Texas

By: James A. Michener

Narrated by: Larry McKeever

Length: 64 hrs and 59 mins

Publisher's Summary

Texas: a land of sprawling diversity and unparalleled richness; a dazzling chapter in the history of our nation; a place like no other on Earth. Through the remarkable lives of four families, this epic saga spans four centuries and two continents and charts the dramatic formation of several great dynasties from the age of the conquistadors to the present day. A richly compelling novel of a proud people eager to meet the challenge of the land, Texas is James Michener's most magnificent achievement.

©1985 James A. Michener (P)2015 Random House Audio

Critic Reviews

"Vast, sprawling, and eclectic in population and geography, the state has just the sort of larger-than-life history that lends itself to Mr. Michener's taste for multigenerational epics." ( The New York Times)

"A sweeping panorama.... [Michener] grapples earnestly with the Texas character in a way that Texas' own writers often don't." ( The Washington Post Book World)

Great Story...but then there was the narration

I am not a native Texan, but as they say here, "I got here as soon as I could". Michener's story is great and well worth reading. I first read "Texas" about six months after I moved to Texas. I worked with several native Texans and this book helped me understand the culture into which I had moved. I was very pleased to see that Michener's works finally came to audible, and I eagerly got this book and looked forward to listening/reading it again. It has been 20 years since I had last read the book, and once again, I was captured by the incredible story. He does a tremendous job of capturing the heart and soul of Texas and Texans, and I can't help being proud to be a part of this culture with all it's ups and downs. I highly recommend this book to anyone new to Texas or thinking of moving to Texas.
The narration on the other hand was AWFUL. It was like listening to a robot pedantically over pronouncing each word. How anyone could pick this guy to read is beyond my understanding with so many excellent readers out there. After 20 hours or so he either got a little better,and loosened up a little bit, or my mind became numb to his style, and I made it all the way through his narration, except for the credits at the end. Enough is enough.
After saying this about the narrator, don't miss out on a great story just because of the reader. This can be listened to, you just won't likely pick another story read by this guy.

20 of 21 people found this review helpful

The Struggle Continues

Larry Mckeever voice puts you to sleep. I could not complete this book. I feel that the book it self may be a good book. However, you have to get pass the dullness & lack luster of the narrator's tone of reading. Moving on.

7 of 7 people found this review helpful

Great Story. Terrible Narration (in my opinion)

What disappointed you about Texas?

I love Michener. Read this book several years ago and loved it. Decided to purchase and download for my morning walks and drive to/from work. Couldn’t complete it. Audible would be well served to have these re-narrated and offered. The orator, in my opinion, is simply horrible.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Larry McKeever?

Scott Brick or Stephan Rudniki have done exceptional performances on other books.

Any additional comments?

Please consider re-recording these Michener books. The current reading is such a dis-service to an exceptional author.

9 of 10 people found this review helpful

Awful Narration

What did you like best about Texas? What did you like least?

I have always admired Michener's works, having read several, and was excited to see them now out in audio book form. It was a serious letdown to hear it narrated so dryly, without character, inflection, feeling or accent. The diction was so perfect and over-pronounced, it was really overdone. Such an injustice to a great work. This will surely cause me to listen to an audio sample in the future prior to buying any book. I almost left this after the first 30 minutes, but endured the 52 hours.

13 of 15 people found this review helpful

the audio is terrible...i request a refund

the audio sounds horrible. it sounds like it was computer generated. Please refund

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Narration leaves something to be desired

While the story was interesting, the narration was extremely lacking. Will be sure not to get this narrator again.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

worth the long read

It is as epic and thorough as I had always heard it was. Well worth the time and made the commute to and from work melt away.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Long but enjoyable

Good story. Lines are blurred between fact and fiction. Covers over 400 years of history. Multitude fictional characters who grow to like and see them fade out when their time passes. I am a Texan and the stories you hear give you a good feel for our state and why we're so damn proud of our state.

Robotic, odd cadence and pronunciations

I am still trying to determine if this is read by a robot. Voice, cadence, odd sing song on the end of words...truly the most annoying Audible performance, I have ever experienced. I am a veteran Audible listener. I have never written a negative review.

A thrilling ride through Texas.

I enjoyed the fictional characters and their development through the story of the history of my great State of Texas. I've lived in many of the areas depicted in the book. I find the painting of Texas created here in to be accurate and so revealing about what life was like and how my many distant relatives lived and settled the area that was Tejas.