Shadow Country

A New Rendering of the Watson Legend

By: Peter Matthiessen

Narrated by: Anthony Heald

Length: 40 hrs and 20 mins

Publisher's summary

National Book Award, Fiction, 2008

Inspired by a near-mythic event on the wild Florida frontier at the turn of the 20th century, Shadow Country re-imagines the legend of the inspired Everglades sugar planter and notorious outlaw E. J. Watson, who drives himself relentlessly toward his own violent end at the hands of neighbors who mostly admired him, in a killing that obsessed his favorite son.

Shadow Country transverses strange landscapes inhabited by Americans of every provenance and color, including the black and Indian inheritors of archaic racism that "still casts its shadow over the nation."

©2008 Peter Matthiessen (P)2009 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"[G]ripping, shocking, and brilliantly told....as powerful a reading experience as nearly any in our literature." ( New York Review of Books)
"Magnificent and capacious....the book took my sleeve and like the ancient mariner would not let go....a breathtaking saga." ( Los Angeles Times)
"[Watson] comes across as nothing short of iconic....it's difficult to find another figure in American literature so thoroughly and convincingly portrayed." ( Publishers Weekly)

Not your average "story"

If you're looking to while away some time with a pleasant or exciting "story," this is NOT the book for you. Matthiessen analyzes and re-constructs the larger-than-life figure of E.J. Watson is great detail and from many points of view. Some mysteries about Watson's life are revealed, but ultimately, many questions remain. The pioneering "settling" of the Everglades is seen for what it was: a raping and destruction of what made it unique and beautiful. It stands as an object lesson of how lands and countries are settled or subjugated. Racial injustices continue this theme of "to the victor belong the spoils." This book is filled to overflowing with characters, history, and the raw dialogue and life of another century. The narrator does a great job of delineating the myriad of different characters. A trip into the Everglades today reveals that the character of E.J. Watson still lives in the memories and folklore of present-day Florida. That was where I first heard about him, and since then I've waited for Audible to carry this book. A GREAT read, but definitely not for a reader looking only for entertainment.

Incomprehensible dialects

Perhaps ‘authentic’ but too many marbles in the mouth sounding speech
Impossible to understand this previously read ( great) book

In my opinion the producers made a poor choice

Great story, incredible reader

If you could sum up Shadow Country in three words, what would they be?

long historic compelling

What other book might you compare Shadow Country to and why?

Maybe something by Pete Decker. This is a historic novel, following generations of a gritty family. Realistic, rough-edged, compelling characters.

Have you listened to any of Anthony Heald’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I haven't, and this is the best reading/performance I've ever heard. His ability to develop a different voice for each character -- the story is told from several points of view -- is uncanny.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Yes, and I don't want to give it away.

Any additional comments?

This is the longest audio book I've ever listened to -- a bit over 40 hours. I have to confess that it's hard (for me anyway) to maintain attention for that long, but it is such a great book that I find myself getting right back into the story each time I get a chance to listen.

A Masterpiece with flaws

Any additional comments?

A long audiobook but I was pretty engaged throughout. I did miss some parts of the first book but by the time I finished all three I started right over and listened to the first book again, comparing the different accounts. Ultimately, a Great American Novel (yes, I know) in that it captures the complexity and contradictions of our history, the violence, the ambition, the fortitude, the failings. Also a challenging meditation on the nature of experience, and how we perceive one another.

Had to stop reading it at part 3.

The story was one describing a history I knew nothing about...the history of Florida at the end of the 19th century. It was fascinating how the story of EJ (or was it EA?) Watson was the history of Florida. It really grabbed me and I listened to it for hours on end; the narration was excellent. One thing I do wish I could’ve gotten a list or tree with all the characters names and their relationships.
However when I got to Part Three I’d had enough of Watson and his evil and desperate ways. I’d gone far enough with him. Couldn’t take one more word out of his nasty mouth.

