The Bayou Trilogy

By: Daniel Woodrell

Narrated by: Bronson Pinchot

Length: 15 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's Summary

In the parish of St. Bruno, sex is easy, corruption festers, and double-dealing is a way of life. Rene Shade is an uncompromising detective swimming in a sea of filth.

As Shade takes on hit men, porn kings, a gang of ex-cons, and the ghosts of his own checkered past, Woodrell’s three seminal novels pit long-entrenched criminals against the hard line of the law, brother against brother, and two vastly different sons against a long-absent father.

The Bayou Trilogy highlights the origins of a one-of-a-kind author, a writer who for over two decades has created an indelible representation of the shadows of the rural American experience and has steadily built a devoted following among crime fiction aficionados and esteemed literary critics alike.

©1986 Daniel Woodrell (Under the Bright Lights); 1988 by Daniel Woodrell (Muscle for the Wing); 1992 by Daniel Woodrell (The Ones You Do) (P)2011 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Meet James Lee Burke's Better

I've long been a fan of every one of James Lee Burke and Will Patton collaboration but this one is better. Woodrell's trilogy has just become one of my favorite audio books. Pinchot's interpretation was on target with the vocal inflections that I've encountered in the bayou country. Wonderful, colorful, literary slice of the downside of bayou life. I do hope there is more to come from Woodrell & Pinchot.

Highly Recommended!

5 of 5 people found this review helpful

Better than I expected...

This was an engaging listen. Any fan of James Lee Burke would probably enjoy it. Probably better than Burke: no clumsy love scenes or irritating politics / social commentary.

Bronson Pinchot over-does his voicings, though, and most of his women characters sound about the same: one combination or another of drunk, insane, or brain-damaged. He's a talented narrator, but someone should have suggested he dial it down a little here and there.

Overall, well worth the time and the credit.

9 of 10 people found this review helpful

Fun

These are fast paced, tense stories. There is nothing here that doesn't need to be here. Everything sizzles. Great narration. Good action. Good characters. Good read. You won't regret it.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Entertaining albeit not terribly accurate

What made the experience of listening to The Bayou Trilogy the most enjoyable?

Mr. Woodrell's colorful and often amusing turn of phrase

Who was your favorite character and why?

Rene Shade, the stereotypical angst-driven, damaged hero. I enjoyed his attachment to and his repulsion by his cultural roots.

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

I usually enjoy the narration by this particular actor but his attempts to speak in a 'cajun' style dialect are so far off base as to be initially irritating and ultimately humorous. He often sounds like a completely stoned Forrest Gump. It ain't pretty.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No. It is a trilogy and should be listened to as such. There are character shifts between each story that need a bit of time for analyses and digestion.

Any additional comments?

An acceptable listen but a James Lee Burke novel it is not. On the positive side, the characters can been seen as exaggerations and the listener does not get dragged into the mind-bending angst of a Dave Robicheaux or Clete Purcell.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

great writing so descriptive

such an awesome writer and a great value here too. nice collection for the wicked

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Could not get into this writer's bayou....

I found the tone of the story, the characters, and the narration to be unrelenting downers, without enough to hold my interest. I expect more than to just bear witness to what seemed to be 1. people who don't respect each other, or their jobs, and 2. a place that has few redeeming qualities to one interested in what happens there. I read some gritty ones too--the thing that they need to have to hold me is human interest.

I have read all of James Lee Burke's Robicheaux novels, and wonder that other reviews find these comparable, other than being set in So.LA. What grabs me in Burke's novels is a protagonist (and the people close to him) with qualities a reader can empathize with; they aren't just depressives living depressing lives facing depressing circumstances.

Perhaps I didn't stick with it long enough to find a redeeming value in the Bayou Trilogy--it just didn't happen soon enough to not lose me and make me feel I'd wasted my Audible credits.

3 of 4 people found this review helpful

My favorite book this year

Though these novels were written in the 80s and early 90s I just discovered them recently. I know Woodrell's work from "Winter's Bone" as a film, but had never read one of his books. The writing is simply fantastic. Very true to the region, finely crafted dialogue and simple but engaging storylines. Bronson Pinchot has become one of my very favorite narrators. His ability to vocalize different characters and make each sound unique is fantastic. Two thumbs up from this reader.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

A fun, easy listen--but never light.

I originally purchased this book because it was narrated by Bronson Pinchot, whose work I have really come to enjoy. Although this is not his best work, he does an excellent job of individuating several different male characters with similar regional accents. He isn't so successful with the female characters.

The three novellas in this work were all very good. They all function well-enough on their own, but seem to fit together in a single volume. Although the protagonist is a detective, these are not traditional detective novels. These are exciting, well-written stories in which the main character just happens to be a detective.

In the fictional Parish of St. Bruno, Woodrell has created a living, breathing world of humid, dirty, dangerous cities over territory that is as much water as land.

Surprisingly good. Hard-edged, but with obvious heart.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Daniel Woodrell's Star Shines

The writing in these stories is as classic as anything Faulkner wrote. His feel for dialogue is incredible and inventive. The characters in his stories with only a couple of exceptions are not sympathetic but even so I have to rate this as one of the best books I've read (listened too, Bronson Pinchot is awesome).

At first I didn't think I was going to enjoy this much but I was wrong, very wrong!

Terrific performance

Would you listen to The Bayou Trilogy again? Why?

I have listened to it more than once already. It holds up.

What other book might you compare The Bayou Trilogy to and why?

Other Woodrell books are comparable. Tomato Red. Give Us a Kiss. Etc.

Which scene was your favorite?

I loved the scenes between Jewel and his girlfriend.

Who was the most memorable character of The Bayou Trilogy and why?

Most if not all of the characters are wonderful.