The Big Rock Candy Mountain

By: Wallace Stegner

Narrated by: Mark Bramhall

Length: 25 hrs and 38 mins

Publisher's summary

Bo Mason, his wife, and his two boys live a transient life of poverty and despair. Drifting from town to town and from state to state, the violent, ruthless Bo seeks his fortune in the hotel business, in new farmland, and, eventually, in illegal rum-running throughout the treacherous back roads of the American Northwest.

Based largely on his own childhood, Stegner has created a masterful, harrowing saga of a family trying to survive during the lean years of the early 20th century. It is the conflict between the hardscrabble existence and Bo's pursuit of the frontier myth and of the American dream that gives the book such resonance and power.

©1938 1940, 1942, 1943 by Wallace Stegner (P)2010 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Stegner has felt the spell of mountain and prairie, of drought, flood, and blizzard....a harrowing saga." - ( New York Times)
"Stands out beautifully and unforgettably." ( New Yorker)

Most compelling & fascinating autobiography

Yes, I KNOW "Big Rock..." is fiction. But it consists almost entirely of events in Stegner's life, even actual conversations (Jackson Benson's "Wallace Stegner, His Life and Work" is highly recommended as a companion piece). Heartbreaking. Riveting. THIS is the Stegner book that should have won Pulitzer. Narrator Bramhall deserves 5 stars, too. He uses a good variety of voices for the many characters in the story (he's especially good with foreign dialects).

Fantastic from beginning to end

Hard to put down, I grew so attached to the characters I hated to see the story end. Would highly recommend this one. Best i have read in years! Mark Bramhall also does a great job. I will read more by both this author and narrator.

Mark Bramhall is a MIRACLE!

I can't really add anything to the years of stellar reviews for this amazing, heartrending, thought-provoking work. I can reveal that it was like reliving my past life married to Harry Mason incarnate. My boys and I were dragged from house to house, changing schools and jobs, for years and years. He was petulant, wistful, violent, and unendingly selfish. The only thing that brought him any joy were the endless schemes. Unlike Elsa, when I left I stayed gone. I wish she had as well.

Mr. Bramhall is a major talent! He changed his voice so completely and consistently to match each character. It really brought alive the story for me, a hearing-impaired person who sometimes struggles to comprehend audible books.

Powerful Story

What did you love best about The Big Rock Candy Mountain?

Didn't know it was a autobiograpy until read. Makes it even more memorable when you know this is his own story. Enjoyed it immensely.

Mixed Emotions

I think this book is a great book, it provides you with a different perspective and perhaps a glimpse of life from someone else’s eyes. Just at any part in this book I found myself seeing Bo as my own father because they are so very similar. Though I don’t share the same feelings as Bruce perhaps I can understand as well because I too hated him for a long time. Though now as a 22 year old all I can do is understand him, his violence, lack of patience, strong will, hard working one track mind. I cannot hate him for these things as I have come to understand we are all human and deserving of love and family. I highly recommend this book maybe you will view Bo as Bruce does or maybe you’ll pity him as I do.

Stegner rocks

A story spanning a lifetime during the years of prohibition, the characters in this story come alive as Stegner writes about them. As one listens, you feel like you are living along with them. This novel makes one think about what makes a person good or bad, and whether certain characteristics of a person lean them in one direction or the other.

A long novel, but to me it didn't seem repetitive or longer than it needed to be to outline and fill in the story line.

An excellent listen, performed well by the narrator.

very sad!

I thought it would be a triumphant book but it was a sad story. a big part of our history and people who made this country. Could've been a true story

Priceless Book - Great Narration

What made the experience of listening to The Big Rock Candy Mountain the most enjoyable?

The story is set in the dying days of the US and Canadian frontiers, and the immediacy with which Stegner paints the wild times and places is fascinating. But more compelling is the way his writing brings the reader intimately close to the characters. He gets you right inside their skin.

Who was your favorite character and why?

This is a family saga and the main couple, Bo and Elsa Mason, are both flawed human beings, yet graced with extraordinary strengths and virtues. Across the length of the story they wrestle with the difficulties of their world, with each other and always with themselves. The reader is sometimes shocked by them and their circumstances, but never loses compassion for them.

What about Mark Bramhall’s performance did you like?

Mark's voice is haunting, perfect for this deeply introspective story, and most especially the voice of the violent and passionate Bo. A smooth, easy voice to listen to. He did his homework and worked in a variety of accents and gave all the many characters an individual tone.

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

As I approached the last few chapters I didn't want the book to end. It's a big story. I listened to it over several days and wanted to cry because soon there'd be no more of it to unfold for me. When it ended, I went straight back to the beginning and started listening again.

Any additional comments?

The opening chapter is somewhat depressing and could put readers off. Keep listening. The instant Bo appears in the narrative, the story takes off on wings.

A heartfelt journey.

I have not experienced a book like this before. There was a sense of actually being a part of the story, mostly by the parts that hit close to one's own past. The story was so descriptive and well written that you could easily submerse yourself in the actions and surroundings being described. The story also captured every type of emotion and sometimes changed at a moment's notice. I am glad to have taken the time to listen to this story.

loved the narrator....very good book

Would you listen to The Big Rock Candy Mountain again? Why?

This book was beautifully written. I was a little worried about the length but it was entirely worth it. These characters are now a part of me....one of the best listens....