Nightwoods

A Novel

By: Charles Frazier

Narrated by: Will Patton

Length: 8 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's summary

The extraordinary author of Cold Mountain and Thirteen Moons returns with a dazzling new novel of suspense and love set in small-town North Carolina in the early 1960s.

Charles Frazier puts his remarkable gifts in the service of a lean, taut narrative while losing none of the transcendent prose, virtuosic storytelling, and insight into human nature that have made him one of the most beloved and celebrated authors in the world. Now, with his brilliant portrait of Luce, a young woman who inherits her murdered sister’s troubled twins, Frazier has created his most memorable heroine.

Before the children, Luce was content with the reimbursements of the rich Appalachian landscape, choosing to live apart from the small community around her. But the coming of the children changes everything, cracking open her solitary life in difficult, hopeful, dangerous ways.

Charles Frazier is known for his historical literary odysseys, and for making figures in the past come vividly to life. Set in the 20th century, Nightwoods resonates with the timelessness of a great work of art.

©2011 Charles Frazier (P)2011 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

PRAISE FOR CHARLES FRAZIER: “Natural-born storytellers come along only rarely. Charles Frazier joins the ranks of that elite cadre on the first page of his astonishing debut.” ( Newsweek on Cold Mountain)

“Prose filled with grace notes and trenchant asides ... a Whitmanesque foray into America: into its hugeness, its freshness, its scope and its soul ... such a memorable book.” ( The New York Times Book Review on Cold Mountain)

“Frazier works on an epic scale, but his genius is in the details - he has a scholar’s command of the physical realities of early America and a novelist’s gift for bringing them to life.” ( Time on Thirteen Moon)

Will Patton Can Make a Dark Story Sound Cozy

I love the narration of Will Patton, and I enjoyed this story. The cast was an interesting/mixed lot, yet I wished for more insight into the kid's minds....of course, this was what Luce wanted, too, so I get it. This was a good audio listen, and I could see the "film" in my head. Imperfect characters, a rambling old lodge in the woods and canned good dinners - this is a perfect slice of Southern Fried Goth.

Beautiful story

This was a very enjoyable book with sympathetic characters. There were no wasted words. Very elegant writing and wonderful narration.

Compelling listen

I loved Frazier's use of language, and Patton's narration was pitch perfect. Even though I thought I knew what was going to happen - and I was wrong - they kept me on the edge of my seat.

Excellent Narration

This book is very well written, making it an excellent narration for the very talented Will Patton. He is very easy to listen to. He made the story and characters come alive, as if the author had written the book, just for his voice. Great Listen!

Wonderful

I think I enjoyed this more in audible format than I would have reading it. The writing is stellar--the descriptions vivid and rich, the characters well drawn and the plot interesting. The narrator was topnotch with appropriate accents to keep the changing narrative point of view at the forefront. He did an excellent job. I was sorry to see this book end.

Compelling

Amazing story and performance. I couldn't stop listening--stayed up into the wee hours to finish the book. For those who think this couldn't have happened in the 1960s, we need to remember that there were tremendous regional differences, and local oppression was rampant in those years. The Civil Rights Act did more than ameliorate racism, and the War on Poverty did more than redistribute income. This story is not just a page-turning thriller, but it is also a compelling sociological examination of small town relations in the era before federal standards of justice were introduced.

This was clearly a story written by a man about a woman, and about children, and about a violent man, very ably read by Will Patton. I have loved Patton's reading of James Lee Burke's books, and he's even better here. What is remarkable about his reading is his ability to subtly shift the voice so you know who is being centered as the story progresses--Luce, the children, Bud, Stubblefield. Frazier, through Patton, takes us into the lives of the major characters, and we gain new eyes each time he shifts the scene.

I loved this book. There is a magical quality about it. I'm not sure I can bear to listen to it again, not for a while, but I'm so glad I did give away a night to it.

Loved the narrator! The voice and performance...

I think this will be one to go to the top of my favorites list. The characters while appearing simple in their ways of life, are so relatable. The author does a great job of bringing them to life. The performance was one of my favorites parts! Im not so sure reading this book would be as enjoyable as listening to it.

I love the Narrator

Maybe I just love Will Patton, but I could listen to him tell me a story forever. I really liked this audiobook. Good story.

Best yet

I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this author writing in a different time period. He is an expeet at evoking the feeling of an area and people. Add to this an intriguing story a delightful narrator and its a five star listen

This incredible combination - Charles and Will

Unlike most others, I thought Thirteen Moons was brilliant, his best work. I listen to that book to take me somewhere else. Nightwoods did that too and there's something about Frazier's writing and Patton's narration that is mesmerizing, thoroughly enchanting. It inevitably, within seconds takes me way way faraway some place else, in the wilderness, in forests, by gushing rivers....Frazier is my most admired writer. There's something about him that is hard to qualify, guess his writing and Patton's narration penetrate deep inside one's soul, its a dreamy, misty, musical ride. It is a spiritual journey, unforgettable!