Blue Graffiti

De: Calahan Skogman

Narrado por: Calahan Skogman

"An emotional and utterly romantic-in the truest sense of the word-debut." -Emily Henry, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Funny Story

Living in the home he inherited from his mother and abandoned by his father, painter and construction worker Cash has never known anything beyond the fields of Johnston, Wisconsin-never particularly wanted to, either. Why would he when his friends are there, his work is there, his history is there? He loves Johnston. But when an emerald-eyed stranger named Rose blows into town one summer evening in his favorite local bar, everything changes. It's love at first sight. For Cash, anyway.

What follows is an intimate reflection on the love, faith, and tragedy that courses through the blood of America's backbone. Cash and his closest friends find themselves vital threads in the fabric of their community, the memory of those forgotten, and partners in a new enterprise. A bluesey ode to the Beat generation for the modern era, Blue Graffiti is writer Calahan Skogman's poetic debut brimming with an essential freedom, romance, and longing for a bygone era.

©2024 Calahan Skogman (P)2024 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

Incredible

Calahan makes you feel like you are there experiencing everything that Cash is going through and seeing the world through his eyes. Cannot recommend it enough

Audio Elevated Story

Skogman’s story is truly elevated with his audiobook. He himself narrates it and as a trained actor its chief kiss. An ode to Midwest americana. An insta classic. Going down as an bildungsromane that everyone needs to read.

Poetic Love Letter to the Midwest

This book is a love letter to the Midwest. Skogman is a born writer, you can tell by the way he writes. His poetic style draws you in and never lets you go. As the reader of the audiobook he flushes out the story and tells it beautifully. I can’t imagine anyone else reading this book. I highly recommend listening to it, sitting in the summer sun, and soak up the story.

Skogman's voice is poetry

This book is an ode to small town, middle of nowhere America. Skogman writes of family and friends and love and loss. He muses on the complex relationships between fathers and sons and the legacy they leave. This book isn't exactly a straight narrative to take you from point A to point B. It reads almost like a memoir, a nostalgic look at Midwest life with its triumphs and challenges. Cash, the narrator, seems like someone you'd like to know. There is a spiritual quality to this book that shows a tender perspective on life. You may look at everyone with more compassion after reading it.

Amazing

That was truly a powerful book. I laughed, had butterflies in my stomach, my heart ached, I cried, and was overall deeply moved. Beautifully written
Also Calahan needs to write and narrate more books! ♥️

Emotional river ride

Incredible depth of emotion conveyed through great storytelling! I especially like the powerful descriptions of the people and the land of the upper Midwest. Nailed it!

The writing

This book is beautifully written as well as a beautiful story about life, grief and what home is. Johnston felt like it’s own character as well as Johnnys. I think listening to the audiobook adding emotional impact to the story. Cash and his friends felt like fully formed people. All that being said sadly I didn’t find myself emotionally invested to the story or characters and that is a big issue for me. I do think it’s worth a read if you like contemporary small town stories.

Reading this felt like home.

I fell in love with this story. It was so beautifully written. There were so many moments of insight that I had always felt myself but never knew how to put to paper or express out loud. It just truly connected. For being his first book, it will be hard to follow up but I hope there’s more to come. Standing O.