Virgil Wander

By: Leif Enger

Narrated by: MacLeod Andrews

The first novel in 10 years from award-winning, million-copy best-selling author Leif Enger, Virgil Wander is an enchanting and timeless all-American story that follows the inhabitants of a small Midwestern town in their quest to revive its flagging heart.

Midwestern movie house owner Virgil Wander is "cruising along at medium altitude" when his car flies off the road into icy Lake Superior. Virgil survives, but his language and memory are altered, and he emerges into a world no longer familiar to him. Awakening in this new life, Virgil begins to piece together his personal history and the lore of his broken town, with the help of a cast of affable and curious locals - from Rune, a twinkling, pipe-smoking, kite-flying stranger investigating the mystery of his disappeared son, to Nadine, the reserved, enchanting wife of the vanished man, to Tom, a journalist and Virgil's oldest friend, and various members of the Pea family who must confront tragedies of their own. Into this community returns a shimmering prodigal son who may hold the key to reviving their town.

With intelligent humor and captivating whimsy, Leif Enger conjures a remarkable portrait of a region and its residents, who, for reasons of choice or circumstance, never made it out of their defunct industrial district. Carried aloft by quotidian pleasures including movies, fishing, necking in parked cars, playing baseball, and falling in love, Virgil Wander is a swift, full journey into the heart and heartache of an often overlooked American Upper Midwest by a "formidably gifted" (Chicago Tribune) master storyteller.

©2018 Leif Enger (P)2018 Recorded Books

Love books by Leif Enger

this is my second book by Enger. Loved the reading. kept my attention! interesting depiction of life in small town of Minesota.

wonderful writing, enhanced by the narration

this was one of the most perfect matches of writing and narration I have encountered. Loved it

Made me Love My World...

Leif Enger's novels are not "riveting," "enchanting," or "magnificent..." Maybe, but every time I finish one I come away loving my world a whole lot more than I did before. His characters are pure, and so are his stories. I remember feeling a deep hope and anticipation throughout this whole story which led to questions like, "What's around the bend?" "What will this character bring to Virgil's life?" "Will this character be _____? [the great villain? / magical princess? / long lost mystery-now-found?!]" Villains, magical princesses, and big reveals are not what stories like these are about, but what impresses me about his writing is that he made me start to ask these questions about MY own simple present life. I listened to this book on audio while driving, and during one of my multi-hours stretches I saw a gigantic black lion on the ridge of a snowy mountain (it turned out to be a burnt tree), and dear old friend's from across the country strolling through a tiny mountain town alone in a blizzard (I even spun my truck around certain it was them! If found them--not my friends, but total strangers--happily shopping inside a mini mart. I returned to my truck simply glad for the spontaneity of needing to check-thanks to Leif Enger). All that to say, my heart and mind widened through the listening of this story. I did cry, once I think. And the profundity within the deeper meanings of some of his little side notes made me shiver with pleasure and heavenly hope. I want to return and be back in this story...but than again, I don't, because I am so inspired and moved to watch and see my own life with eyes like Enger taught me to use.
(Audio note: Excellent narrator. The Minnesotan accent threw me at first because I have family from MN and...well, anyway it totally worked for this tale.)

What more could you ask for?

What a wonderful story and the reader was superb! With all the pain and suffering these days, it was a welcome escape. Can’t wait for it to be made into a movie.

Absolutely Delightful!

As a native Minnesotan, I thoroughly enjoyed both the story and narration. Not sure every reader or listener would understand some of the nuances, but the author did an excellent job of grasping our “up north” culture while telling this sweet story.