The Loop

By: Nicholas Evans

Narrated by: Michael Kramer

Length: 13 hrs and 42 mins

Publisher's Summary

A pack of wolves makes a sudden savage return to the Rocky Mountain ranching town of Hope, Montana, where a century earlier they were slaughtered by the thousands. Now shielded by law as an endangered species, they reawaken an ancient hatred that will tear a family, and ultimately the town, apart.

At the center of the storm is Helen Ross, a 29-year-old wolf biologist sent alone into this remote and hostile place to protect the wolves from those who seek to destroy them. The Loop charts her struggle, and her dangerous love affair with the son of her most powerful opponent, the brutal and charismatic rancher Buck Calder.

A haunting exploration of man's conflict with nature and the wild within himself, an epic story of deadly passions and redemptive love set against the grandeur of the American West, The Loop is destined to capture the hearts and imaginations of listeners everywhere.

©1998 Nicholas Evans (P)1998 Bantam Doubleday Dell Audio Publishing, Bantam Doubleday Dell Audio Publishing, A Division of Random House, Inc.

More than a wolf story

This is a story about wolves; those who revere them and those who hate them. It will hold your interest from beginning to end. But the deeper story is about discrimination. How humans jump to conclusions and pass it on from generation to generation without scrutiny. This could have been about race or religious discrimination. You'll particularly find disgust in the loop used to trap pups and lure the adults. I think your emotions will come out and I think you will enjoy the book.

8 of 9 people found this review helpful

Awesome!

love all Evans' books except the Divide. This book is fabulous. The narrator is great as well.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Evans never fails

I think I have read everything Evans has written and I can say that he has never written anything that can bore any reader. He has he most amazing insight
Into human and animal soul and mind. Every time I read one of his books I have only one question. Mr. Evans will you marry me?

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Made me feel Wolf Smart

What did you love best about The Loop?

I loved that The Loop gave facts about an on going issue in a story that was easy to listen to. I appreciated the real issue that was incorporated.

What other book might you compare The Loop to and why?

I might compare this book to Barbra Kingsolver's "Flight Behavior" because of the real life environmental concern.

Did John Bedford Lloyd do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

I loved listening to this book on audible because I felt like John Bedford Lloyd did an amazing job at differentiating all the characters. The voice of the characters make them more alive than ever and bring more personality to each character

If you could rename The Loop, what would you call it?

The Loop is really a great title for this book. I suppose if I were to rename it I may call it "Wolf Slaughter."

Any additional comments?

I think I would have enjoyed this story more if the author would have concentrated a little more on wolves. I enjoyed the love story, but it was not my favorite part of the story.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Very Good

What did you like best about this story?

Kept you interested

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

The narrarator could have been a little more convincing when trying to speak like a woman

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Worth reading

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

this is NOT the John Bedford Lloyd narration

I was looking for John Bedford Lloyd's unabridged narration of this compelling story by Nicholas Evans. However, this is not the narration that downloaded from the link after I purchased this book.

The brief audio sample on Audible is indeed taken from the beginning of the unabridged Random House Audio recording by John Bedford Lloyd. (I know this because it is identical to the RHA 10-cassette recording I have of the Lloyd version). However, the actual audiobook available for purchase on Audible is the Books on Tape unabridged version read by Michael Kramer.

Unfortunately, the difference in narrators makes all the difference in the tone of the story as it is told. Kramer's narration distracts from the actual story, as his voice goes up at the end of the majority of sentences as if each sentence were a question. Kramer sounds unsure of himself as he narrates; his presentation lacks the confident storytelling cadence and characterizations of Lloyd's narration.

Whereas I am typically very happy with my Audible purchases, I would not have purchased "The Loop," had I known that it is not the John Bedford Lloyd recording. In my opinion, this recording is not worth the hours that went into recording it.

5 of 7 people found this review helpful

Good Book by Nicholas Evans

I found this book to be both entertaining and informative. I love the story-telling skills of Nicholas Evans. This book had every element needed to keep the reader eagerly anticipating each new turn in the story. I gave this one 4 stars.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Poor sound quality

I have given this a poor rating because of the sound quality of the recording, not the actual book itself. I had so much difficulty listening to this title that it tainted my ability to enjoy the story. The sound was very garbled and at times quite difficult to understand. It's a shame this title isn't offered in a higher quality download.

3 of 5 people found this review helpful

A REALLY.NICE STORY

I liked this book very much. It has a good plotline with good characters. The tension.is pretty.intense at times but overall a good read.

amazing reader

the book was long, the material was very heavy, and the words used often were complex. however, this was one of the most amazing books I've read in the last year. I read a book a week and this book honestly caught my attention better than any before. the reader of the audio book did an amazing job in capturing the tone of the story and in giving each individual character his or her own voice which stayed steadily the same throughout the entire book. I am impressed not only with the book and its author but with the readers ability to truly captivate the listener. this is a book I will be reading and listening to again very soon.