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The Bullet Swallower
- A Novel
- Narrated by: Lee Osorio
- Length: 9 hrs and 59 mins
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Publisher's summary
A Most Anticipated Book of 2024 by Goodreads, CrimeReads, The Millions, StyleCaster, The EveryGirl, Sunset, Book Riot, and HipLatina
January Recommended Reading by The Washington Post, Kirkus Reviews, Book Riot, Nerd Daily, The Mary Sue, and Reading Between the Spines
“Mesmerizing...wildly entertaining...Gonzalez is a great storyteller, bringing both Texas and Mexico to the page with a mix of blood and magic...A must-read.” —The Boston Globe
A dazzling magical realism western in the vein of Cormac McCarthy meets Gabriel García Márquez, The Bullet Swallower follows a Mexican bandido as he sets off for Texas to save his family, only to encounter a mysterious figure who has come, finally, to collect a cosmic debt generations in the making.
In 1895, Antonio Sonoro is the latest in a long line of ruthless men. He’s good with his gun and is drawn to trouble but he’s also out of money and out of options. A drought has ravaged the town of Dorado, Mexico, where he lives with his wife and children, and so when he hears about a train laden with gold and other treasures, he sets off for Houston to rob it—with his younger brother Hugo in tow. But when the heist goes awry and Hugo is killed by the Texas Rangers, Antonio finds himself launched into a quest for revenge that endangers not only his life and his family, but his eternal soul.
In 1964, Jaime Sonoro is Mexico’s most renowned actor and singer. But his comfortable life is disrupted when he discovers a book that purports to tell the entire history of his family beginning with Cain and Abel. In its ancient pages, Jaime learns about the multitude of horrific crimes committed by his ancestors. And when the same mysterious figure from Antonio’s timeline shows up in Mexico City, Jaime realizes that he may be the one who has to pay for his ancestors’ crimes, unless he can discover the true story of his grandfather Antonio, the legendary bandido El Tragabalas, The Bullet Swallower.
A family saga that’s epic in scope and magical in its blood, and based loosely on the author’s own great-grandfather, The Bullet Swallower tackles border politics, intergenerational trauma, and the legacies of racism and colonialism in a lush setting and stunning prose that asks who pays for the sins of our ancestors, and whether it is possible to be better than our forebears.
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But Jason Asano is settling into his new life. Now, a contest draws young elites to the city of Greenstone to compete for a grand prize. Jason must gather a band of companions if he is to stand a chance against the best the world has to offer. While the young adventurers are caught up in competition, the city leaders deal with revelations of betrayal as a vast and terrible enemy is revealed. Although Jason seems uninvolved, he has unknowingly crossed the enemy’s path before.
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Contrary to common reviews
- By Karen on 05-21-21
By: Shirtaloon, and others
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Point Nemo
- By: Jeremy Robinson
- Narrated by: R.C. Bray
- Length: 9 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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In the heart of the South Pacific lies Point Nemo, the most desolate and remote place on Earth. At its core is a dead zone, devoid of life, where government agencies crash their obsolete satellites and space stations, confident they won't harm a soul. When the International Space Station suffers a catastrophic failure and plummets through the atmosphere, it's here that Mission Specialist Julie Rohr, an astrobiologist studying living space dust called xylem, finds herself marooned. Julie's only hope for rescue lies in the hands of her estranged father, Dr. Finn Maddern, a renowned mycologist.
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Totally original-totally feasible!
- By Lawrence Tate on 04-10-24
By: Jeremy Robinson
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You Shouldn’t Have Come Here
- By: Jeneva Rose
- Narrated by: Andrew Eiden, Andi Arndt
- Length: 8 hrs and 1 min
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Grace Evans, an overworked New Yorker looking for a total escape from her busy life, books an Airbnb on a ranch in the middle of Wyoming. When she arrives at the idyllic getaway, she’s pleased to find that the owner is a handsome man by the name of Calvin Wells—and he’s eager to introduce her to his easygoing way of life. But there are things Grace discovers that she’s not too pleased about: a lack of cell phone service. A missing woman. And a feeling that something isn’t right with the ranch.
