The Master Butcher's Singing Club

By: Louise Erdrich

Narrated by: Louise Erdrich

Length: 16 hrs and 43 mins

Publisher's summary

What happens when a trained killer discovers, in the aftermath of war, that his true vocation is love? Having survived the killing fields of World War I, Fidelis Waldvogel returns home to his quiet German village and marries the pregnant widow of his best friend, killed in action.

With a suitcase full of sausages and a master butcher's precious set of knives, Fidelis sets out for America, getting as far as Argus, North Dakota, where he settles, building a business and a home for his family, which now includes Eva and four sons, and a singing club consisting of the best voices in town.

What happens when the Old World meets the New, in the person of Delphine Watzka, becomes one of the great adventures of Fidelis's life. Delphine meets Eva and is enchanted. She meets Fidelis, and the ground trembles. These momentous encounters will determine the course of Delphine's life, and the trajectory of this brilliant new novel in which Louise Erdrich creates a world filled with memorable characters who grapple with the worst and best of human nature.

©2004 Louise Erdrich (P)2004 HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.

Critic reviews

"An enrapturing plunge into the depths of the human heart." (Washington Post Book World)

"Bordering on magical realism, this marvelous yarn introduces a world of rich, expansive imagery and an abundance of memorably compelling characters." (Publishers Weekly)

"Erdrich narrates with expressive intimacy, bringing authenticity to the exceptional people who populate Argus, North Dakota.... A master storyteller, Erdrich creates charismatic characters, and her reading makes each distinctly memorable." (AudioFile)

"Powerful, richly detailed....It's clear that Erdrich, one of our finest writers, is working at the very peak of her considerable powers." (Booklist)

Good Story but....

Sound quality varied throughout the book. ..muffled at times, clear at others. Good story though!

Powerful story of family, love, heartache and the resilience of the human spirit.

I really enjoyed this story, although at times the switch to different character’s stories took some getting used to. Foreshadowing and jumps back and forth in time may be challenging for some. Overall, the story, characters and community were vividly created.

The Master Butcher's Snoring Club

I am surprised to see the glowing reviews listed here. Frankly, this book does not deserve them. True, the prose and language are somewhat engaging, but the author tends to take herself too seriously, droning on and on about people, places and things with barely any dialogue between characters. It seemed like I was halfway through this book before there were any characters speaking more than one or two sentences. As a result of this verbal vancancy, I found the book to lull me into a state of disinterest.

Not wanting to give away too much plot, I will simply mention that one of the characters is revealed to have done something quite surprising and seemingly without motive. There was really no development of this personality that would lead the reader/listener to even consider this act as requisite to any kind of evolution of the story line. The motive is NEVER explained in the least. And, as quickly as this event is brought to attention, it goes away with barely any significance to the rest of the book.

Like the Seinfeld Show, I found this almost to be a story about nothing. People doing what people do, and the author pleased with the sound of her own voice.

While not a terrible work, I found this book to be quite lacking and unsatisfying. True, Ms.Erdrich's voice and language are soothing and not unpleasant- sort of like a mild sedative. Zzzzzzzzzz

Satisfying

I hesitated to read this book, because I felt I didn't always "get" Erdrich's books. But I found myself quickly drawn into the narrative, the time period, the portrayal of small-town-midwestern life, and most of all, into the personalities of the characters in this book. Plot points are resolved, not always in the happiest of ways, but in a way that was true to life. This book goes onto my all-time-favorites list.

Beautiful story, Beautiful voice

I loved this. I hated for it to end. Every character is so rich and believable.

Life is a song

"Not a single song is ever lost and no song is original," writes Louise Erdrich. "The Master Butcher's Singing Club" is poetry to the heart and music for the ear, even in its sadness, heartache and loneliness. Characters were brave and real in their intensity as they faced war, struggle, hardship and longing. Through it all was a man with a deep voice who loved to sing as life sprung up around him. Though he experienced torment and harsh imaginings, his powerful love expressed through song could be followed like intricate sheet music as page after page of his life came to a crescendo. The book held lots of surprises and the narration by the author kept me listening just to hear her voice.

Erdrich's

Louise Erdrich is a crafter of wonderful stories of the northern prairie. Her often quirky characters meander through sometimes bizarre plotscapes following trails of finely created prose toward a rich reading experience. The Master Butcher's Singing Club is, in my view, her finest book. It is doubly fortunate that Audible is offering the book unabridged AND that it is read by the author herself, in her very fine voice. The combination of drama and poetry, comedy and pathos, is just right, and I am pleased to have access to this novel, at last, through my Audible.com account.

precious little

This book is so carefully wrapped it tends to be precious, and such careful attention to the packaging may be what makes it seem methodical. The problem is also exacerbated by the narrator, whose style is also very deliberate and restrained (although she might be good with a different book). Erdrich inserts bits of fashionable culture, such as juggling and circus perfomers, along with wandering counter culture homeless who are "really deep," which seems artificial and strained. However, the protagonist is well developed, and the portrait of midwestern America between the world wars feels real and interesting. Consequently, I kept waiting for the climax but was disappointed that the highly worked plot never really delivered.

Intense

The characters are very well developed. Their existence is so intertwined and believable that they could by my neighbors.

Their experiences cover the gambit of life and death. To my sense their stories fit well with the setting, both time and place.

Throughout the storyline runs a thread of mystery, giving the sense there is an ending as yet unseen - and there IS!

Loved It!

Where does The Master Butcher's Singing Club rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

As someone who doesn't listen to a lot of fiction, I rank this book among my favorites. The story and characters are engaging and interesting and enjoyable. The story line is pretty straight forward and easy to follow without being too simple. It seemed especially interesting as an audio book.

What other book might you compare The Master Butcher's Singing Club to and why?

Again, not being a big fiction consumer or prone to comparing stories, I can't really answer this with any unique insight.

Have you listened to any of Louise Erdrich’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I listened to a portion of The Plague of Doves but did not care for it at all. It was after I listened to this, however. This is more enjoyable, by far.

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

I was very absorbed in the story at the time the mountain collapsed and Cyprian and Fidelis worked together to rescue Fidelis' son. Delphine was also very interesting as was her relationship to Roy. It was also interesting to follow the family through their lives.

Any additional comments?

Would highly recommend this book for listening.