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)

Winter’s Bone

Good read, excellent story line but gets a little too descriptive and wordy at times

Poetic Brutality

Daniel Woodrell's tale of teenager struggling to keep the tattered threads of her family from unraveling is brutal, but told with such poetry that I was transfixed to its raw beauty. Emma Galvin's reading was understated, delivering Woodrell's story to our ears like music.

Imagery unbelievable

This was melodic and full of imagery that was perfect in every way. The culture of the backwoods was a believable setting for this book. As a novice writer, I was overwhelmed by the perfect writing of this book.

Winters Bone

Great story, you feel like you know these people. I really enjoyed this book. Good read

narrator bland

I suggest listening to a clip, I didnt and purchased it. the narrator speaks in a monotone voice with no infliction so it felt like one run on sentance to me. had to return it.

Wow!

I watched the movie because a friend did some of the effects. The movie is chilling, but the book is relentlessly dark and disturbing. The writing is sublime.

A Dark world well depicted

I found the description of people and places very visual.
It is a gritty story and one I would not choose to read but I did listen to it since it is well written.
I had some trouble following the characters in the beginning of the book but they are strong and are revealed as read.
If violence and mean spiritedness are okay with you then give it a listen.
The performance was excellent.
I was just not prepared for the hard world depicted in the story.

Moving Story, Talented Narration

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

Absolutely. The writing is raw and emotional and I can't imagine a more fitting narrator. Her coarse, immature voice adds an edge of realism to the heartbreaking tail.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Winter's Bone?

The beating. I don't want to post a spoiler but it's never to be forgotten.

What about Emma Galvin’s performance did you like?

There is nothing I could criticize about her performance. She slips into an Appalachian slang with ease yet remains perfectly understandable and her dialog is simply alive.

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

Life's hard in the hills.

Gut renching

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

Yes- it is an amazing story, but terribly sad

What did you like best about this story?

A stark look at life in the Ozarks, and a look into the effects of meth and other drugs in rural America.

Have you listened to any of Emma Galvin’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No

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

-

I love Emma Galvin

It was a great book, and Emma Galvin made it even better. I highly recommend it.