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Worst. Ever. NOT a true twist. Juvenile writing and story,
- By Whitney Lahann on 04-29-23
By: Jeneva Rose
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The Narrator
- By: K. L. Slater
- Narrated by: Clare Corbett, Kristin Atherton
- Length: 8 hrs and 5 mins
- Original Recording
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When the call came it seemed like the answer to my prayers. My career as a voice actor had been over for months and me and my little girl Scarlet were living back at my mum’s place. I felt like a failure professionally—and with Scarlet having problems at school, as a parent as well. So, when I was asked to narrate a new book by disappeared novelist Philippa Roberts I jumped at the chance, even if it meant leaving Scarlet with my ex, Hugo, for a few weeks. Hugo, with his perfect new home and his perfect new girlfriend Saskia. But this isn’t a dream come true. It’s a nightmare.
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Love but it's a production issue!
- By Mary on 09-02-22
By: K. L. Slater
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The Girlfriend
- By: K.L. Slater
- Narrated by: Clare Corbett
- Length: 8 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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Story
The doorbell rings, just days after my beloved husband’s sudden death. I don’t recognise the woman on our doorstep, with her blonde highlights, a diamond bracelet identical to my own and a bouncing baby boy in her arms. As I show her inside, I notice her eyes grow wide as she takes in our spacious hallway, and the big squashy sofas that we all used to pile on. She glances at the silver-framed family photos and my little daughter hiding behind my skirts. She looks at me, her blue eyes serious. ‘I’m sorry’ she says. ‘I am your husband’s girlfriend. And this is his son.'
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Uh, what?
- By Karyn Cavanaugh on 02-22-23
By: K.L. Slater
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The Shallows
- By: Holly Craig
- Narrated by: Tamala Shelton
- Length: 9 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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Emma and Ariella, neighbours in one of Sydney’s most exclusive suburbs, appear to have it all—perfect homes, perfect husbands, perfect lives. But they both know dark secrets lurk beneath the surface and shallow waters can’t hide Ariella’s. Now she has been found murdered. Her daughter filmed the killing. Not knowing what she’s filmed, Emma’s daughter Kiki innocently uploads footage of Ariella’s brutal death. Emma fears the worst—the killer will know what she and Kiki have seen. Their safe suburban lives no longer exist.
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Surprising and refreshing
- By digitalblonde2001 on 04-10-24
By: Holly Craig
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Fingerprints of the Gods
- The Quest Continues
- By: Graham Hancock
- Narrated by: Graham Hancock
- Length: 18 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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Fingerprints of the Gods is the revolutionary rewrite of history that has persuaded millions of listeners throughout the world to change their preconceptions about the history behind modern society. An intellectual detective story, this unique history audiobook directs probing questions at orthodox history, presenting disturbing new evidence that historians have tried - but failed - to explain.
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Classic in Historical Mysteries
- By Kelly on 09-05-19
By: Graham Hancock
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Colorado, 1864. Star, a young survivor of the Sand Creek Massacre, is brought to the Fort Marion prison castle, where he is forced to learn English and practice Christianity by Richard Henry Pratt, an evangelical prison guard who will go on to found the Carlisle Indian Industrial School, an institution dedicated to the eradication of Native history, culture, and identity. A generation later, Star’s son, Charles, is sent to the school, where he is brutalized by the man who was once his father’s jailer.
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This is a tale of murder. Or maybe that’s not quite true. At its heart, it’s a love story, isn’t it? Lana Farrar is a reclusive ex-movie star and one of the most famous women in the world. Every year, she invites her closest friends to escape the English weather and spend Easter on her idyllic private Greek island. I tell you this because you may think you know this story. You probably read about it at the time―it caused a real stir in the tabloids, if you remember. It had all the necessary ingredients for a press sensation: a celebrity; a private island cut off by the wind…and a murder.
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What listeners say about The Bullet Swallower
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Theresa Reding
- 04-04-24
Incredible Story!
I was on the edge of my seat listening to this book. It was very well written and the story line captured my attention to the very last word. The performer was absolutely amazing! He was by far the best reader on audiobooks I have ever listened to. I could tell the characters apart so easily and looked forward to hearing how he would interpret each new character as they were introduced by the author.
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- Michele
- 03-29-24
Mystical Mexican Caballero’s Cuento.
A wonderfully woven story of the sins of the father, revenge, forgiveness, and redemption. Told part western, part mystery, and part ghost story, the book keeps you enthralled in every single detail.
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- Jeff Nebraska
- 02-19-24
Fantasy-infused Western page turner!
A very fun read. Kept me excited to hear more from the very beginning. Colorful characters are creative lore building. Highly recommend.
