Remembering Laughter

By: Wallace Stegner

Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell

Length: 3 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's Summary

Margaret Stuart, the proud wife of a prosperous Iowa farmer, sets high standards for herself and others. Happy in her marriage, she tries to look the other way when her genial husband, Alec, takes to the bottle. When Elspeth, Margaret’s sister, comes to live with them, the young woman is immediately captivated by the beauty and vitality of the farm and by the affection she receives from those around her. But as summer turns into fall and the friendship between Alec and Elspeth deepens, Margaret finds her spirit tested by a series of events that seem as cruel and inevitable as the endless prairie winters.

Remembering Laughter marked Wallace Stegner’s brilliant literary debut.

©1937 Wallace Stegner. renewed 1965 by Wallace Stegner (P)2011 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic Reviews

“Adroit and moving…has the quality of a rueful ironic legend.” ( New York Times)

Heartbreakingly good

From joy to wretched tears of betrayal, Stegner brings the reader along as a participant not just looking in from the outside. It’s a time worn tale but not many authors can bring out feelings of compassion, sympathy and anger for all involved. He is a master

Portrait of Quiet Desperation

Sad story of three basically good people whose existence devolves into a life of quiet desperation due to an impulsive marital betrayal. Worth a listen because of the beautiful writing. Every detail is sharp with feeling and leaves the reader with a clear impression of the bleak lives of the characters.

Cast a cold eye

A pitiless rendering of lives destroyed by pride and piety. No happy ending for any of the three characters. Bleak.

sandy at 60

good story and probably true about women at that time, SAD FOR THEM. A GOOD READ

Why?!…

Should have been titled ‘Remembering
Depression…phew…
Don’t bother-you’ll regret it
Word word word

Hearty

Feels like a heart burn after a hearty meal. It hides the beauty away for a long while but not before is gives a good promising hint of it.

A Sad Story

This one is pretty sad, but the writing of it is flawless as Stegner’s writing is.

won't let me add stars - 4 star review

I love Wallace Stegner's writing. Each story rings with the human truths we all live.

Remembering why I love Stegner

I may decide to re-read Stegner's books after listening to this story. So good and reminds me of so many marriages

Depressing but beautifully written

Well, that was sad. I had zero expectations except that I’ve absolutely loved the other boos from Wallace Stegner that I’ve read before… and this was different. His writing is still so amazing and wonderful. He’s one of my favorite authors. But the storyline of this book was just depressing.

Story good but accent terrible

Really wanted to stay with this story as the narrative held my attention but found the poor Scottish accent irritating.

Heavy and Sad

While the writing is poetic and beautifully read by the narrator; the characters are very distant and the plot is sluggish and depressing. If you are like me and love characters and immerse yourself in the storyworld: BEWARE! All I feel is sad... and not beautifully so.