A Long Way from Chicago

A Novel in Stories

By: Richard Peck

Narrated by: Ron McLarty

Length: 4 hrs and 17 mins

Publisher's Summary

What happens when Joey and his sister, Mary Alice - two city slickers from Chicago - make their annual summer visits to Grandma Dowdel's seemingly sleepy Illinois town?

August 1929: They see their first corpse, and he isn't resting easy.
August 1930: The Cowgilll boys terrorize the town, and Grandma fights back with a dead mouse and a bottle of milk.
August 1931: Joey and Mary Alice help Grandma to trespass, pinch property, poach, catch the sheriff in his underwear, and feed the hungry - all in one day.

And there's more - much more - as Joey and Mary Alice make seven summer trips to Grandma's, each one funnier and more surprising than the year before. In the grand storytelling tradition of American humorists from Mark Twain to Flannery O'Connor, Richard Peck has created a memorable world filled with characters who, like Grandma herself, are larger than life and twice as entertaining. And year round, you are sure to enjoy your stay with them.

©2005 Richard Peck (P)2008 Random House, Inc.

Masterful!

This book and its sequel, A Year Down Yonder, are books the whole family can enjoy listening to. They are entertaining and heartfelt, but not too sappy. Grandma Dowdel is someone you'll never forget. McLarty does an excellent job of narrating, too. Be prepared to be transported back to simpler times, but certainly not boring times!

I've been listening to audiobooks for over 10 years, both with my children and on my own. This is a book you don't want to miss. It's one of my top 10!

FUNNY, GREAT STORIES!

Once I started listening to this book of the yearly adventures to grandma's house, I could not stop. It's a great adventure with laughing out loud humor. Leaves me craving for more. A good listen for all ages and genre. The stories are wonderfully written and the narrator does an excellent job.

Enjoyed this very much!

Fun story. I enjoyed this very much. I will recommend to my kids (ages 9-15) to read too. The narrator did a great job.

Perfect for a family road trip

Lots of laughs, lots of heart. Our entire family, including adults, teenagers, and kids, loved every minute.

A great listen while travelling!

Our family has been listening to this, and other books by Richard Peck, for years whenever we travel.

Beautiful nostalgic story.

I rarely write reviews, but this story was so charming, It made me nostalgic for my summers at my aunt's house in the country. Kids today will probably never know the beauty of a simple unplugged life.

I actually teared up at the end, already missing the characters.

A Most Endearing Story

Beautiful and wonderfully crafted tale of love, mischief and cunning. Ron McLarty is a master storyteller.

Great Listen!

I loved the story about Grandma Dowdel and her two grandchildren. It was laugh-out-loud funny. I recommend it highly.

2nd time as good as the first

I read this book several years ago to help my daughter with a school project. I fell in love with a thin. The stories and the comedy are wonderful. The book brought me to tears the 1st time at the end and the 2nd time around was no different. The spoke reminds me of my own grandmother. I recommend it to anyone young and old to read and re read again. The narrator is absolutely phenomenal.

Get it, you won't regret it!

From beginning to end, this charming collection of memories from spending the summer at Grandma's house was both funny and touching.