Early Warning

A Novel

By: Jane Smiley

Narrated by: Lorelei King

Length: 18 hrs and 12 mins

Publisher's summary

From the Pulitzer Prize-winner: the second installment, following Some Luck, of her widely acclaimed, best-selling American trilogy, which brings the journey of a remarkable family with roots in the Iowa heartland into mid-century America

Early Warning opens in 1953 with the Langdon family at a crossroads. Their stalwart patriarch, Walter, who with his wife, Rosanna, sustained their farm for three decades, has suddenly died, leaving their five children, now adults, looking to the future. Only one will remain in Iowa to work the land, while the others scatter to Washington, D.C., California, and everywhere in between.

As the country moves out of post–World War II optimism through the darker landscape of the Cold War and the social and sexual revolutions of the 1960s and ’70s, and then into the unprecedented wealth—for some—of the early 1980s, the Langdon children each follow a different path in a rapidly changing world. And they now have children of their own: twin boys who are best friends and vicious rivals; a girl whose rebellious spirit takes her to the notorious Peoples Temple in San Francisco; and a golden boy who drops out of college to fight in Vietnam—leaving behind a secret legacy that will send shock waves through the Langdon family into the next generation.

Capturing a transformative period through richly drawn characters we come to know and care deeply for, Early Warning continues Smiley’s extraordinary epic trilogy, a gorgeously told saga that began with Some Luck and will span a century in America. But it also stands entirely on its own as an engrossing story of the challenges—and rewards—of family and home, even in the most turbulent of times, all while showcasing a beloved writer at the height of her considerable powers.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2015 Jane Smiley (P)2015 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“In Early Warning, the five grown Langdon children take center stage, and [the book] concludes in 1986, with a second generation heading offstage to make room for their children. They take with them the rise and fall of disco, the beginnings of AIDS, the terror of nuclear war. There is a grandeur to this—the novel engrosses us. We fall for the Langdons as the pages turn, their lives passing with terrible speed as the new generation waits impatiently for their turn in the sun. Take consolation in Golden Age, the trilogy’s final installment, arriving in October (Smiley is certain to have a field day with Presidents Bush). And don’t forget the solace of rereading. Novels may take liberties with lives, speeding them along, but characters, unlike their creators, are immortal.” —Diane Leach, PopMatters

“Triumphant. Richly engrossing . . . Smiley propels the Langdons—and her readers—into American life. Here are the big historic events [from 1953 to 1986]—from the Cold War to Vietnam; JFK’s presidency and assassination to the Jonestown mass suicides; Watergate to the Iran hostage crisis; the AIDS epidemic to the sexual revolution—that defined those times. [But] while history shapes Early Warning, it is the personal dramas that command attention. Charismatic, amoral Frank, who seems to make money at whatever he turns to, is still at the center . . . Smiley’s saga mines the inner lives of its characters. Early Warning is a masterful novel that sets the universal questions about love, family, home and identity against the background of a turbulent century. If there is a flaw, it is only that readers will have to wait for The Golden Age, the final volume of Smiley’s brilliantly conceived epic trilogy.” —Amy Goodfellow Wagner, examiner.com (five stars)

“Smiley’s most significant work . . . Early Warning’s scope is broad without ever veering off course. It’s about the adult Langdon children and the people they’re becoming, who they’ve created, the lives they’ve lived and built, along with all the political, natural, social, economical, ecological, fashionable, and cultural happenings that swirl around them on and off the farm. If anyone thought the prolific Smiley peaked with A Thousand Acres, they’d be wrong . . . Absorbing.” —Wendy Ward, Baltimore City Paper

Great narrator!

Great narrator! And great story! I am hooked on the whole series. Highly recommend this narrator.

Jane smiley. Irreverent as always

I so appreciate Jane Smiley for her humorous, irreverent sense of truth. She has you laughing to yourself, if not out loud within the first few pages of her books. I can say that I like to go back and reread her books. I never hesitate to buy her next novel because I know it will be an enjoyable way to spend my time.

dees review

I liked the simplivity of topic of the bookmand complexity of each character especially Frank and Author

Give it some time!

I started and stopped this book twice before I finally made myself listen past the first couple hours. It's wonderful. There's no action or adventure or cliffhangers - it's just a beautifully written book about a family. Jane Smiley writes the heck out of these characters and they are each different and fascinating in their own way.

I love the way Lorelei King doesn't "over narrate" and still manages to give distinct voice to each character. Bravo!

Not sure why I read this

I know that Jane Smiley writes about farmers and their lives and hardships. Some Luck was much focused on that and I enjoyed that. Early Warning looks at the sons and daughters introduced in Some Luck and unless you buy into caring particularly about the offspring, the story line is only okay. Current events form part of the backdrop for the plot (bomb shelters, assassinations, Jonestown) but otherwise, I found the book only good, not great.

Boring

What disappointed you about Early Warning?

hard to follow without rereading first book in the series--don't recall relationships and no hints to who is who. Characters aren't interesting.

Would you ever listen to anything by Jane Smiley again?

Maybe--I really liked earlier books

Love the narrator, but not for this book!

Lorelei King is one of my favorites, however I listened to her in 1 of my favorite series and unfortunately the range in each character reminded me of the characters in the other series. I couldn't get past that so did not get far! I imagine if I could have separated the characters I would have been able to listen.

Couldn't get into it

What would have made Early Warning better?

Too many names, too much dull narrative, I kept waiting for it to get interesting but gave up after about an hour. I'm disappointed - I liked Jane Smiley in the past...