision to forgo a future as mother to Debbie and gamble instead on conceiving and delivering another child is incomprehensible to me. But Stegner has built a character for whom that decision holds water.
I read Spectator Bird first, not knowing about this book. Now I want to revisit SB to see if there is mention of these characters that I missed.
The performance was perfect.

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7 people found this helpful

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The Summary if Life

Stegner is the Norman Rockwell of writers painting the classic, detailed picture of life as human. He is able to capture the emotions, doubts, convictions, prejudices, and struggles of everyday mankind that we have all experienced to some degree. Relatable, current, classic.

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One Of My Stegner Favorites

Just love this book. I’m not sure exactly why, there are so many reasons. Stegner’s writing style pleases me, and I love the characters and emotions of the book. It’s just a pleasure to read.

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Masterpiece

Remarkable experience to participate in this magnificent work of one of the greatest writers of the 20th century. He creates and we indulge. We are not worthy.

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Old Man Yells at Cloud!

Much of the first half of the book is typical story setup: introduction of characters, setting the scene, and the like, which is fine, although it's dragged out here with the focus on squatter Jim Peck (technically, he has Joe's grudging permission to stay on the property). As the hippie-ish young man makes himself gradually into a more permanent fixture, than just pitching tent, Joe's level of resentment grows ... as did my fatigue. Second half of the story contains flashbacks to Joe's past, that help explain his strong feelings, as well as another storyline about a neighbor, until the Final Conflict, where all goes horribly wrong. It's no spoiler to say that Peck is quite manipulative, although perhaps a slight one in mentioning that Joe's mistrust proves grounded in the end.

Stegner could write ... and how! Unfortunately, the story's grim tone marches on throughout, his heavy-handed warning about the societal changes that the 60's will bring seeming dated, and largely disproved. Edward Hermann does a knockout job with the narration, as though the book were written back then with him specifically in mind for the job.

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  • R
  • 09-06-12

Sad story, lovely writing

What made the experience of listening to All the Little Live Things the most enjoyable?

Stegner writes about nature and people with heart-stopping beauty.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

Stegner's acute rendering of people, their complexities and struggles.

Which scene was your favorite?

Every time he describes the land, the sky, a character's expression.

If you could take any character from All the Little Live Things out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Jim Peck. Although he's an infuriating idealistic and naive hippie in narrator Joe Allston's eyes, he is also a character in search of truth, beauty and purity. But he inevitably gets tripped up by his own falseness and darkness, like we all do.

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What a wonderful book and exceptional performance!

I enjoyed The Spectator Bird so I thought I’d read another of Stegner’s books. All the Little Live Things is many things. It is a glimpse into the changing world of a particular time and place. It is a reminder of what real writing is - the richness of a full vocabulary and the deep emotions only a masterful novelist can evoke.

This is a book for grownups, for people who value our internal worlds and philosophies more than action and manufactured plotting. I am so glad I read All the Little Live Things. It will stick with me. I feel both drained and enriched.

The narration is pure perfection.

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