The Bartender's Tale

By: Ivan Doig

Narrated by: David Aaron Baker

Length: 14 hrs and 47 mins

Publisher's summary

Audie Award Nominee, Fiction, 2013

Time and again, Ivan Doig has proven himself to be a treasure of American letters. Critical darlings and New York Times best sellers, his novels target the heart of the human experience and never miss the mark.

The Bartender' s Tale stars Tom Harry and his 12-year-old son, Rusty, who live alone and run a bar in a small Montana town in the early 1960s. Their lives are upended when Proxy, a woman from Tom's past, and her beatnik daughter, Francine, breeze into town. Is Francine, as Proxy claims, the unsuspected legacy of her and Tom’s past? Without a doubt she is an unsettling gust of the future, upending every certainty in Rusty’s life and generating a mist of passion and pretense that seems to obscure everyone’s vision but his own.

As Rusty struggles to decipher the oddities of adult behavior and the mysteries build toward a reckoning, Ivan Doig wonderfully captures how the world becomes bigger and the past becomes more complex in the last moments of childhood.

©2012 Ivan Doig (P)2012 Recorded Books

Great listening!

Great original storyline, the creative use of adjectives, the way Zoe would say (OOOH), and the Montana setting.

I just don't want this book to end!

Would you listen to The Bartender's Tale again? Why?

Yes, I would listen again, and again, and again. I'm not sure which I enjoyed more, the narrator or the story, but both entwine to make this one of the nicest stories I've ever listen to. David Aaron Baker nailed the accents and innuendos of each character, and their are a lot of them.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The story is wrapped around the adolescent years of a Midwestern boy in the sixties.. His life is not all that unusual, but unfolds in a way that you don't want to miss a single adventure.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

The Bartender's Tale; straight up with a twist!

Any additional comments?

Read or listen to this story! I read it based on the publisher's comments: "Time and again, Ivan Doig has proven himself to be a treasure of American letters. Critical darlings and New York Times best sellers, his novels target the heart of the human experience and never miss the mark." Absolutely true!!!

Outstanding Narration Brings Everything to Life

David Aaron Baker reads this story extremely well. As well written as it is, and how well each character is developed, I doubt I would've been nearly as interested without Baker's telling, his great and distinct voices (with the exception of one ridiculously Mickey Mouse sounding voice), and the heart that lies behind everything he says. Ivan Doig describes each character and surrounding so well it's easy to imagine the town, and the people. The story itself isn't particularly memorable, but I still cared about the characters.

Overall, worth a listen, just not something that'll stick with you very long after.

Didn't expect this

Would you consider the audio edition of The Bartender's Tale to be better than the print version?

I cannot answer this question as I've only listened to it.

What other book might you compare The Bartender's Tale to and why?

Hmmm...name any autobiography. The place and timing are a bit different from most I've read however.

Which scene was your favorite?

I'm actually not finished yet. That is how strongly I feel about this book. I love the father's gruff but loving words of advise. I love Rusty's description of his favorite room in 'the joint'.

If you could rename The Bartender's Tale, what would you call it?

Well, so far, it really isn't the Bartender's tale, but Rusty, the son's tale. But, I don't think I'd change it.

Any additional comments?

I'm anxious to share this book with my friend who is a native of Montana. I've read several books that take place in Wyoming, but none in Montana, so I'm enjoying learning a little bit about it's description and a little history.

Quite a tale

Sometimes after finishing a book, a novel, I'm left with the sensation of a being inside a tent that collapses when the pegs give loose and the ropes holding it all up fly free. Not here, not with this tale. I'm supposing that this tent will be standing for quite some time, and I'm real happy about that.

Original Father/Son Story You Don't Want to Miss!

As far as contemporary fiction goes, this one gets 5 Stars. The original storyline introduces us to a single father, whose son is being raised, unhappily, by an aunt. The father makes a decision to bring his son home, and together, they grow up running a bar. A wonderful father and son story that is not ruined by stereotypes or over the top emotion. Characters are rich and unique. Even though the storyline spans a couple of decades, the author presents it as just a "slice of life." Contemporary fiction isn't often my thing, but this book was. David Aaron Baker was absolutely the perfect choice for narration.

Great story

Great coming of age story. Well told. Narrator was great. I will look for another book by this author

Awesome story!

It takes a lot from a book to get me to write a review. The narrator does a superb job of doing the voices of the characters. I loved especially how he portrayed Tom Harry and Rusty. The characters make you love them. The story unfolds at a steady pace. And most important, it had a satisfying ending. Well worth the money that was spent. I will listen to this book again in the future. It was one of those book you wish would not end.

One of the best narrators we’ve ever enjoyed!

Extremely well-written as only Ivan Doig can do, we fell in love with the characters and thoroughly enjoyed the leisurely, folksy pace of this story. The narration was absolutely key to our enjoyment on a long car drive. Thank you!!

Awesome Story 5+ Stars

Love this writer and narrator combo - a perfect fit! A beautiful story about a father and son in the late 50's - with many twists and turns. Davis Aaron Baker nails the characters. This was as incredible as Last Bus To Wisdom!