Dandelion Wine

By: Ray Bradbury

Narrated by: David Aaron Baker

Length: 8 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's summary

Ray Bradbury's moving recollection of a vanished golden era remains one of his most enchanting novels. Dandelion Wine stands out in the Bradbury literary canon as the author's most deeply personal work, a semi-autobiographical recollection of a magical small-town summer in 1928.

Twelve-year-old Douglas Spaulding knows Green Town, Illinois, is as vast and deep as the whole wide world that lies beyond the city limits. It is a pair of brand-new tennis shoes, the first harvest of dandelions for Grandfather's renowned intoxicant, the distant clang of the trolley's bell on a hazy afternoon. It is yesteryear and tomorrow blended into an unforgettable always.

But as young Douglas is about to discover, summer can be more than the repetition of established rituals whose mystical power holds time at bay. It can be a best friend moving away, a human time machine who can transport you back to the Civil War, or a sideshow automaton able to glimpse the bittersweet future. Come and savor Ray Bradbury's priceless distillation of all that is eternal about boyhood and summer.

©1957 Ray Bradbury (P)2017 Recorded Books

A favorite book with a great narrator!

One of my favorite books of all time. The first time I read it, in high school, I could still remember the feeling of new sneakers on my own feet, and Bradbury got it just right. A beautiful story, bittersweet like summer’s end, filled with many unselfconsciously decent people, and even some magic. If only we had dandelion wine to help bring the memory of summer to winter.

Ray Bradbury at his best

A masterpiece. I read this book in High School 50 years ago. I was able to see each story in a new perspective this time.

Memories

I had no idea what this book was about when I bought it and I’m really glad I did it just reminded me of all the good memories of my childhood.

A slow building symphany

If I could write, this would be the novel I would dream of writing. On it's surface simple stories of long ago childhood. In it's depths, most of life's deepest truths. Slow to reveal itself, but by the end all you want is a sip of dandelion wine.

Summer Classic

I read this book every few summers and have done for years. This was a brilliant performance of a true American classic. Although I know the story, listening to it was a new and captivating experience.

Beautifully written Beautifully read

Excellent; brilliantly written of someone development from our childhood moving from innocence to awareness. Developing understanding of what adulthood is step by step

A beautiful way to remember summer

This is a classic book for summer reading and it was read beautifully. Highly recommend as an annual tradition.

Childhood Memories of a Small Town

A Ray Bradbury Classic! Go back in time to the 1920s in Waukegan, Illinois. Look in on two brothers trying to figure out how they will spend their summer vacation. A very thoughtful and imaginative story many may recognize in their own childhoods.

Paints a Picture

The imagery utilized in this book took me back to the summer days of my childhood. The narration moved a little slow, which I felt added to the the time period in which the book was centered around, but I needed to speed it up a little to keep myself engaged.

Worth a listen

Some people said it was too sappy and idealistic. But that was kind of the point and he said so in the introduction. Touches on the big topics like life and death and the passage of time in an engaging way. Underrated.