Stormy Weather

By: Paulette Jiles

Narrated by: Colleen Delany

Length: 11 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's summary

From Paulette Jiles comes a poignant and unforgettable story of hardship, sacrifice, and strength in a tragic time - and a desperate dream born of an undying faith in the arrival of a better day.

Oil is king in East Texas during the darkest years of the Great Depression. The Stoddard girls know no life but an itinerant one, trailing their father from town to town as he searches for work on the pipelines and derricks. And in every small town, their mother, Elizabeth, does her level best to make each sparse, temporary house they inhabit a home.

But the fall of 1937 ushers in a year of devastating drought and dust storms, and the family's fortunes sink further when a questionable "accident" leaves Elizabeth and her girls alone to confront the cruelest hardships of these hardest of times. With no choice left to them, they return to the abandoned family farm.

It is Jeanine Stoddard who devotes herself to rebuilding the farm and their lives. But hard work and good intentions won't make ends meet. In desperation, the Stoddard women place their last hopes for salvation in a wildcat oil well, and on the back of late patriarch Jack's one true legacy, a dangerous racehorse named Smoky Joe. And Jeanine must decide if she will gamble it all...on love.

©2007 Paulette Jiles (P)2007 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

"Eloquent, engaging....Jiles winds this gritty saga up on the eve of WWII with a patchwork quilt's worth of hope." (Publishers Weekly)

I had to give it a couple of hours then I was hook

Would you listen to Stormy Weather again? Why?

Yes, I will probably listen to it again because I'm sure I missed some parts in as much as I listened to it before I went to sleep.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Stormy Weather?

There were several, but when the youngest daughter fell down the well was one.

What about Colleen Delany’s performance did you like?

It took me a few hours to get used to her voice after listening to 9 books in a row read by Susan Toren. After that I really started appreciating Colleen Delany's different voices. Ross's voice was the best.

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

Yes. I listen to audiobooks before I go to bed, but some nights I listened for 3 hours straight.

Any additional comments?

I like the way Paulette Jiles writes. I listened to News of the World twice.

Survival

Love the strong female characters especially Jenne. The distribution of the hardships during the dust bowl put you really get there. What I didn’t like was so many side characters it was hard to see how they contribute to the story line.

Lovely, enjoyable, great lead character.

Not as good as News of the World but an enjoyable read with 2 great lead characters. Refreshing to have a strong female character at the helm of this story!

Interesting, unpredictable and defined a local era

The characters are well developed and interesting. The story is sad with happy moments. The characters have strength to survive the era and their predicament.
Well written, creative, poetic, easy to follow, well read.
Highly recommended.

Gives Grapes of Wrath a great companion!!!

Where does Stormy Weather rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Certainly in the top ten. I only wish it was longer. I learned a lot about the Texas oil fields of the thirties! It was a great listen. The performance was well done. I am not sure that this is historical fiction but I very much enjoy how it interleaves the characters with the current issues of the great depression. I could feel like I was there and that is the magic of a good book!

What other book might you compare Stormy Weather to and why?

Grapes of Wrath

What about Colleen Delany’s performance did you like?

She did a very good job with this book!

Great Writer, Meet Great Narrator

Paulette Jiles is one of the most talented writers I've ever had the pleasure of listening to and reading. Stormy Weather is my fifth Jiles novel, and I loved them all, however what made this one extra special is narrator Colleen Delany. I can't recall another narrator who so perfectly and distinctly portrayed every voice. Her rendition of the protagonist really made me fall for her. I searched to find what other books she's narrated, but unfortunately they're all multi-reader fantasy productions, not my cup of tea. Someone, anyone, please take advantage of this talented narrator and expand her field of genres.

Great writing, as usual

Jiles is a master of the written word. She doesn’t disappoint as she paints a verbal portrait of depression-era Texas.

This book, which is not strong on plot and could be seen as simply a “feel good” effort, provides another strong-willed heroine who triumphs.

There are some puzzling inconsistencies in the time line. If you’re bothered by things like a character who’s born in 1918 turning 21 in 1938, be prepared to be bothered!

The narration is very good, though the voice used for the main male character makes you wonder what our heroine sees in such an uninteresting and bossy person.

A struggle

A struggle in more ways than one. The story centers on the struggles of the Stoddard family to survive in the Texas dust bowl. And I struggled to follow the choppy prose and out-of-sequence narrative. I really enjoyed News of the World by this author, so this was a letdown.

DNF

This read like one big description/exposition. Couldn’t get into it. Did not finish it.