Telegraph Days

By: Larry McMurtry

Narrated by: Annie Potts

Length: 9 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's summary

Not since the publication of his own beloved classic Lonesome Dove has there been a novel like this one, another big, brilliant, unputdownable saga of the West from Larry McMurtry. Telegraph Days is at once a major work of literature and a completely absorbing read; not just great fiction, but fiction on a great scale, encompassing many years, many characters, real and fictional, and the whole vast landscape of place, time, life, and heart, which has served for more than 130 years as the background for "the Western" in fiction and on the screen. Nobody writes, or has ever written, better about the West than Larry McMurtry, and nobody has caught better in words its myths, its often brutal reality, its overwhelming size, and the way it captured both the imagination and the hopes of those who settled there, only, as was so often the case, to dash those hopes.

Told in the voice of Nellie Courtright, a spunky, courageous, attractive young woman whose story this is in part, Telegraph Days is the big novel of the Western gunfighters that people have been hoping for years Larry McMurtry would write.

©2006 Larry McMurtry. All rights reserved. (P)2006 Simon & Schuster Inc. All rights reserved.

Critic reviews

• Winner of Audio Publishers Association 2007 Audie Award, Solo Narration - Female

• Audie Award Finalist, Fiction, Unabridged, 2007
• Audie Award Finalist, Solo Narration - Female, 2007

"McMurtry's latest skips through western lore with a wry smile." (Publishers Weekly)
"In his striving to demythologize the West, McMurtry's vision of the reality is compelling." (Booklist)

Female Gus McCrae

I'm a big fan of the lonesome dove series and looked forward to this story as another saga by Larry McMurtry. I guess I have a tendency to measure all of his novels by that standard which leaves me lacking for more. having said that, this was a fun story and the narrator does a great job of telling the story and bringing the characters to life.

Its not lonesome dove, but well worth the effort.

Not the worst book I ever listened to

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

Maybe, if they were an Annie Potts fan.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

Listening to Annie Potts was very enjoyable. The plot was a little on the silly side, especially if you are expecting another Lonesome Dove.

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

Just a very pleasant voice with an accent that seems very appropriate for the subject matter.

Great voice

Like most Larry McMurtry reads … it’s a good one. Nelly’s voice is compelling and the story becomes more and more believable the more you listen. Highly recomend

Good but raunchy

This book is written more as a narrative-diary than a typical plot-driven novel. It is fun to listen to, but quite raunchy, lots of crude sexual references, but not pornographic.

Simply great!

Well written, well narrated. A super book that I could have gone on listening to for many hours more.

Great Story.

Where does Telegraph Days rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Very near the top.

What other book might you compare Telegraph Days to and why?

Lonesome Dove Series. Intriguing story, enjoyed the narrator.

What about Annie Potts’s performance did you like?

Very Much.

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

Kept me interested through the entire book.

Another good book from Mr. McMurtry

This is the fourth book I have read by Mr. McMurtry and have enjoyed them all. I recommend it and am off to the next one. Enjoy.

Excellent performance

This is a ridiculous story. Marie Antoinette "Nellie" Courtright is a beauty courted by George Custer, Bill Hickock and two Earp brothers, in addition to a host of non-famous beaus. She works for Buffalo Bill Cody, gets the best of Jesse James, meets Billy the Kid and General Sherman, and witnesses the gunfight at the OK Corral.

I enjoyed this because it's funny, and Annie Potts' narration is perfection. She made me want to keep listening. It would be a quick read on paper, but it's so much better, and time well spent, on audio.

Tall tales style Wild West

Tall tales style Wild West. Lots of humor, great narration. Highly recommended for those who like McMurtry at his funniest.

Loved this story!

Larry McMurtry wrote such an excellent story. Annie Potts is perfect as narrator for this character!