Casts a very loooong shadow

I often gravitate toward very long audiobooks since I listen with such frequency I feel like I'm definitely getting my money's worth. No argument here on this score, defintely a great word per penny ratio. But the very length of this book has become an internal argument in my mind -- is it just too long? Is it fair to even think about length when it concerns a huge life, multiple characters, or even any life if the author can keep the reader engaged? I'm not sure yet. The book is told from multiple points of view, but all of it centers around one character, EJ Watson. The writing is superb, the narrative at time does drift, but I think the author has done an excellent job of telling the same story from several viewpoints and keeping the telling of the story-- though we know the ending again and again and again -- fresh. I truly think the EXCEPTIONAL narrator keeps the story alive however. I have more than a sneaking suspicion that if I had picked this book up to read, it would not have held my interest. The author owes a lot of credit to the narrator on this one for making the book really come alive, and adding another dimension to the telling that a reader of printed word just would not get. Anyway, if you want a nice long read, an excellent narrator, and really some fine writing you will get it here, but if you're about listening for entertainment only this probably isn't the book for you.

Better Than Expected - Learned a Lot

Would you listen to Shadow Country again? Why?

Probably - but not for a while. I actually went back a number of times to "re-listen" to stretches - got lost on names and events and such

What was one of the most memorable moments of Shadow Country?

The death scene - that happens more than once is obviously the key to the whole thing

Which scene was your favorite?

As the book draws to a close - the end of the third part - Watson reveals both his strong will and sense of humanity - the desire to be someone - to make a mark - to be more than just a human - but the realization that in the end being human is the best we can aspire to.

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

No - too complex - I needed to ration this out - 2-3 hour chunks. It all ties together and works very well - but I needed to time to reflect and sort out things.

Shadow Country is excellent

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

Depends on the friend's reading tastes... If you are more interested in whodunnit, then this drawn out account is probably not for you. If you appreciate truly excellent writing alongside many unravelings of exactly the same events, then yes, I very highly recommend this book. And if you are likely to appreciate a most remarkable reading/rendition in terms of accents and eccentricities and atmosphere, then yes, I highly recommend this book to you.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Shadow Country?

When the older brother writes about the day of the double murders to his younger sibling. Almost every single description of Watson is memorable. All those downtrodden women are memorable. The overall impression of the islands is amazing too. Of course, the racism is gut wrenching and most revealing of place and time.

What does Anthony Heald bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I am not American, so I should probably not attest to accents, but to my ear they were authentic, real - that's what I think people in the deep South sound like. His reading was astonishing, not an easy task considering the quirkiness of characters. Perfect all in all. He definitely draws one in and keeps one present in ways the printed book cannot achieve.

Who was the most memorable character of Shadow Country and why?

EJ Watson, by far, but it is the other characters that make him compelling. I suppose I wanted him to come out of it okay, not a murderous swine. Those were hard times, the place was harsh, clearly, and all the men seemed ... hard? So within those parameters, and even though I knew Watson had done some terrible things, I didn't want him to be merely evil. I also think his sense of humour was too intelligent for his neighbours to grasp. :-)

Any additional comments?

I love Peter Matthiessen's work. And I would love to see more of his books on Audible. "In the spirit of Crazy Horse" was just as astonishing in terms of vast research and intelligent writing and gripping story-telling.

Fantastic story and narration

The story was intriguing. Like any bit of history you can look it up and see how it ends. I really enjoyed that the books were written from different perspectives. Well thought out.
The narrator really made it come to life. I’m not sure I would have listened to all three of it hadn’t been for him. Probably one of the best narrators I’ve listened to for some time.

Historic and Powerful

The writing and the story is worth 5 stars, in my opinion. The length of the audiobook and the vast amt of characters could have tipped my rating to less than 5, but this is such an amazing book, that anything less than 5 stars (for me) would not do it justice. However, I can understand how it would not be liked as well by everyone. I like history and to be enveloped in a strong story, which this book provided. I didn't know the author and at the end, I looked him up in Wikipedia and found out that this story was originally published as a trilogy. Even though it was re-worked it is still very long. An aspect of the story that I really liked is that the story is told by many different people, so the reader gets the story from different perspectives - there is more that cold be said about this but don't want to give too much away.

You will be very happy with this book if you like history, aren't daunted by a numerous characters and enjoy being immersed in a powerful and compelling story. I liked it so much that I will certainly read the author's earlier book - the Snow Leopard (not avail. by audible)

I wasn't crazy about the narrator at first, but it didn't take long to get used to him and enjoy his many "characters".