The Widower's Tale

A Novel

By: Julia Glass

Narrated by: Mark Bramhall

Length: 17 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's summary

In a historic farmhouse outside Boston, 70-year-old Percy Darling is settling happily into retirement: Reading novels, watching old movies, and swimming naked in his pond. His routines are disrupted, however, when he is persuaded to let a locally beloved preschool take over his barn. As Percy sees his rural refuge overrun by children, parents, and teachers, he must reexamine the solitary life he has made in the three decades since the sudden death of his wife. No longer can he remain aloof from his community, his two grown daughters, or, to his shock, the precarious joy of falling in love.

One relationship Percy treasures is the bond with his oldest grandchild, Robert, a premed student at Harvard. Robert has long assumed he will follow in the footsteps of his mother, a prominent physician, but he begins to question his ambitions when confronted by a charismatic roommate who preaches - and begins to practice - an extreme form of ecological activism, targeting Boston’s most affluent suburbs. Meanwhile, two other men become fatefully involved with Percy and Robert: Ira, a gay teacher at the preschool, and Celestino, a Guatemalan gardener who works for Percy’s neighbor, each one striving to overcome a sense of personal exile.

Choices made by all four men, as well as by the women around them, collide forcefully on one lovely spring evening, upending everyone’s lives, but none more radically than Percy’s. With equal parts affection and satire, Julia Glass spins a captivating tale about the loyalties, rivalries, and secrets of a very particular family. Yet again, she plumbs the human heart brilliantly, dramatically, and movingly.

©2010 Random House Audio; 2010 Julia Glass

Critic reviews

“Elaborately plotted and luxuriously paced, Glass’s inquisitive, compassionate, funny, and suspenseful saga addresses significant and thorny social issues with emotional veracity, artistic nuance, and a profound perception of the grand interconnectivity of life.” ( Booklist)

page turner

this was a wonderful story with a great ending. there are sad parts and joyous parts. will listen to again.

A great tale

Would you listen to The Widower's Tale again? Why?

Yes, the characters are all so engaging. The narration was dead on point.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Widower's Tale?

his grandsons dilemma.

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

Each character was so unique. He held their uniqueness throughout the story.

Community

this book reminds me of the value of community and how much family and friends mean to all of us. Central character is delightful - imperfectly perfect and those who revolve about him both support and challenge him in ways that are realistic. I didn't want it to end.

Great performance, great writing, wonderful story

This was not a reading - it was a performance! Mark Bramhall had incredible accents and emotions that add to an already wonderfully written book. This is a must listen!

Loved it

Julia Glass has written another novel in which I could lose myself. I loved and cared about the characters and the story kept my attention from start to finish. Mark Bramhall's narration is brilliant! He clearly delineates each character and emotions come through without being overly done.

Good, but short of truly satisfactory

Julia Glass is a master of rendering family dynamics. Her 'Three Junes' is another fine example of this. Although it's skillfully written, I didn't enjoy 'The Widower's Tale' as much as I hoped, due to certain plot elements that seemed implausible to me, especially the behavior of a college-aged character who thoughtlessly involves himself in illegal activities. I don't want to go the spoiler route, so I'll leave it at that.

Fantastic!

This is my first Julia Glass book but it won’t be my last. Glass tells this story of a family and its personal and professional connections to each other and the people and friends around them through the strong voice of the grandfather whose wit is without rival. The narration is as excellent as the writing deserves.

Shedding old skin ...

A thoroughly enjoyable book who's main charactar is a curmudgeonly, newly-retired 70 year old widower whose comfortable but rather boring existence is first upset then enriched by newcomers in his life. His willingness, although begrudgingly, to open his property to an up-scaled nursery school that renovates and relocates into his barn also begins to open his previously sheltered life. Every door that opens seems to bring struggle and disappointment and eventually growth, love and maybe even a bit of happiness. The Widower Tale is endearing!

Superb story and narration

What a wonderful many-layered story of a diverse group of people! Truly a masterpiece.

Very real and beautifully written.

Ms. Glass writes createst chacacters and issues. This is my cavorite so far of hers.