The Master Butcher's Singing Club

By: Louise Erdrich

Narrated by: Louise Erdrich

Length: 16 hrs and 43 mins

Publisher's summary

What happens when a trained killer discovers, in the aftermath of war, that his true vocation is love? Having survived the killing fields of World War I, Fidelis Waldvogel returns home to his quiet German village and marries the pregnant widow of his best friend, killed in action.

With a suitcase full of sausages and a master butcher's precious set of knives, Fidelis sets out for America, getting as far as Argus, North Dakota, where he settles, building a business and a home for his family, which now includes Eva and four sons, and a singing club consisting of the best voices in town.

What happens when the Old World meets the New, in the person of Delphine Watzka, becomes one of the great adventures of Fidelis's life. Delphine meets Eva and is enchanted. She meets Fidelis, and the ground trembles. These momentous encounters will determine the course of Delphine's life, and the trajectory of this brilliant new novel in which Louise Erdrich creates a world filled with memorable characters who grapple with the worst and best of human nature.

©2004 Louise Erdrich (P)2004 HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.

Critic reviews

"An enrapturing plunge into the depths of the human heart." (Washington Post Book World)

"Bordering on magical realism, this marvelous yarn introduces a world of rich, expansive imagery and an abundance of memorably compelling characters." (Publishers Weekly)

"Erdrich narrates with expressive intimacy, bringing authenticity to the exceptional people who populate Argus, North Dakota.... A master storyteller, Erdrich creates charismatic characters, and her reading makes each distinctly memorable." (AudioFile)

"Powerful, richly detailed....It's clear that Erdrich, one of our finest writers, is working at the very peak of her considerable powers." (Booklist)

The characters.

Newburgh took me to a time and place I had never read about. very good characters to hear about. only one thing was that one of the characters was in developed enough. I would still highly recommend it someone reading this

Beautifully landscaped characters

This book was a worthy read. The characters are so wonderful and rich. A great book to listen to for the whole family.

Excellent story, poor recording

As I said in my title, the story is excellent however the publisher did a horrible job recording the audio.

Took me a couple goes to get into.

Hard time getting past the slow start. Restarted a couple times. But all I had while at a project and I made it past to a good long story after several chapters.
I will save to listen again list!

Reader

The author read the book. Very boring. I ended up listening to at 1.25 speed.

Please try again

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I hope this wonderful book will one day be re-recorded by a professional narrator and with a higher quality production. The book deserves so much more than this audio recording gives it. Although the author did better narrating her book than do many authors, she nevertheless is a bit tentative -- she sounds apologetic to be intruding in our lives with her story. It's too bad. The book is masterful. It's still worth the time to listen to it.

This is a wonderful, dreamy saga

Louise Erdrich is a fine storyteller, and this is a decades-long familial saga that depicts the difficult life of hard-working German immigrants to our Midwest in the early 20th century. It seems to contain every human emotion, from the sweetest love and loyalty to envy, to retaliation and murder, to war; and, or course, loving beautiful music. Easily my favorite by Ms. Erdrich. It is many hours long, and I could have listened longer. She is a wonderful narrator of her own work.

Touched my heart

What made the experience of listening to The Master Butcher's Singing Club the most enjoyable?

The intricate development of the characters.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Master Butcher's Singing Club?

Step and a half. I loved her character, with a brilliant surprise that had an element of magical realism.

Which character – as performed by Louise Erdrich – was your favorite?

Step and a half

If you could take any character from The Master Butcher's Singing Club out to dinner, who would it be and why?

It would be wonderful to have them all at my table. I could narrow it down to Cyprian, Delphine, and Step and a half. Couldn't choose just one.

Good Read (Listen)

At first a bit slow, but not dead, the narrator pulls you into the life and mind of the main character, Fidelis Voltsvogel. As you continue to listen, you begin to piece together the lives, thoughts and deeds of all of the characters. Each is described in great detail throughout the chapters with realistic flaws and captivating personalities.
This is a long one and enjoyable through every minute.

A gripping puzzle of humanity

This is a difficult book to read for an aspiring vegetarian! The gruesome butcher of a pampered hog haunts the history of our shared human experience. The acoustical beauty of slaughterhouse walls is disturbing allegory. Ms. Erdrich is my hero