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Any Known Blood Audiobook
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(3.02) - 1,040 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Author of the #1 best-seller The Book of Negroes, Lawrence Hill is a writer of immense talent-and his literary reputation grows with each new work. Canadian Langston Cane V finds his writing career (and, indeed, his life) in stasis until inspired by his mentor to write about an ancestor who purportedly died fighting alongside John Brown at Harpers Ferry. Traveling to Baltimore, the latter-day Cane delves into history and in so doing awakens to new possibilities. "A remarkable achievement."-Joyce Carol Oates
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"I thoroughly enjoyed this book - did not mind the "back and forth" between the generations at all and thought the characters were plausible and interesting. Brought more understanding to a time in history that is certainly not our proudest moment."
— Mae (4 out of 5 stars)
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“Any Known Blood is a remarkable achievement. Here is an immensely readable novel, populated with sympathetic yet realistic characters. It deals sensitively, yet often humorously, with one of the most compelling issues of our time in North America—the ever-shifting, ever-problematic relationship between the races. Lawrence Hill is a wonderfully talented writer.”
— Joyce Carol Oates -
“Hill’s affable narrative voice, spiced with wit and humor, makes Cane’s quest a delightful one...within Any Known Blood are at least five more stories dying to be told.”
— New York Times Book Review -
“A good storyteller with an unusually good story to tell...Lawrence Hill’s Any Known Blood retails the fascinating history of an African-Canadian-American family of super achievers from the Underground Railroad to the present. An impressive and absorbing narrative.”
— John Barth, New York Times bestselling author of Giles Goat Boy -
“Lawrence Hill masterfully threads the history of the five generations of men named Langston Cane into an engaging commentary of changing times...Hill’s depth, skill, and objectivity come to the fore…allowing him to weave a story of prejudice, segregation, and slavery without slamming it into a sermon.”
— Toronto Star -
“Any Known Blood is an intricate but not a complicated novel. Hill is a wonderful storyteller, never a reformer or a preacher...the novel’s...narrative line is clear and purposeful and translucent, imbued with a richness that enriches.”
— Montreal Gazette -
“[A] substantial, historically inflected novel...Hill’s generous spirit expands over a wide and variegated landscape of human relations; he forgives oppression and reconciles himself to history with surprising equanimity.”
— Publishers Weekly
Any Known Blood Listener Reviews
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" Really ejoyed this book. Main character was witty and easy to like. The author did a great job reflecting on the struggles of the civil rights of "poeple of pigment" spanning several generations. Will definetly be reccomending this book! "
— Smashley, 2/20/2014 -
" 3.5 Not nearly as good as The Book of Negroes, his first (called something else in the US). This book feels very autobiographical despite his disclaimer in the notes. It's about a prominent black family in Ontario - white mother and black father, with two sons (just like his family), protagonist so pale-skinned he could pass for white(just like Lawrence Hill) etc. Good story about underground railroad stuff I knew very little about. Trivia alert. His brother Dan Hill is the singer/songwriter who had the one big hit in the 70's and then was seldom heard of again. "
— Lynn, 2/11/2014 -
" This book was good, but not as compelling as Book of Negroes(Someone Knows My Name). Lawrence Hill wrote Any Known Blood 8 years earlier and I think his writing style is much stronger in his more recent work. Still, the book provided interesting insight into the challenges of being black or of mixed race in Canada and the United States. It was interesting to witness the experiences of the various Langston's over five generations. "
— Kathy, 2/11/2014 -
" Any Known Blood is not as good as The Book of Negroes but it's still an enjoyable read. A story that spans five generations, the family history is interesting and the characters are all well developed. The narrative jumps around a lot between Langston Cane the first and Langston Cane the fift,h who tells the story in first person. This made it a bit too disjointed for me, since I didn't have long, continuous stretches of time to read. "
— Yolanda, 2/5/2014 -
" So many reviews have already described the plot so I'll jump right to my critique. First of all, the book's prologue (and other scenes as well) seemed rather gratuitous and didn't have a later tie in...or did I miss that? Although Lawrence Hill's writing style is fluent and easy, I found the manner in which the story unfolded confusing at times. With 5 generations of black men having the same name of Langston Cane and many of them having relationships with white women, I had to refer regularly to the family tree at the beginning of the book to keep them straight. I thoroughly enjoyed the story of Langston Cane the first, which was revealed only at the end of the book. Although I usually don't have issues with non-chronological stories, I do wonder if this particular story would have been more enjoyable if it had been chronological. It would be an interesting experiment to re-publish it that way to test the theory. Lawrence Hill's "The Book of Negroes", one of my all-time favourite novels, is definitely a tough act to follow! "
