The Bear

A Novel

By: Claire Cameron

Narrated by: Cassandra Morris

Length: 6 hrs and 21 mins

Publisher's summary

A powerful suspense story narrated by a young girl who must fend for herself and her little brother after a brutal bear attack.

While camping with her family on a remote island, five-year-old Anna awakes in the night to the sound of her mother screaming. A rogue black bear, three hundred pounds of fury, is attacking the family's campsite -- and pouncing on her parents as prey.

At her dying mother's faint urging, Anna manages to get her brother into the family's canoe and paddle away. But when the canoe runs aground on the edge of the woods, the sister and brother must battle hunger, the elements, and a wilderness alive with danger. Lost and completely alone, they find that their only hope resides in Anna's heartbreaking love for her family, and her struggle to be brave when nothing in her world seems safe anymore.

This is a story with a small narrator and a big heart. Cameron gracefully plumbs Anna's young perspective on family, responsibility, and hope, charting both a tragically premature loss of innocence and a startling evolution as Anna reasons through the impossible situations that confront her.

Lean and confident, and told in the innocent and honest voice of a five-year-old, The Bear is a transporting tale of loss -- but also a poignant and surprisingly funny adventure about love and the raw instincts that enable us to survive.

©2014 Claire Cameron (P)2014 Hachette Audio

Good story, but.....

I really liked this story & it's written well, but I could only listen to the narrator for short spurts as the 4-year old voice got pretty annoying after a short period of time. I think I might have enjoyed reading this one more than listening. But, if you listen to a sample of the narration & that doesn't bother you, I'd recommend it. The story is very good.

Amazing perspective....

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

The Bear is about an A-....I am very happy I purchased it and listened to it. I highly recommend the book -- it is written from the little girl's perspective. I cried a couple of times and laughed out loud as well. Excellent book.

What did you like best about this story?

I liked it because it made me laugh and cry.

What about Cassandra Morris’s performance did you like?

Her voice and delivery.

Any additional comments?

The story is told from a little girl's perspective. I don't believe I have ever listened to a book told from a 4 year old's viewpoint. Interesting, enlightening and poignant.

Beautiful and Compelling

I loved this story! The narrator was excellent, I laughed, cried and just loved. I was moved by the perspective of the main character and charmed by the descriptions.

Terrifying story of bear attack in desolate place

I could not stop listening until it was finished. This book starts out fast and furious and continues to the thrilling ending. The two main people characters are a young girl and her toddler bother. The writer has captured the personality of children. The are lovable, kind, selfish, happy, and crying, depending on the circumstances. This is true of all children. Their parents are killed in a bear attack, but the parents' last actions were to make sure the children survived. The attack is terrifying! The children's initial escape from the attack site is harrowing. The sinister stalking by the third main character, the Bear, is spine chilling. This is simply a great book about trying to survive in horrible circumstances.

A Child's Survival Story.

The story is a childs tale of survival after her parents are killed by a bear on a camping trip. The story puts you in the mind of a child for its written from a child's perspective. The book is also read by a child which I did find hard to follow at times. As with five year olds their train of thought jumps all over the place, so does the story. I really had to hang on to each sentence which was a bit donting.

There were several parts of the story which threw me for a loop, like how throughout the entire book the child called the bear "a big black dog". What 5 year old who carries her favorite stuffed teddy bear everywhere doesn't know what a bear looks like? Yet she knew of Jesus and that he was a carpenter, what plants were ediable and how to canoe.

It was a gripping tale and I am glad I bought it. People magazine had recommended it and it had been on my list of reads for a year or more. It was somewhat enjoyable, but not a favorite and I would never reread it.

Great narration

This is a great story made fantastic by the narration. Definitely worth a listen or read.

Very poor listening experience

I couldn't even finish listening to this book due to the writing style and narration.

Good (only) for knowing workings of 6 yr old mind

Otherwise, skip it. particularly if you want to delve into the bear story. Painful drivel.