The Violent Bear It Away

De: Flannery O’ Connor

Narrado por: Mark Bramhall

First published in 1960, The Violent Bear It Away is now a landmark in American literature. It is a dark and absorbing example of the gothic sensibility and bracing satirical voice that are united in Flannery O'Conner's work. In it, the orphaned Francis Marion Tarwater and his cousin, Rayber, defy the prophecy of their dead uncle - that Tarwater will become a prophet and will baptize Rayber's young son, Bishop. A series of struggles ensue, as Tarwater fights an internal battle against his innate faith and the voices calling him to be a prophet, while Rayber tries to draw Tarwater into a more “reasonable” modern world. Both wrestle with the legacy of their dead relatives and lay claim to Bishop's soul.

O'Connor observes all this with an astonishing combination of irony and compassion, humor and pathos. The result is a novel whose range and depth reveal a brilliant and innovative writer acutely alert to where the sacred lives and where it does not.

©1960 Flannery O'Connor (P)2010 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Reseñas de la Crítica

“There is very little contemporary fiction which touches the level of Flannery O’Connor at her best.” ( New York Herald Tribune)

“I am sure her books will live on and on in American literature.” (Elizabeth Bishop, American poet laureate and Pulitzer Prize winner)

Excellent

O'Connor is an excellent writer. This audiobook had a good narrator who was able to capture the tone of the book.

Mark Bramhall is phenomenal

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

Among the best.

What did you like best about this story?

The narration really helped to capture the grotesque nature of the characters.

What about Mark Bramhall’s performance did you like?

The manner in which he made the different characters come to life.

Classic Flannery

What made the experience of listening to The Violent Bear It Away the most enjoyable?

the realism in the telling of the story

What did you like best about this story?

the almost expected outcome of this freight train coming at full throttle

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

excellent characterizations - outstanding performance

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

The Violent Bear It Away

Any additional comments?

A good reading adds great value to the story - it is truly a performance

Thought provoking story

Strange and beautiful story with well told narration. Makes you wonder how a nice southern gal could write such complex and troubled characters.

fantastic storytelling

Fantastic storytelling with an under developed conclusion. Really very worthwhile story on the great themes of faith and reason.

Southern Gothic Gold

Dark and fascinating. O’Connor gives us here a vivid novel of how the wounds people give others can linger throughout life, shape us, and leave us longing for redemption.

The Violent Beat it Away

Loved it thank you, both the story and the way IT was read. The best book by FOC

Holy wow.

I am typically bored by literature that is too overtly influenced by the Christian faith/the Bible. Somehow, Flannery O'Connor has escaped such classification for me, and I am riveted by her, absolutely stunned: every time I read her, it feels like the first time I have encountered the idea of God. I liked Wise Blood, but The Violent Bear it Away is in a league of its own. This novel is so dark, and so unflinchingly intelligent and so surprising, and I wished it were 20 hours long instead of six. In fact, I listened to several chapters several times, not because they were difficult to follow, but because I was so amazed by her craft and its unfolding. It will be a difficult novel to follow-up.

Good, Strange

I loved this book early, then it bogged down. I did not care for the schoolteacher character, and I am probably not going to read any more O'Connor. This one had enough elements of unique, disturbing storytelling to be worth the time though. Picks back up at the end. Not sure what to say about it still- a bit of an exploration of the prophet "type" in modern society. And a story about manipulation. The characters are all trying to make the world like themselves, and especially the "hero". Never read a book like it, and that is really its best quality. The early chapters are much funnier than the book on the whole, and that tempered the subject in a way I liked. I laughed a lot at the old man, and I think one is supposed to.

Southern Literature at its Best

If you could sum up The Violent Bear It Away in three words, what would they be?

PiercingSardonicFierce

What did you like best about this story?

The depth and relationship among characters

Which scene was your favorite?

The many encounters between Tarwater and his uncle created a thread that was a scene in itself. The ambivalent relationship between the two characters-- actually shadows of one another--was both funny and poignant.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I wanted to listen, then digest and reflect before listening further.

Any additional comments?

Flannery O'Connor once said that the South is "Christ -haunted," and the religious motif is prevalent here. Her characters are both archetypal and personally compelling. This is classic Southern literature at its best--a book worth re-reading and discussing with others.