The Tiger's Wife

A Novel

By: Tea Obreht

Narrated by: Susan Duerden, Robin Sachs

Length: 11 hrs and 22 mins

Publisher's summary

National Book Award Finalist and New York Times best seller...

“Spectacular...[Téa Obreht] spins a tale of such marvel and magic in a literary voice so enchanting that the mesmerized reader wants her never to stop.” (Entertainment Weekly)

Weaving a brilliant latticework of family legend, loss, and love, Téa Obreht, the youngest of The New Yorker’s 20 best American fiction writers under 40, has spun a timeless novel that will establish her as one of the most vibrant, original authors of her generation.

In a Balkan country mending from war, Natalia, a young doctor, is compelled to unravel the mysterious circumstances surrounding her beloved grandfather’s recent death. Searching for clues, she turns to his worn copy of The Jungle Book and the stories he told her of his encounters over the years with “the deathless man.” But most extraordinary of all is the story her grandfather never told her - the legend of the tiger’s wife.

Named one of the best books of the year by: The Wall Street Journal, O: The Oprah Magazine; The Economist; Vogue; Slate; Chicago Tribune; The Seattle Times; Dayton Daily News; Publishers Weekly; Alan Cheuse, NPR’s All Things Considered.

“Stunning...a richly textured and searing novel.” (Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times)

“[Obreht] has a talent for subtle plotting that eludes most writers twice her age, and her descriptive powers suggest a kind of channeled genius.... No novel [this year] has been more satisfying.” (The Wall Street Journal)

“Filled with astonishing immediacy and presence, fleshed out with detail that seems firsthand, The Tiger’s Wife is all the more remarkable for being the product not of observation but of imagination.” (The New York Times Book Review)

“That The Tiger’s Wife never slips entirely into magical realism is part of its magic.... Its graceful commingling of contemporary realism and village legend seems even more absorbing.” (The Washington Post)

©2011 Tea Obreht (P)2011 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"Stunning...a richly textured and searing novel.” (Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times)

“[Obreht] has a talent for subtle plotting that eludes most writers twice her age, and her descriptive powers suggest a kind of channeled genius.... No novel [this year] has been more satisfying.” (The Wall Street Journal)

“That The Tiger’s Wife never slips entirely into magical realism is part of its magic.... Its graceful commingling of contemporary realism and village legend seems even more absorbing.” (The Washington Post)

Left me unfulfilled!

This novel wraps several stories within stories, all which focus on the narrator's recently deceased Grandfather. These stories are all compelling each in their own right. They just don't seem to have conclusions worthy of the beauty and complexity of the tale.

The premise of this novel is wonderful. The Author does a rewarding job weaving these stories together in an interesting and compelling style. That is, until we get to the conclusion. I felt the last chapter and the final minutes were rushed, perhaps finished to meet some deadline. The conclusion left me feeling unfulfilled, It is a shame such an elegant work of fiction was plucked from the vine just before it was completely ripe. It's a tasty experience, but falls just a few millimeters short of reaching it's full potential.

Another point of contention is that the author sometimes gets too devoted to painting a landscape or setting the scene for us. Occasionally, I found myself wishing she would just get on with the story. I will concede, though, she is very artful with these overdeveloped descriptions. In true Audible form, the Narrators are exquisite.

I don't regret listening to "The Tiger's Wife" I just feel slightly unfulfilled by the conclusion.

Not a simple story, but compelling

You may need to notch up the attention span while listening to The Tiger's Wife but I found it to be very worthwhile. The story jumps around a bit between history, myth and the present day but it's very entertaining and thought-provoking. I liked the characters, particularly the grandfather. It was very intriguing and I might listen to it again.

Too many stories.in one novel

Where does The Tiger's Wife rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

The performance was outstanding, and I was especially impressed with the male voice for the grandfather's tales.

Although I didn't give the novel five stars, it will be one I'll remember for a long time.

I've so far liked all the audiobooks I've listened to. Ranking them is like naming your favorite child. All different. Each special.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Tiger's Wife?

The Grandfather's voice telling about the Deathless Man.

Which character – as performed by Susan Duerden and Robin Sachs – was your favorite?

Natalia's.

Any additional comments?

Learning about the impact of war and superstition in a part of the world I'm not familiar to was valuable in expanding my world view.

Ran out of stem at the end

Would you try another book from Tea Obreht and/or Susan Duerden and Robin Sachs ?

Obreht: maybe, the story leading up to the end was really cool, but the ending seemed rushed and put together, like it had to ended real quick. it fell flat.Duerden & sachs: no

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

SPOILERS!!!

Most- the deathless manLeast- the only thing really interesting about the tigers wife, not the title the person, was that she was the sister to the lady that the deathless man loved. Her story was nothing really remarkable

What didn’t you like about Susan Duerden and Robin Sachs ’s performance?

airy

Did The Tiger's Wife inspire you to do anything?

no

hated at first but loved it the more it went on.

i didnt really understand it when it started but u fell more and more in love wuth it as it went on.

Gorgeous

Wonderful story, told so expressively and with so much skill that you can't believe the author is only 25. Beautifully read by Susan Duerden. Highly recommend. I will probably listen to this one again.

Perhaps it's an unfamiliar speech pattern

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

I believe the book is well written, and descriptions are rich and full.

What did you like best about this story?

I like the intertwining of plots

How could the performance have been better?

The main narrator, Susan Duerden, reads every sentence as if it is the height of suspension. In the suspensful parts of the book this works well. Unfortunately, it is not possible to remain at the very edge of cliff the entire tale.I found the voice inflection grated on me. With this in mind, I found it difficult to get through the book.

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

"May I have some water?" asked the deathless man.

beautiful

beautiful character driven narrative with vivid sensory descriptions. touching love story between grandfather and grand daughter. intriguing bits of magical realism. thought provoking meditation on death, its inevitability, and its necessity. the relationship between the dead and the living explored.

More than a Grandfather story

Loved it again and again. The narrators are PERFECTION. I made a connection not previously made the first 2 times I listened.

Interesting, but not sure it's worth all the hype

The Tiger's Wife is a dazzling show of newcomer Tea Obreht's literary power. For being only 25 years old, I'm both mesmerized and insanely jealous.

Though I was impressed, I was ultimately disappointed and perplexed. The novel is dense and reads much like heavy literature. The story is interesting but it ultimately never goes anywhere. I think readers should know this novel is more of an academic exploration, a character study rather than a mystery waiting to be solved.

Susan Duerden is decent and does well pronouncing all the Serbian names and locations but I think she's overly British for this tale and I think they could have picked someone with a different accent. Robin Sachs brief interludes are terrific and really add depth and texture to the terrific character of the grandfather. I wouldn't change his bits at all.

The Tiger's Wife to me, is a heavily layered journey, emphasis on the heavy. It is enjoyable once you're a few chapters in but much of this novel felt like work. I recommend people read this book with a spirit of academic study. It doesn't read like a relaxing, engaging story but rather a maze of characters, time, location, wars, points of view and everything in between. It's a complicated book with little revelation and resolution.

By the end, I'm not sure the journey was worth it which is why I'm rating the book with 3 stars.