Out Stealing Horses

By: Per Petterson

Narrated by: Richard Poe

Multiple award-winning author Per Petterson delivers an eloquent, meditative novel.

67-year-old Trond Sander lives secluded in a far corner of Norway. Casting his mind back to 1948, he recalls a horse-stealing prank with his best friend that turned tragic and changed his life forever.

©2003 Per Petterson (P)2008 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic reviews

"... on a par with ... Steinbeck, Berry, and Hemingway, and its emotional force and flavor are equivalent to what those authors can deliver, too." - Booklist

This is a thing of beauty

I love books like this that lead us into a solitary place into a solitude and into the mind. I think I must see Norway someday.

Lush and mournful

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

Reads like the memoir of a man who straddled two worlds: living in the post war forests of Norway as a teen and then making a successful life in bustling Oslo. He returns to the forest as a retired widower to connect the two pieces and finds a sweetness that I can only hope I find someday.

What did you like best about this story?

I loved the sharpness of the narrator's memories, his wonder and love of the forest.

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

He sounds like the narrator would sound=as if he is not trying, just telling the story.

Quietly powerful

A moving story of a man approaching the end of his life making peace with tumultuous incidents in his past, which he'd left unexamined until a coincidental meeting thrusts them back into his awareness. Limpid, spare writing, and moving narration. A book that deepens the reader's understanding of how our evolving perspective on events can change what they mean to us and how they tangibly affect our life.

Not Disappointing - Amazing!

Would you listen to Out Stealing Horses again? Why?

To say that the ending is disappointing is to miss the point of the book. This book is a first person, stream of consciousness narrative about the impact a person's life adventures have had on him. Characters like

What about Richard Poe’s performance did you like?

Richard Poe WAS Trond, and he made me care about Trond from Minute One. His narration was understated and perfect for the book.

Pretty Good

This was somewhat interesting. I'm not sure I can recommend it. And here are some