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- Nana of Plants
- 02-04-24
Fun and interesting tale
I’m so grateful for joining the Book-of-the-Month club and having them recommend books Like this one. my typical go to our female, driven female, written female performed in the book of the month club stretches my mind a bit more
The story reminds me a lot of Gabriel Garcia‘s work where it’s whimsical fantastical in parts. The story goes on and on in this weavy windy way that makes it just more interesting. It’s nice to see another author pick up that style. I can picture of the old Texas old Mexican showdowns in my head. This is great keep up the amazing work!
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- Barbara S
- 02-14-24
timely story
Author Elizabeth Gonzalez James takes on intergenerational trauma and their legacies in a clever way, by combining a Western story with magical realism. She takes the Sonoro family, who is noted for profiting from inequity, and asks: Should we be responsible for our ancestor’s
abuses and sins? Are reparations required and to whom should those reparations be paid? Who should pay for the sins? Is the progeny of evil equally guilty and thereby responsible?
In an NPR interview, Gonzalez James states that her great-grandfather was a bandito. “He was put in jail in Houston. He broke out, got chased down by the Texas Rangers and was shot in the face and left for dead. But he lived and eventually made it back to his family in Mexico.” He became a local legend, and the event gave him his nickname, El Tragabalas, the bullet swallower.
In her story, El Tragabalas, aka Antonio Sonoro, is riddled with guilt and vengeance when the Texas Rangers kill his brother after a failed robbery of a train near Houston, Texas. A severe drought has left the Sonoro family finances dissolute. Antonio learns of a train coming through the Texas border, full of gold. The brothers find themselves in a shootout.
The story is structured in two timelines: 1895 and 1964. The earlier timeline follows Antonio’s tortured existence after his brother, and then eventually most of his family, are killed by the Rangers. The Sonoro family are thought to have exploited the Indigenous inhabitants and are thereby known as dishonorable in 1964 Mexican society.
The 1964 timeline follows Antonio’s great-grandchild, Jaime Sonoro who is a known Mexican actor and singer. In Jaime’s timeline, he finds a book that was written about his family. It follows his family’s history, as a documentary of evil. The novel’s premise is that evil begets evil, and Jaime learns of the horrendous acts of his ancestors. Jaime finds that there is a “shadow figure” called Remedio (a reaper of souls) throughout the story, who shows up in the history to seek atonement for the evil for which the Sonoro family is responsible. Jaime wants to make his grandfather’s story into a feature film, in hopes of redeeming his family’s lore. When the shadow figure shows up in Mexico City in 1964, Jaime wonders if he is now responsible for his forebearers crimes.
The border crisis has been and is fluid. Border politics such as racism, colonialism and toxic masculinity are constant threads, occurring today. Gonzalez James explores those stories that were told of “the bad guys” and looks at it from another point of view. She was also inspired by the history of the Texas/Mexican border politics, especially in the 1800s.
It’s her beautiful prose that makes this an unusual western.
**Antonio never believed in curses or bad legacies. He lived in a poor region in a poor country, peopled by ignorant peasants ground down by centuries of exploitation, ruled by a corrupt and avaricious government bounded by, on one side, a hostile foreign power with no regard for economic parity or national sovereignty, and unlucky enough to have survived a long drought.
**It’s the strangest thing: I was born in New Spain, which then became Mexico, then the Republic of Texas, and then wound up in the United States, and meanwhile, my house has always stood in the same place. The Texans call me Mexican and I’ve never crossed the Rio Grande.
I listened to the audio, narrated by Lee Osorio. I was not a fan of his Texas accents. One Texas Ranger sounded like a strange combination of a deep south accent as opposed to a Texas accent. There is a difference. Nonetheless, this is a worthy story, whether one reads it or listens to it.
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- Jordan
- 03-26-24
Wonderful and exciting
A little slow to start but once it gets rolling this book is a wild and exciting ride
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- Michael Solomon
- 02-27-24
New classic
I love a good western and the bullet swallower delivered. Looking forward to more from Elizabeth Gonzalez
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- Susan
- 04-15-24
Sensational writing, story telling, imagination, research, character development
The author managed to take characters who I would never cared about in a different time or place and make me cheer for them, hurt for them, consider their points of view. I hurt when they hurt and sighed with relief when things went better than I had thought. By the end, I could hardly stop listening to it. Wonderful book - you won’t be sorry. I may have to listen again.
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- SB
- 01-29-24
boring
This is an overly long, boring, pointless slog. It didn't hold my attention and I couldn't wait for it to be over.
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