A Land More Kind Than Home

By: Wiley Cash

Narrated by: Nick Sullivan, Lorna Raver, Mark Bramhall

Length: 8 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's summary

A stunning debut reminiscent of the beloved novels of John Hart and Tom Franklin, A Land More Kind Than Home is a mesmerizing literary thriller about the bond between two brothers and the evil they face in a small western North Carolina town....

For a curious boy like Jess Hall, growing up in Marshall means trouble when your mother catches you spying on grown-ups. Adventurous and precocious, Jess is enormously protective of his older brother, Christopher, a mute whom everyone calls Stump. Though their mother has warned them not to snoop, Stump can't help sneaking a look at something he's not supposed to - an act that will have catastrophic repercussions, shattering both his world and Jess's.

It's a wrenching event that thrusts Jess into an adulthood for which he's not prepared. While there is much about the world that still confuses him, he now knows that a new understanding can bring not only a growing danger and evil - but also the possibility of freedom and deliverance as well.

Told by three resonant and evocative characters - Jess; Adelaide Lyle, the town midwife and moral conscience; and Clem Barefield, a sheriff with his own painful past - A Land More Kind Than Home is a haunting tale of courage in the face of cruelty and the power of love to overcome the darkness that lives in us all. These are masterful portrayals, written with assurance and truth, and they show us the extraordinary promise of this remarkable first novel.

©2012 Wiley Cash (P)2012 HarperCollinsPublishers

Excellent

Where does A Land More Kind Than Home rank among all the audiobooks you???ve listened to so far?

At first I wasn't too sure about it-took a little while to get into the story but when I did it was well worth it. Find myself sitting in the car as long as I can to listen.

Great Audio Book

A Land More Kind Than Home is a good story made great by a terrific audio performance, I'd recommend it to anyone.

Can't believe this is a debut novel!!

Would you consider the audio edition of A Land More Kind Than Home to be better than the print version?

Yes! The narrator's were superb!

What did you like best about this story?

Loved the way the author really seemed to understand the workings of the religious fanatic leaders like Chambliss. He nailed it!

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

Yes, this one was excellent! The accents and voices were perfect for the characters they were reading.

Any additional comments?

Hard to believe this is a debut novel! So well written, I could not put it down. I try to only listen to my audiobooks during my morning runs as a kind of motivation to run each day but I found myself "cheating" and listening while working around the house so I wouldn't miss anything! Loved the book. Can't wait for his next.

Great story, well written book, awesome narration

Where does A Land More Kind Than Home rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It is definitely in my top 5.

What other book might you compare A Land More Kind Than Home to and why?

None

What about the narrators’s performance did you like?

Being from the south, born and bred in NC - these narrators are spot on with their dialect, metaphors and accent.

If you could take any character from A Land More Kind Than Home out to dinner, who would it be and why?

I would take Adelaide Lyle out to dinner and talk about her faith in God, yet her fear of Pastor Chambliss.

Any additional comments?

This is an awesome book. My only complaint is that it was too short - only 8 hours.

Purty good debut

This is Wiley Cash's first novel and a pretty good one at that. Maybe not so good as Fred Chappell or Clyde Edgerton say it is--and they should know--but pretty good. The narration is good, especially the voices and accents of Lorna Raver and Mark Bramhall. And the story is fine, though I didn't find the main evil character, Reverend Chambliss, believable and Jess is only nine years old, not a teenager (as other reviewers have noticed). Worth a listen, but only once. And this is not Cold Mountain, which I consider a good thing, despite Cold Mountain's being a bit more gripping.

Compelling performances - all but one.

What made the experience of listening to A Land More Kind Than Home the most enjoyable?

I was immediately drawn into the story by two of the narrators - Lorna Raver and Mark Bramhall. I know it's hard for a grown man to sound like a boy of nine, but for me, the narrator who read the part of young Jess was a bit off and distracted me from the story.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Loved the sherif. Very well developed character and beautifully portrayed by the narrator.

A hit from Wiley Cash's pen

I loved it. It would make s must see movie in the Jessie Stone tradition.

Brilliant work of literary art.

This book had it all, drama, love, the depth of human condition. It was, in one word, riveting! Enjoy.

Sad Recollections of a Woeful Tale

Adelaide, the wise old town mid-wife, is the introductory voice of this atmospheric story, so smoothly performed by Lorna Raver that you want to tip a bucket over on the front porch and take a seat at Adelaide's feet while she gently rocks back and forth and envelops you into this somber and cautionary tale. From the day she witnesses a church service that ends with her friend being bitten twice by a copperhead snake -- she knows that there is an evil in Preacher Chambliss. This evil, hiding behind a mask of religion, and using *faith* as its weapon, brings a mournful piece of history colliding into the present time with tragic consequences. The story passes the narrative between Adelaide, innocent 9 yr. old Jess, and Sheriff Barefield -- each voicing the story from their point of involvement. The voice of Jess didn't work for me, seemed a bit contrived or miscast; Sheriff Barefield was perfect.

There is great promise here: A perfect setting, great cast, and a generational story, I found it entertaining and it held my interest, sometimes more than other times. This is one of those good books that had all the underpinnings to be an amazing book. The Evil Preacher Chambliss with his deadly ceremonial snakes was evil incarnate, and could have used more history; the naive Julie's unaware descenion into sin, the father's alcoholic past -- there were several incidents that I wanted to hear more about which could have added some heft to the foundation of the saga.

A terrific debut novel that I enjoyed -- it's almost like comfort food for the ears. Cash is a writer I want to hear more from and won't just be waiting to hear about...I will be anxiously watching for his next book.

This book just shattered me

Would you consider the audio edition of A Land More Kind Than Home to be better than the print version?

Yes - you need to "hear" the distinct voices

Who was your favorite character and why?

Clem - he seemed to be the voice of reason while Addie gave the needed moral/spiritual guidance

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

They nailed the accent, the tone and the delivery of people from that area of the country

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

This book just shattered me. I not only listened to the audible version, I read it too. The depth of storytelling combined with the perfect touch of lightness kept it from being overdramatic. It was honest and true to the region and the issue of bondage within religion, the issues of social class and structure, and the power of forgiveness.