Tallgrass

By: Sandra Dallas

Narrated by: Lorelei King

Length: 8 hrs and 25 mins

Publisher's summary

During World War II, a family finds life turned upside-down when the government opens a Japanese internment camp in their small Colorado town. After a young girl is murdered, all eyes turn on the newcomers. Rennie has just turned thirteen and until this time, life has pretty much been predictable and fair. But the winds of change are coming, and with them, a shift in her perspective and a discovery of secrets that can destroy even the most sacred things. Part thriller, part historical novel, Tallgrass by Sandra Dallas is a riveting exploration of the darkest—and best—parts of the human heart.

©2007 Sandra Dallas (P)2007 Audio Renaissance, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishers, LLC

Critic reviews

• Audie Award Winner, Fiction, 2008

“A compelling and genuinely moving novel.” —Jennifer Chiaverini, author of Circle of Quilters

“Sandra Dallas is a true American Voice.” —Gail Tsukiyama, author of Dreaming Water

“The sweep of the Great Plains, the tensions of World War II that rift a small community and the remarkable cast of characters are all heartbreakingly real.” —Margaret Coel, author of The Drowning Man

Great book! listened while traveling by auto.

Good narration, easy listening, story with real life struggles to stay ahead.

A nice read

I really enjoyed listening to this book. In some ways, it reminded me of "To Kill a Mockingbird", in the sense that it is told from the viewpoint of a young girl on the verge of adulthood. The book was read in a very soothing tone that also added to the feel of a story set in the 1940's. Not a masterpiece, certainly, but a good story with a little bit of history thrown in.

NARRATOR L. KING MADE THIS BOOK GREAT!

VERY ENTERTAINING STORY OF A TIME THAT WAS REAL LIFE. HAPPY TIMES AND SAD TIMES. OLDER GENERATIONS PAID DEARLY FOR WHAT WE TAKE FOR GRANTED TODAY..

This was GREAT !!

i'm not a huge fan of sandra dallas, but this book is awesome. great narration as well. really good writing, fantastic story.

Well Done

This is a well told story of family, farm life, conflict, war, abuse, fear, love, support, humor, saddness, and life. I enjoyed it and wish there were more Sandra Dallas novels available.

A gentle tale; engrossing, absorbing and well read

Lovely story, well read and with a goodly amount of humour - well-researched too.

Lorelei King, as always, is an absolute champion - I just love her voice characterisations. Really lovely stuff :)

We're all the Same . . . Underneath our Skin . . .

This story of a family and a small town in Colorado during WWII that happened to be chosen for a Japanese internment camp is one that will stay with me for a long time . . . before the camp, the town seemed pretty much "normal", neighbor helping neighbor, going to church on Sunday, women quilting together, children going to school, farmers working hard in the fields . . . then everything changed . . . fear gripped everyone, a girl was found raped and murdered . . . and the towns people knew for sure it was one of those Japanese prisoners that did it . . . draft notices started arriving . . . the young men started going off to war . . . the Stroud family, trying to remain at peace with everyone around them, trying to raise their beet crop, take care of their aging grandmother who has good days and bad, sends their own son, Buddy off to fight the war . . . and Rennie, their thirteen year old daughter suddenly has to grow up too fast . . . This beautiful, sensitive tale is told from Rennie's point of view . . . at a time in history when young girls were seldom taught or allowed to THINK or reason for themselves . . . in a time of war, hate and fear when people hurt other people and when one could either choose love . . . or something far worse . . . the mystery of Susan's murder (Rennie's young friend) makes for even more angst . . . Sandra Dallas did an excellent job in writing Tallgrass . . . the interview with the author at the end did not add to the experience, however . . . I turned it off. I'd much rather stay in the moment of the story . . . savoring that.

Another good one!

I enjoyed this story and found it interesting. I love this time period and seeing how characters adjust to tension and change associated with other cultures/ races moving into their world.

Entertaining and heartfelt story

Although there are more and more books now being written about the Japanese internment camps, this is a different kind of story, as it is told by a young girl, who is not Japanese, outside of the camp. I thought the narrator did a good job on the voices, though the accent was hardly Coloradoan (more southern sounding at times).

Good Audio Book

Great book. Worth the buy. The reader was good. Her voice changes where not bad like another reader said.