— Dianne, 2/4/2014 -
" Another interesting read. "
— Crestina, 1/15/2014 -
" This was a good read. Not as good as The Book of Negros but I enjoyed reading it. I would look forward to reading more from Lawrence Hill. "
— Janet, 1/1/2014 -
" not as good as Book of Negroes but still a good read. "
— Christal, 12/31/2013 -
" Excellent book....Great story, well written, could hardly put this one down. My first book by Lawrence Hill but plan to read more. "
— Bob, 12/8/2013 -
" This was a great novel. Beautifully written with a great sense of humour, it captures you and makes you want to know more about generation after generation of Langston Canes and their own families and accomplishments. I didn't want this novel to end. "
— Samantha, 11/7/2013 -
" Loved this book..mirrors the life of the author closely. "
— Natalie, 10/20/2013 -
" Not as good as Book of Negroes. It's an earlier book, but still worth reading. "
— Peggygillies, 10/13/2013 -
" It was a little slow and long winded at times, but the story it's self was intriguing... "
— Jill, 9/18/2013 -
" I was disappointed in this book. I loved The Book of Negros and hoped I'd like this as much. Story was boring and never had a real climax. Not even sure of the point. I had to make myself finish it - figuring there had to be SOMETHING good that would happen. nope... not so much. "
— Christina, 8/10/2013 -
" not as good as book of negros.... "
— Emily, 7/25/2013 -
" Every bit as good as The Book of Negroes - Lawrence Hill knows how to write! "
— Leslie, 12/17/2012 -
" I had to read this as part of my summer homework assignment and, I have to say, I was not looking forward to it at all. But I was surprised! It was actually an interesting book. Albeit, it was a bit hard to follow at times, but I still really liked it. Definitely recommended :) "
— Jessica, 12/8/2012 -
" Slow to start, but well worth reading. "
— Shama, 11/3/2012 -
" Good book but nothing like The Book of Negroes "
— Eva, 3/12/2012 -
" This author is great, he really captivates his readers. This book has a lot to do with Oakville Ontario back in the day, which is really interesting. "
— Tara, 10/12/2011 -
" I read this book as I was teaching a group of women The Underground Railroad Quilt and its association to our Town of Oakville. I couldn't put it down. 5 stars to Lawrence Hill for this book. I recommend it to a lot of people. "
— Bev, 9/4/2011 -
" This is an awesome book and my best read so far this year. "
— Harry, 8/18/2011 -
" Great Canadian historical author "
— Sharon, 8/6/2011 -
" Hill is an amazing and unique author. I cannot wait for his next book. "
— Stephen, 4/19/2011 -
" very entertaining which gives a glimmer of the truth in the black community "
— Dmj, 4/4/2011 -
" Found it hard to feel engaged in the story line. Not nearly so good as Book of Negros. "
— Mary, 3/14/2011 -
" I liked this book, even though I knew it would not be as good as "The Book of Negroes". It wasn't, but I am still glad I read it. "
— Jason, 3/12/2011 -
" I enjoy Lawrence Hill's writing - I like his stories....but it wasn't as good as The Book of Negros. I did enjoy reading the book - I love the history in this book. "
— Andrea, 2/9/2011 -
" Excellent book....Great story, well written, could hardly put this one down. My first book by Lawrence Hill but plan to read more. "
— Bob, 2/6/2011 -
" Wonderful story of the 5 generations of Cane men. <br/>Quite captivated by the strong response of the Cane men to "getting" their women and the passions that ensue. "
— Brevan, 11/26/2010 -
" This was a great novel. Beautifully written with a great sense of humour, it captures you and makes you want to know more about generation after generation of Langston Canes and their own families and accomplishments. I didn't want this novel to end. "
— Samantha, 9/29/2010 -
" This is an easy summer read. Nowhere near as heavy as The Book of Negroes. This is more of a biography of his family. "
— Anita, 8/17/2010 -
" Loved this book..mirrors the life of the author closely. "
— Natalie, 7/6/2010 -
" Slow to start, but well worth reading. "
— Shama, 5/30/2010 -
" A wonderfully written book! Loved it so much.....I highly recommend it~! "
— Sheri, 4/1/2010 -
" Good book, but not as good as The Book of Negroes. "
— Alison, 1/6/2010
About Lawrence Hill
Lawrence Hill is the author of the novels Someone Knows My Name, Any Known Blood, and Some Great Thing, his widely praised first novel. He is also the author of the nonfiction work The Deserter’s Tale, with Joshua Key. He lives in Ontario, Canada.
About Kevin R. Free
Kevin R. Free is an audiobook narrator and the winner of numerous AudioFile Earphones Awards and several AudioFile best narrations of the year selections. Known for his work with young-adult novels, he has read titles by Rick Riordan, Walter Dean Myers, and Joe Haldeman. In 2011 he was named a Best Voice in Young Adult and Fantasy from AudioFile magazine for his narration of Myers’ The Cruisers: Checkmate.