Winter's Bone

A Novel

By: Daniel Woodrell

Narrated by: Emma Galvin

Length: 4 hrs and 53 mins

Publisher's summary

The sheriff's deputy at the front door brings hard news to Ree Dolly. Her father has skipped bail on charges that he ran a crystal meth lab, and the Dollys will lose their house if he doesn't show up for his next court date.

Ree's father has disappeared before. The Dolly clan has worked the shadowy side of the law for generations, and arrests (and attempts to avoid them) are part of life in Rathlin Valley. With two young brothers depending on her and a mother who's entered a kind of second childhood, 16-year-old Ree knows she has to bring her father back, dead or alive. She has grown up in the harsh poverty of the Ozarks and learns quickly that asking questions of the rough Dolly clan can be a fatal mistake. But along the way to a shocking revelation, Ree discovers unforeseen depths in herself and in a family network that protects its own at any cost.

©2006 Daniel Woodrell (P)2010 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"Like his characters, and especially his teen characters, Woodrell's prose mixes tough and tender so thoroughly yet so delicately that we never taste even a hint of false bravado, on the one hand, or sentimentality, on the other. And Ree is one of those heroines whose courage and vulnerability are both irresistible and completely believable - think of not just Mattie Ross in True Grit but also Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird or even Eliza Naumann in Bee Season. One runs out of superlatives to describe Woodrell's fiction. ( Booklist)

“At its best, the novel captures the near-religious criminal mania pervasive in rural communities steeped in drug culture. Woodrell's prose, lyrical as often as dialogic, creates an unwieldy but alluring narrative that allows him to draw moments of unexpected tenderness from predictable scripts.” ( Publisher’s Weekly)

“In spare but evocative prose, Woodrell depicts a harsh world in which the responsibilities for survival ultimately give Rees meaning and direction. He depicts the landscape, people, and dialects with stunning realism. A compelling testament to how people survive in the worst of circumstances.” ( School Library Journal)

A window into a world I didn't know

The narration is impressive. I have lived a total of 23 years in the US and this is a world I didn't even know existed. At the very beginning of the book, I though it was taking place in the mid 50's before realizing it is a contemporaneous story. To think this is daily life, to some degree, in rural parts of some states is heartbreaking.

Eh

I could not get into this one. I read the reviews saying how amazing and interesting this was but it failed for me. The narrator was good. the story lacked.

Good listen about a very different place

Great reader makes this Ozark story come alive. The language is wonderful. Reminded me of True Grit -- another great listen. It is a shorter story that moves quickly through these back woods with strong characters that draw you into the cold, poverty and violence of the region. Well worth the time. By the way, way better than the anemic movie.

Gritty but great

Usually I don’t like books this gritty, but this one is beautifully written and well read by a narrator who is appropriate for the book.

Brilliant!

I saw the film first, which was wonderful, but listening to Daniel Woodrell's incandescent prose was a transporting experience I will never forget. The raw ugliness of a resourceful young woman's poor backwoods life becomes a breathtaking, heart-stopping narrative in the hands of this talented author. Bravo!

Depressing but engaging

This was a peek into a life I can't even imagine. it was filled with much despair and little hope. But the story was engaging and the narrator's tone wasn't monotone as others have said. Rather, it conveyed the hallowness of the lives the author was portraying. Well done. Also, this book did not drag on. I would recommend it.

Three and a Half Stars

This short novel covers Ree's search for her father, Jessup. He's a crank cooker, and has put his house up to cover his bond. If Jessup doesn't make his court date, Ree, her little brothers and their mentally ill (or too many years of snorting crank) mother will loose their house and be homeless.

The story of her journey is riveting and very well written. The characters are wonderfully developed, and the dialogue and scenarios completely believable. My only problem with this book is many times the author, in an attempt to be poetic or profound, veered off on long metaphorical ramblings, over-explaining irrelevant things. It made my mind wander and took away from the story, which would have stood solidly without all the word art.

Every area of the U.S. has it's cluster of meth-heads and crank cookers. We see the children of these little communities, and this story gives some outsiders insight to what their daily lives are like; what they feel and how they survive...what's normal to them. If you can overlook the areas of over-writing, this is a really great book that I would recommend. Apparently there is also a movie based on this book starring Jennifer Lawrence. I probably will not run out and see it though because I imagine, if it stayed true to the book, it is very violent and graphic-easier to read than watch.

something to read

Would you try another book from Daniel Woodrell and/or Emma Galvin?

sure, characters needed to be more dimensional, characters just kept coming out of the wood work not knowing who and where they came from...

What could Daniel Woodrell have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

seeing the depth of the relationship between the father and the daughter

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

color, suspense

Did Winter's Bone inspire you to do anything?

wonder about the characters and how they moved on..

Vivid and Lyrical!

What did you love best about Winter's Bone?

While the story itself was gripping, the writing was absolutely beautiful. There was a lyrical tone to the writing that made it easy to become immersed in the brutal, unforgiving world of the Ozarks in winter. The characters are so vivid. This was a truly wonderful book and perfect for a long car ride.

Suspenful read

The book was very suspenseful and exciting. I didn’t really care for the narrator, their voice just didn’t captivate me like some others have. Ree was such a tough, yet caring character that I really was able to connect with. The story had me cheering her on, crying with her and biting my nails in hopes for her safety. Great read.
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