The Big Rock Candy Mountain

By: Wallace Stegner

Narrated by: Mark Bramhall

Length: 25 hrs and 38 mins

Publisher's summary

Bo Mason, his wife, and his two boys live a transient life of poverty and despair. Drifting from town to town and from state to state, the violent, ruthless Bo seeks his fortune in the hotel business, in new farmland, and, eventually, in illegal rum-running throughout the treacherous back roads of the American Northwest.

Based largely on his own childhood, Stegner has created a masterful, harrowing saga of a family trying to survive during the lean years of the early 20th century. It is the conflict between the hardscrabble existence and Bo's pursuit of the frontier myth and of the American dream that gives the book such resonance and power.

©1938 1940, 1942, 1943 by Wallace Stegner (P)2010 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Stegner has felt the spell of mountain and prairie, of drought, flood, and blizzard....a harrowing saga." - ( New York Times)
"Stands out beautifully and unforgettably." ( New Yorker)

Priceless Book - Great Narration

What made the experience of listening to The Big Rock Candy Mountain the most enjoyable?

The story is set in the dying days of the US and Canadian frontiers, and the immediacy with which Stegner paints the wild times and places is fascinating. But more compelling is the way his writing brings the reader intimately close to the characters. He gets you right inside their skin.

Who was your favorite character and why?

This is a family saga and the main couple, Bo and Elsa Mason, are both flawed human beings, yet graced with extraordinary strengths and virtues. Across the length of the story they wrestle with the difficulties of their world, with each other and always with themselves. The reader is sometimes shocked by them and their circumstances, but never loses compassion for them.

What about Mark Bramhall’s performance did you like?

Mark's voice is haunting, perfect for this deeply introspective story, and most especially the voice of the violent and passionate Bo. A smooth, easy voice to listen to. He did his homework and worked in a variety of accents and gave all the many characters an individual tone.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

As I approached the last few chapters I didn't want the book to end. It's a big story. I listened to it over several days and wanted to cry because soon there'd be no more of it to unfold for me. When it ended, I went straight back to the beginning and started listening again.

Any additional comments?

The opening chapter is somewhat depressing and could put readers off. Keep listening. The instant Bo appears in the narrative, the story takes off on wings.

A heartfelt journey.

I have not experienced a book like this before. There was a sense of actually being a part of the story, mostly by the parts that hit close to one's own past. The story was so descriptive and well written that you could easily submerse yourself in the actions and surroundings being described. The story also captured every type of emotion and sometimes changed at a moment's notice. I am glad to have taken the time to listen to this story.

loved the narrator....very good book

Would you listen to The Big Rock Candy Mountain again? Why?

This book was beautifully written. I was a little worried about the length but it was entirely worth it. These characters are now a part of me....one of the best listens....

Heartbreaking

This is a heartbreaking and beautiful family saga. This will stay with me for a long time.

Another amazing story by Wallace Stegner

I have read many books by Stegner and am a fan of his perfect use of words to bring life to his characters.This story is perfect for audible books, even though it is long. Mark Bramhall is superb! His voice brings the people and the time and place alive.

The quality of the prose, the talent of the reader

It was a long listen, but lends itself well to passive listening. Stegner gives voice to existential questions like no other. The charicatuees are sometimes a bit overplayed and in some cases, underplayed, but on average everyone gets developed. The lack of change in the characters is a bit disappointing, with the exception of Chet. Everyone is, at the end, pretty much everyone is at the beginning, just older. From that standpoint the story is sometimes laborious. I give the story two stars because the truths reflected about our own lives are explained and illustrated in too fine a mirror, thirough the Stegner’s pen. He, as perhaps no other writer, is able to capture and explain the human condition in too fine a manner; the collective weakness and wickedness in his writing is held under too strong a light and too large a magnifying glass that it can tioeturw the listener and burn to the very core.

Turn of the century Little House on the Prairie

This is an unflinching, semi autobiographical novel of a families search for stability as they roam from place to place in the west, spanning about a 20 year period in the early 1900s. I was instantly drawn into the period and lives of the Mason family, the writing is smooth and flowing, thorough; the dialog is believable and colorful. I feel that Mr Stegner captured the tone of the era very well, here in lies my only critique. This is a sad novel, very realistic. Half way through, the tone becomes reflective and melancholic, all fitting for the situations of the story however. He is one of those writers who is convincing, not so much from researching a subject but from first hand experience with it. That being said, this is a book that holds my attention, breaks my heart, and brings me back.
The narration is stellar in my opinion, excellent characterization, pleasant, consistent.
I'd recommend this novel to those who enjoy the human experience of history.

Excellent Story Despite Its Depression

This is a great book simply because of its excellent prose and character development, even though virtually all the characters are tragic and emotionally damaged. The narration is excellent and supports the overall quality of the experience. If you can overcome the generally depressing storyline, you should enjoy this book as a memorable read (listen).

Emotionally gripping!

This was one of those books I had a very hard time pausing - even for things like going to work or to bed! Honestly, I'm not even sure what held me so strongly. This morning I was literally in tears while I was trying to get ready for work while listening, and that's just not typical. Actually, I normally reserve my "getting ready for work" time for something inspirational

I'm familiar with a lot of the places in the story from my mom's life and even some from my own, although they're certainly very different now. I don't know what else to say except that I really loved it and I hope that you do too!!

Powerful

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

I just finished listening to Mark Bramhall's narration of The Big Rock Candy Mountain, and Wallace Stegner has done the miraculous: through his writing, reached through the years and grabbed my soul. Would I recommend this to a friend? Absolutely!I truly wish I knew someone these days who has a deep and abiding love of great fiction, AND the willingness to take the time: for this is it!

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Big Rock Candy Mountain?

I feel to tell which one would be too much of a spoiler.

Which character – as performed by Mark Bramhall – was your favorite?

Hmmm...I guess it has to be Harry Mason. However, he did a most remarkable job narrating all the characters, regardless of age or gender.

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

Nay nay...25 hours is too much...however I was always reluctant to pause it at the conclusion of my day's commute.

Any additional comments?

Stegner's insights into the American pioneer psyche were profoundly moving, and rang true all the way to the deepest part of the quest to undertand complex characters. Stegner does not disappoint the avid reader with tidy, saccharine endings.