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

Epic tale and narration!

This is an epic tale wonderfully brought to life by an amazing cast of norrators.

You are transported to another time, and experience life through the eyes of a rich, diverse cast of character's.

Held me spellbound throughout and I didn't want it to end!

Legacy in the American West

Meyer weaves together tales of Multiple Generations, as each seeks to live up to the Legacy of those who came before. The Son fills the reader with the sense of Tragedy that comes when one is consumed with the Destination, at the expense of the Journey, and requires an examination of where Life's Priorities should be placed. This book embodies Hawthorne's idea that Families are always Rising and Falling in America.

Listened in Chronological Order

For audio, the format of jumping back and forth between centuries was not easy to follow for me, particularly with the Cherokee names. I switched to listening to chapters in chronological order. First Eli, then Peter, then JA and Ulysses.

Wished it was just the story of Eli

If this had just been the story of Eli it would have been great but the other two story lines were so dull. The story of Peter was the worse. He was so boring and his story was pointless.

eh...... Save yourself.

I could have been doing a lot of other things Instead of waiting for this book to get better

A great epic

This book is great. There are not many great western epics written today. The reminds me of Lonesome Dove. I highly recommend it. The performance was amazing.

Good Production

This was an enjoyable book to listen to. The performances for the characters of Eli McClulloch and Peter McCulloch were excellent. I wasn't as impressed with the performance of J.A. McCulloch, but that may be because her story was not near as interesting as the other two main characters, particularly that of Peter McCulloch - from his diaries. In fact, I had a hard time figuring out what the story gained by the history of J.A. McCulloch. I guess it allowed you to see how much things have changed from the time of the lawless early days of Texas to the current day. Or perhaps it was included just so the author could get a properly sized novel. Things were certainly very brutal in the early days, and survival was much more iffy. I listened to the book going to and from work. I would recommend it as a good audible book, but I don't think I would have it enjoyed it as much if I had just read it.

An epic attempt falls short

Meh, that’s how I’d sum up the book. Told in the vein of multiple characters like The Killer Angels, but the characters are from different generations within the same family, The Son is a valiant attempt to capture Texas’ rich and colorful history. However, I found only one of the characters’ story encompassing. Apparently, sex played a major role in Texas history too, as featured regularly throughout the book...more so than the history of the state.

Extraordinary performance, intriguing story.

Would you listen to The Son again? Why?

Yes, I was fascinated by the narrators bringing the characters alive and I know I missed some details.

Who was your favorite character and why?

My favorite character was Peter. He was so caught in the middle of this generational struggle against the times they lived in.

Any additional comments?

Some of the content was difficult to listen to, the narrators make it so tangible!

Mesmerizing Entertainment and History Combined

Where does The Son rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This is one of the tops on my list. Kept my attention for each of the 20+ hours. Listened while I drove from North Carolina to Austin, TX. An amazing history of Texas, wonderfully read, with great characters. Compares to Giant, Gone with the Wind, Exodus, and other epic stories of settlement, human existential dilemma, love, hope, selfishness, generosity, pain and redemption. The tension created by western territory expansion and the displacement of Native Americans, especially the Comanche was described as if I were there, participating. I gained a greater understanding of Native American traditions, the endurance of Anglo settlers, and the Mexicans who occupied the land since the Spanish conquest. A heartfelt, gripping story of survival all around.

Any additional comments?

As I entered and drove across northeast Texas, I came through the very towns referenced in the book as I was listening to it. Uncanny. I understood the settlement of Texas and her vastness much better as a result of listening to this Audible book.