Crossing to Safety

By: Wallace Stegner

Narrated by: Richard Poe

Length: 12 hrs and 21 mins

Publisher's summary

One of the finest American authors of the 20th century, Wallace Stegner compiled an impressive collection of accolades during his lifetime, including a Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, a National Book Award, and three O. Henry Awards. His final novel, Crossing to Safety is the quiet yet stirring tale of two couples that meet during the Great Depression and form a lifelong bond.

©2002 Wallace Earle Stegner (P)2009 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic reviews

"This is a wonderfully rich, warm, and affecting book." ( Library Journal)
"It's deceptively simple: two bright young couples meet during the Depression and form an instant and lifelong friendship. "How do you make a book that anyone will read out of lives as quiet as these?" Larry Morgan, a successful novelist and the narrator of the story, poses that question many years after he and his wife, Sally, have befriended the vibrant, wealthy, and often troubled Sid and Charity Lang. "Where is the high life, the conspicuous waste, the violence, the kinky sex, the death wish?" It's not here. What is here is just as fascinating, just as compelling, as touching, and as tragic." (Amazon.com review)

A great experience.

What made the experience of listening to Crossing to Safety the most enjoyable?

The narrator was definitely the most enjoyable experience. He was so suited to the period of this novel He had a warmth and humanity whilst maintaining that American, masculine intellectual persona.

What did you like best about this story?

I have never read anything by this author. It was a book club choice and I was very pleasantly surprised by how much I grew to love the book and care about the characters. I loved the honest portrayal of the flawed, all too human characters, and of course the setting. The author did a great job recreating, with his vivid descriptions of academia and academic life, that long gone period of American history.

Which character – as performed by Richard Poe – was your favorite?

I really can't choose. He did a great job with all of them. Perhaps Charity? She was such a vibrant person and he managed to portray her with honesty even though he has that masculine voice.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Of course! Everyone will cry in this book!

Any additional comments?

Thanks for a wonderful experience. I'm sure I got more out of this as an audible book than I would have simply by reading it. When I think about the story it is always with Richard Poe's melancholy, sonorous voice in my mind. Loved it.

a predictable story

interesting. talkative. but predictable. and very depressing... everything. what we all dread.... death. being alone ... It was difficult to keep tract of chapter because there is a mistake in the recording.. the highs and very lows of a marriage..

Disappointing

I know this book garnered rave reviews since publication but I simply don't understand it. Stegner is a beautiful writer, but I don't really care for any of characters - I don't dislike them, I just don't really like them and thus I didn't really care about their story. I listened to the end, to a narrator I thought was poor, but I cannot recommend this book.

Complex friendships and marriages

On the surface, the story itself is not unordinary. However, the characters and their relationships are thoroughly examined with multi-faceted descriptions that illustrate the positive and negative sides of the characteristics of the key individuals in the story. The reader, Richard Poe, I believe makes this book the enticing story that it is. His richly nuanced voice paints the pictures of each character and the ambience of the various times throughout the decades. I will be reading other Stegner books, and definitely will be listening to other Richard Poe's works.

Beautifully written.

Provocative, engaging, realistic, holds attention, only disappointment was abrupt ending after thrilling build up. Still, highly recommended relationship story amongst and between friends.

Top flight writing

This is my first experience with Wallace Stegner. I was captivated from the beginning. I liked everything about it. I related to Larry Morgan, the narrator in the novel a lot, since my wife has mobility issues. I don't know how you would improve on this book. The narrator of the audio book was excellent as well.

Best Book of the Year So Far

This is a beautifully written chronicle of the seemingly happy relationships between two depression era couples. I felt an immediate connection to the characters who were carefully crafted in such a way that one could see beyond the surface manifestation of generosity, acceptance, honesty, jealousy and control. The book caused me to consider my mortality and the navigating of my life until the end, There were so many expressions of love and friendship between each character, that, going forward, I hope that I will cause the people in my life to feel as accepted and appreciated as these characters demonstrated.

Slow but worth the time

Hmmm, how does one review a book like this? It’s the story of two couples: their friendship, marriages, lives, treasured memories and hardships. I found the story a bit slow at times and occasionally disjointed. No huge rising plot. No language frills. No magnificently crafted scenery. That said, there was a rawness to it—a deeply human face that held my attention and my focus, even when I wasn’t reading. I’m glad I read it, but I’m not sure I’d go around recommending it to everyone I know… except perhaps to my sister, to get her take on the family dynamics in the book. There were certainly some ponderous subtleties I could relate to.

Stirringly beautiful tale of friendship

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Absolutely! The story of the Langs and the Morgans... their strong friendship, through the ups and downs of life. Good job, Mr. Stegner!

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

His dialogue scenes were difficult to track who is speaking. With a book so heavily reliant on it, Mr. Poe could have differentiated voices better.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes! I wanted to know what happened to the Langs and Morgans. Good book, quietly unassuming, and captivating.

Any additional comments?

This is not my favorite Stegner book... that is reserved for the Big Rock Candy Mountain... but this is solidly captivating.

An easy listen.

The story is told from the perspective of the main character or one of the four main characters. It isn't always obvious & doesn't matter so much to me. Regardless, I enjoyed the book very much. It's basically about the lives of two very different married couples with each individual having their own ups and downs just like in real life. From reading the publisher's notes, I expected depression era characters sort of like my parents or my in laws but found his characters very different. I recommend this book if you enjoy classic type literature. This is the first book of Wallace Stergner I've read/ listened to and I'm off to find more of his works. Narrator Richard Poe, and this was the first time listening to him, did an excellent job. I think he is a perfect match for this story. I like how he read the female voices. I think it must be super hard to change your voice in a way to sound natural and believable. I would sound ridiculous doing it (laugh) so Mr Poe has my respect and I'm looking forward to hearing him again soon.