Brokeback Mountain

By: Annie Proulx

Narrated by: Campbell Scott

Length: 1 hr and 4 mins

Publisher's summary

Ennis del Mar and Jack Twist, two ranch hands, come together when they're working as sheepherder and camp tender one summer on a range above the tree line. At first, sharing an isolated tent, the attraction is casual, inevitable, but something deeper catches them that summer.

Both men work hard, marry, and have kids because that's what cowboys do. But over the course of many years and frequent separations this relationship becomes the most important thing in their lives, and they do anything they can to preserve it.

©1998 Dead Line Ltd. All Rights Reserved (P)1999 Simon & Schuster Inc., All Rights Reserved, AUDIOWORKS is an imprint of Simon & Schuster Audio Division, Simon & Schuster Inc.

Critic reviews

"Proulx's understanding is at its most remarkable in the astonishing Brokeback Mountain. [She] knows what she could only know...by the infrared that allows a very few writers clear sight in the dark of the imagination." (The New York Times Book Review)
"Brokeback Mountain does some of the best things a story can do. It abolishes the old West cliches, excavates and honors a certain kind of elusive life, then nearly levels you with the emotional weight at its center." (The Boston Sunday Globe)

loved this book

Campbell Scott's performance is brilliant.
I first listened to this audio book before the movie came out.. after the movie the audio version just became more enjoyable.

nice short story

the writing is just wonderful and the narration is pretty good.

I tried to like it

Where does Brokeback Mountain rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

On a scale from 1 - 10 probably a 3. I honestly just didn't think it was as good as all the hype about it.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Brokeback Mountain?

Hmmm, for me, the author captures the space of the West, and how the sheer breadth of it remains,but there is not one specific moment

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

My experience with The majority of Audible narrators is that they are able to make a story come alive. I am not sure I would have read, or possibly finished this particular book on my own, but it was a decent short story b /w two, long books.

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

No, although it's length makes it possible. I listened to it because my curiosity finally got the best of me. As a short story, it was brilliantly written and succinct. Her prose and word-smithing are quite beautiful and reminiscent, to me, of Cold Mountain. But, I could not connect with any of the characters, like I did in reading Cold Mountain.

Any additional comments?

I just wasn't overwhelmed. I didn't have sympathy or connection for either character.

A bittersweet love story

I have never heard of Annie Proulx or her work before Ang Lee's movie adaptation of "Brokeback Mountain". And, what is it, anyway? A long short story? A short novel? To me, it's simply a beautiful love story of two people who couldn't live happily ever after. It wasn't unrequited love at all, as we all know that Ennis and Jack REALLY loved each other, more than what you'd expect. The time and the society made it impossible for this two guys in love end up together, and Jack did proposed it! But there's not enough room for two gay / bi guys to have a life together in the world where this story develops.

We all want to be loved. We all have the need to be held and feel like someone actually cares for us. And that's what we should look for and hold tight to it when we find it, even if it's going against what people think. They won't be the ones wiping your tears or holding you at night. Ennis and Jack are just the representation of many, MANY couples who have gone through the same and didn't have the happy ending. That's the stuff art of made of, whether it's a movie, a song, a painting...

Love inspires, but when you can't be with the one you want... That's a force that can change the world. I loved how the author portrayed this wonderful love story, the poetry in her words and the way she chose to tell it makes you stay until the end, refusing to let go and crying with the end.

And, by the way, that "I wish I knew how to quit you" is from here. Amazing film adaptation. And the audiobook read by Campbell Scott is fabulous.

Beautiful

If you liked the film, you will like this every bit as much. Is Annie Prioulx a woman? How can a woman have such amazing insight into the lives of gay men in the 1950s? This is the only writer I know who can create poetry from such sad (and in some ways) sordid lives. Though the outcome is tragic, the fact that two very ordinary men could experience such a passionate and,in their own way, loving feeling for each other gives hope to gay men everywhere. Campbell Scott does an excellent job as narrator too.

That’s a good one!

Pulled on my heart strings. Definitely some great writing and great story. The narrator is also fantastic !

As tragic as it is beautiful

Brilliant short story. You can see the film stuck to this original story that was brilliantly written. It is a poignant tragedy, but something everyone should read.

Gay Life

This book is not what gay life is about from a gay mans view since it was written by a straight woman but it is a good book to listen to. The movie was interesting because I was born in Wyoming and I often wondered what cowboys did out in the hills and mountains of Wyoming. It is possible some do have sex with each other. As I mention it is not the real gay life style.. most gays do not like the book or movie but for myself I found it interesting to listen to. I am gay and would recommend seeing the movie and listen to the book.

Great

A story that rings true to the charactors and the place in time.

Absolutely amazing!

The movie stayed true to the short story. No wonder it won an Oscar prize. This is such a heartbreaking story, beautifully written. I want to immediately listen again.