The Son

By: Philipp Meyer

Narrated by: Will Patton, Kate Mulgrew, Scott Shepherd, Clifton Collins Jr.

Length: 17 hrs and 48 mins

Publisher's summary

Audie Award Finalist, Literary Fiction, 2014

Soon to be a TV Series on AMC starring Pierce Brosnan and co-written by Philipp Meyer.

The critically acclaimed, New York Times bestselling epic, a saga of land, blood, and power that follows the rise of one unforgettable Texas family from the Comanche raids of the 1800s to the oil booms of the 20th century.

Part epic of Texas, part classic coming-of-age story, part unflinching examination of the bloody price of power, The Son is a gripping and utterly transporting novel that maps the legacy of violence in the American west with rare emotional acuity, even as it presents an intimate portrait of one family across two centuries.

Eli McCullough is just twelve-years-old when a marauding band of Comanche storm his Texas homestead and brutally murder his mother and sister, taking him as a captive. Despite their torture and cruelty, Eli—against all odds—adapts to life with the Comanche, learning their ways, their language, taking on a new name, finding a place as the adopted son of the chief of the band, and fighting their wars against not only other Indians, but white men, too-complicating his sense of loyalty, his promised vengeance, and his very understanding of self. But when disease, starvation, and westward expansion finally decimate the Comanche, Eli is left alone in a world in which he belongs nowhere, neither white nor Indian, civilized or fully wild.

Deftly interweaving Eli's story with those of his son, Peter, and his great-granddaughter, JA, The Son deftly explores the legacy of Eli's ruthlessness, his drive to power, and his life-long status as an outsider, even as the McCullough family rises to become one of the richest in Texas, a ranching-and-oil dynasty of unsurpassed wealth and privilege.

Harrowing, panoramic, and deeply evocative, The Son is a fully realized masterwork in the greatest tradition of the American canon-an unforgettable novel that combines the narrative prowess of Larry McMurtry with the knife edge sharpness of Cormac McCarthy.

©2013 Philipp Meyer (P)2013 HarperCollinsPublishers

This has to be listened to.

My son gave me the paperback. I tried to read it and to watch the show, but I just couldn't keep up and follow the story. Until I found it on Audible. I use books to fall asleep with and I love the timer and the ability to bookmark pages.
The story, with the way it jumps from character to character and in time, was made much easier for me to follow (once I grasped that it was in diary form for all the characters) with the wonderful voices of all the actors. I know how to use makeup and clothes to age a character, but I'm still trying to figure out how the readers managed to age their voices in such a credible manner.

The diversity of the characters and their story lines is very plausible. Almost typical of how things were in the west and Texas in particular during the early years.

For anyone who thinks a lot of this isn't still going on, where land, cattle, oil and blood lines are concerned..... well you've never lived outside of the big cities in Texas.

Outstanding

Everything about this book is great. You love Eli even though he a murdering, thieving monster and get annoyed by Peter who has a little more humanity.
The performances are just wonderful, especially Will Patton- “Eli, Terrete”

Wonderful book

This book will stay with me for a very long time...as a native Texan, the history within the story was fascinating. Filled with strong characters in the harsh environment of early Texas, it explores the interactions and conflicts between the different cultures striving to exist as their world is changed or destroyed by the continuous increase in settlement of the vast state.

Great story

I was wrapped in the story from the get-go. I loved how the author and actors portrayal really painted a clear picture in every chapter. I could visualize every scene.

Great span of history.

Enticing story spanning 3 generations, cleverly thought out, and gripping. Feeling the stories coming closer to linking made it hard to stop listening. Great character development.

Great Story!

If you like novels about the old west don't miss this. I haven't been so engrossed in a novel since Lonesome Dove. I would sit in parking lots just to finish a chapter. The narration was superb, perfectly cast. The story and ending thought provoking, wrenching, sad and true to the times. An excellent novel.

Great story

Read other reviews saying that the story was hard to follow and I disagree. I feel that it’s a necessity to download a copy of the McCulloch family tree to have as reference. All the narrators were spectacular and the story was very good and full of historical facts. Highly recommend!

I so enjoyed this

Any additional comments?

What a ride this one was! A sweeping tale told across three generations, The Son has actually made me like a western. Will Patton is my favorite narrator and he certainly did not disappoint in his delivery of the part of Eli McCullough. The descriptions of life as a Comanche were just fantastic and detailed. I understand the author put a lot of research into the writing and it is evident. Very entertaining stuff.

Unfortunately, his excellent performance was almost a detriment to the book as a whole as I found myself longing to return to his part of the tale when the other two narrators were reading. My interest in their characters intensified as the book went on, so this eventually took care of itself.

The narrator that read Jeannie McCullough's part was very good. I could certainly hear big Texas oil in her speech. The narrator of Peter McCullough's character, however, left a little to be desired. He wasn't necessarily bad, but I always felt as if the character sounded as though he was on the verge of tears. This may have been intentional, I don't know. This at times came across as whiny and self-satisfied.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it without reservation.

historical fiction

Way to much fucking in the middle. But a great story none the less. A Texan sized tradgey worthy of the bard himself.

Fantastic!

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

I loved everything about this book: the stories, the family thread, the various characters, the character development, and the narrators chosen!

What did you like best about this story?

The thread of family members on the land.

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

The various voices did a great job of capturing their characters!