Light in August

By: William Faulkner

Narrated by: Will Patton

Length: 15 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's summary

Earphones Award Winner (AudioFile Magazine)

Audible is pleased to present Light in August, by Nobel Prize-winning author William Faulkner.

An Oprah's Book Club Selection regarded as one of Faulkner's greatest and most accessible novels, Light in August is a timeless and riveting story of determination, tragedy, and hope. In Faulkner's iconic Yoknapatawpha County, race, sex, and religion collide around three memorable characters searching desperately for human connection and their own identities.

Audie Award-winning narrator Will Patton lends his voice to Light in August. Patton has narrated works by Ernest Hemingway, Don DeLillo, Pat Conroy, Denis Johson, Larry McMurtry, and James Lee Burke, and brings to this performance a keen understanding of Faulkner, an authentic feel for the South, and a virtuoso narrator's touch.

As an added bonus, when you purchase our Audible Modern Vanguard production of William Faulkner's book, you'll also receive an exclusive Jim Atlas interview. This interview – where James Atlas interviews James Lee Burke about the life and work of William Faulkner – begins as soon as the audiobook ends.

Be sure to check out Faulkner's The Wild Palms as well.

This production is part of our Audible Modern Vanguard line, a collection of important works from groundbreaking authors.

©1954, 1976 William Faulkner (P)2010 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

• Audie Award Nominee - Best Classic Audiobook, 2011

"For all his concern with the South, Faulkner was actually seeking out the nature of man. Thus we must turn to him for that continuity of moral purpose which made for the greatness of our classics." (Ralph Ellison)

"It's impossible to overstate the difficulties facing Will Patton as he undertakes a reading of this Faulkner classic. It's not simply the matter of conveying early-twentieth-century Southern backwoods dialects. That, a skilled mimic with an exceptional ear like Patton masters easily. But this novel's demands are so much more arduous, requiring a narrator to plumb the depths of despair, hopelessness, faith, rage, and yearning that go on for page after page without letup." ( AudioFile)

Will Patton!

Patton is the GOAT of Faulkner narrators. Listen to all he's made so far then petition Audible to produce others from the many unrecorded Faulkner books.

The narration ....

Will Patton brings this book alive. I would have enjoyed reading this book myself, but the narration made the characters vivid and memorable. Faulkner's themes seem courageous, given the timeframe of his writing and the social taboos which were prevalent then. I will listen to this masterful book again, and I recommend it to you, also.

did not draw me in

it's a good bedtime story- the performance was great. Beautiful soothing voice. I just could not get interested in the story. Sorry Mr. Faulkner.

outstanding

excellent performance of an epic classic. a wonderful experience overall. i highly recommend this work.

so large, so powerful, so conflicted

There are some novels where the artistry hits you so hard the soul seems submerged. Others are just the opposite. The Sound and the Fury and As I Lay Dying are perhaps Faulkner's greater artistic achievements, but it is the soul and humanity and beauty of Light in August that will probably bring me back to this novel. It is a novel that resembles the ocean. It is a novel so large, so powerful, so conflicted that it makes you perpetually wonder at its beauty, depth and buoyancy.

The Sweet, Caustic Syrup of the South

I can see from some of the reviews that this book is heavy going for a lot of readers. And it is heavy going, no question about it. It's bleak and relentless but there are flashes of gold so pure and true that I felt not only was it worth it, but that without the darkness, the flashes of light would not have shone so brightly.

The language... oh, if you love poetic language and rich, fertile descriptions, this book is so linguistically erotic there were times when I felt almost embarrassed to be listening to it in a public place.

I can't believe it took me so long to get around to reading/listening to this. I'm so glad I did.

good narration

Will Patton did a really good job on this. I just didn't like many of the characters and when Christmas started beating a horse on the head, I gave up.

Love it.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, I would recommend. I loved the visual created by the words. I very much enjoyed the language and dialect of the writing and performance. The story was a about a simple place and time.

What did you like best about this story?

The language.

Have you listened to any of Will Patton’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

no

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

A young pregnant girl and her journey. Christmas and his story.

Any additional comments?

Highly recommend.

They don't write like (as?) they used to.

I haven't finished this one yet; I'm about three-quarters of the way through, and I'm not sure I have the patience to finish! TEDIOUS!
When I started I thought, "Wow! Faulkner! I'm on hollowed ground!" But now I know why I'd never read him before. There is a reason why "The Classics" aren't read much outside of the demands of some teacher or professor, and it can be summed up in one word: TEDIOUS!!! My God! It just keeps dribbling on and on!
Books like this, and other "Classics" were written, and enjoyed, by people who had nothing better to think about. If Faulkner were writing today he could say whatever he has to say in half the words—and they would be couched in a more vigorous story.
Did you see the movie Amadeus? Remember when a Mozart work was criticized for having "too many notes?" Well, that's what is wrong with the old writings: Too many words.

Deep, moving, personal

Brilliantly told story with changing perspectives about human dramas, history, guilt and hope. Outstanding narration conveys the different personalities perfectly.