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Barn Blind Audiobook
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(2.99) - 420 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Best-selling author and Pulitzer-Prize winner Jane Smiley crafts compelling novels filled with quiet strength and emotion. In Barn Blind she portrays a middle-aged woman so galvanized with success that she drives a wedge between herself and those who love her most. Kate Karlson's only focus in life is her Midwestern horse farm. Ignoring her husband, she spends long days giving riding lessons and training horses. To showcase her teaching ability, she enters her three sons and daughter in all the equestrian shows. But when her family dares to thwart her interests, the results bring tragedy and devastation. In this spellbinding tale of love, work, and duty, Jane Smiley examines the excesses we sometimes commit in the name of ambition. Narrator Suzanne Toren's dramatic performance highlights the daily rigors and joys of the equestrian life.
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"Sad story about the effect a selfish, overbearing mother has on her family. Smiley does a great job developing each character's relationship with the mother and how each reacts to her huge personality in a unique way."
— Cassi (4 out of 5 stars)
Barn Blind Listener Reviews
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" Okay but slight. "
— Beth, 2/13/2014 -
" Hooked the end of the first scene. She is a masterful writer! "
— Robin, 2/10/2014 -
" This is early Jane Smiley, very clean, simple and good. "
— Clara, 2/5/2014 -
" This novel is part of my life now. In my wildest dreams I never would have imagined this to be the case. I am glad. "
— Liz, 1/29/2014 -
" The verdicts still out on this author. I have a bunch of her books, but this is the only one I've read so far. It was an okay book, but it was kind of wordy and boring. Plus it was a little depressing, which I don't like. "
— Laura, 1/28/2014 -
" Sharp and detailed portrait of a family crippled by a mother's misplaced ambitions "
— Cath, 1/3/2014 -
" I loved "A Thousand Acres" so I was happy to come across this one. An interesting portrait of a mother who can only see her children when she is reflected in them. Not that I'm like that. At all. "
— Shelley, 1/1/2014 -
" I'm not gonna lie, Jane Smiley's first novel is a touch boring. We'll see if it picks up before the end. Addendum: I'm giving up. I'm not even interested in finishing this one. "
— Abby, 12/20/2013 -
" Not my favorite book from Jane Smiley. It was too meandering with an ending that wasn't very satisfying. "
— Krista, 11/24/2013 -
" Too long exposition and a too quick denouement. "
— Landismom, 11/21/2013 -
" Story of a farm family, dressage training and competition. A good but domineering and demanding mother, placid father, teen aged children who try to please or rebel against her. "
— Tom, 11/19/2013 -
" I had to pull this off my shelf to remind myself what this book is, which is odd since the other Smiley books I've read are etched in my brain. Clearly I'm a big Jane Smiley fan, but this is not one of my favorites. "
— Valerie, 11/3/2013 -
" Too much horse riding detail for me. "
— Beth, 10/3/2013 -
" Jane Smiley writes well but literally nothing happens in this book until the last chapter. Thankfully it's a short novel. "
— jen8998, 9/8/2013 -
" Story about a family that owns a horse farm. Very slow-moving, not particularly interestings. Apparently, I don't care for this author. "
— Debra, 1/16/2013 -
" Maybe because it's her first book but I didn't really like it. The characters will too forced, lacking dimension. "
— Mckinley, 9/23/2012 -
" This book is about a crazed, horse obsessed mother. I hated her! "
— Lisa, 7/3/2012 -
" Not my favorite Jane Smiley book. Like being invited for dinner and never getting beyond the appetizers. "
— Zoe, 6/28/2012 -
" Smiley has written several books about the horse world. This one focuses more on the downside of the experience. The mother in the story is mostly oblivious to the lives of her four children, in favor of the many tasks associated with owning a horse farm and riding school. "
— Sharon, 4/1/2012 -
" Being a horse person, I enjoyed it. But I was a little disapponted. "
— Cathy, 12/8/2011 -
" I didn't really connect to the characters, or relate to what they were doing, except perhaps Margaret, who doesn't know what she wants to do. But the others, especially the boys, and Axel, I just couldn't understand why they were doing the things they were. "
— Virginia, 9/22/2011 -
" Not my favorite book from Jane Smiley. It was too meandering with an ending that wasn't very satisfying. "
— Krista, 5/15/2011 -
" Sharp and detailed portrait of a family crippled by a mother's misplaced ambitions "
— Cath, 3/21/2011 -
" Being a horse person, I enjoyed it. But I was a little disapponted. "
— Cathy, 1/23/2011 -
" The verdicts still out on this author. I have a bunch of her books, but this is the only one I've read so far. It was an okay book, but it was kind of wordy and boring. Plus it was a little depressing, which I don't like. "
— Laura, 1/2/2011 -
" I didn't really connect to the characters, or relate to what they were doing, except perhaps Margaret, who doesn't know what she wants to do. But the others, especially the boys, and Axel, I just couldn't understand why they were doing the things they were. "
— Virginia, 1/1/2011 -
" I loved "A Thousand Acres" so I was happy to come across this one. An interesting portrait of a mother who can only see her children when she is reflected in them. Not that I'm like that. At all. "
— Shelley, 7/5/2009 -
" Jane Smiley writes well but literally nothing happens in this book until the last chapter. Thankfully it's a short novel. "
— jen8998, 8/9/2008 -
" I'm not gonna lie, Jane Smiley's first novel is a touch boring. We'll see if it picks up before the end. Addendum: I'm giving up. I'm not even interested in finishing this one. "
— Abby, 6/24/2008 -
" Too long exposition and a too quick denouement. "
— Landismom, 5/18/2008 -
" Hooked the end of the first scene. She is a masterful writer! "
— Robin, 1/4/2008
About Jane Smiley
Jane Smiley is the author of numerous novels, including A Thousand Acres, which was awarded the Pulitzer Prize, as well of works of nonfiction and books for young adults. A member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, she has also received the PEN Center USA Lifetime Achievement Award for Literature. In 2001 she was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
About Suzanne Toren
Suzanne Toren, award-winning narrator, has over thirty years of experience in narration. She was named a “Golden Voice” by AudioFile magazine in 2019. She has won the American Foundation for the Blind’s Scourby Award for Narrator of the Year, AudioFile magazine named her the 2009 Best Voice in Nonfiction & Culture, and she is the recipient of multiple Earphones Awards. She performs on and off Broadway and in regional theaters and has appeared on Law & Order and in various soap operas.