Play Audiobook Sample
Bucking the Sun Audiobook
Play Audiobook Sample
(3.02) - 571 listener ratings
Quick Stats About this Audiobook
Total Audiobook Chapters:
Longest Chapter Length:
Shortest Chapter Length:
Average Chapter Length:
Audiobooks by this Author:
Publisher Description
Acclaimed for his beloved Montana trilogy, National Book Award finalist Ivan Doig crafts masterful portraits of life in rural Big Sky Country. Set in the 1930s, Bucking the Sun follows the Duff clan during the construction of the Fort Peck Dam. Hugh Duff is angry that the dam will flood his farm, yet his sons hasten to get jobs working on the project. "This richly detailed narrative offers comedy, passion, and adventure."-Library Journal
Download and start listening now!
"Ivan Doig's writing is so rich - rich in information, relationships, emotions. In Bucking the Sun he fascinated me with descriptions of the building of the country's (world's?) largest earth damn, one of the WPA, get the country back to work projects during Roosevelts tenure. And the family of 3 brothers whose family farm is due to be flooded by the dam is a rough and tumble, real life family of love and tension. There's a murder described at the beginning that actually occurs at the end so you are kept from knowing the conclusion through the story. And while it keeps you wondering, it's a very small part of the tale. Finally, it seems almost like a publisher's insistence to lure the reader through 400 pages of dam building. It wasn't necessary. Doig's descriptions of life stand proudly and so easily on their own."
— Joan (4 out of 5 stars)
Bucking the Sun Listener Reviews
-
" Doig is almost always worth reading and this novel is no exception. His feel for location is remarkable for its ability to define and both characters and plot. "
— Sunny, 2/13/2014 -
" This was good. Not GREAT, but I really enjoyed it. I love the setting, the history, Doig's wonderful writing style, and especially the engineering piece of the story (so cool to read a book about an engineer, especially one from MSU). The book drew me in quickly and kept me engaged, but I found the ending disappointing - a huge twist, and little explanation... "
— Nichole, 2/3/2014 -
" Concise, sharp look at a family struggling with economic changes. The sparse descriptive language is intriguing. "
— Pat, 1/30/2014 -
" Ivan Doig's prose is witty but dry. I had a hard time getting through this one. I think I read about ten other books while I read Bucking the Sun. I felt like I had built the Fort Peck dam myself. It is educational and a part of history mostly unbeknownst to me, i.e. Montana in the 1930s in FDR's reconstruction projects. It's set up as a murder mystery, and the ending was, indeed, surprising. "
— Darcy, 1/24/2014 -
" It is a good story, draws you in from the start. BUT I am a bit embarrassed that I even read this book. I thought about not posting it, there is A LOT of language and quite a bit of sexual content as well. Some may be fine, but it was too much for me. I just had to know who died, so I kept going. Probably shouldn't have... "
— Jen, 1/10/2014 -
" Ivan Doig is back to Montana, this time in the 1930's. Follow the construction of the Fort Peck Dam in east central Montana. I liked that historical aspect of it. Also interesting plotting techniques, jumping between timelines. "
— Gwen, 1/7/2014 -
" Interesting view of that time in our history when we started building dams. "
— Elsie, 1/5/2014 -
" Read this one. All his books are good. most are set in Montana. Chchchchcheck it out pimp! "
— Ben, 12/30/2013 -
" Though not as good as other Doig work, this depression era murder story is still pretty entertaining, though hardly as warm and fuzzy as his Montana trilogy. "
— Tom, 12/28/2013 -
" Outstanding historical fiction; research for this book is phenomenal, and the story is pure Doig. "
— Charles, 12/20/2013 -
" After reading this, I had to make a trip to Fort Peck Dam to see it for myself. Well worth it! "
— Sandy, 11/24/2013 -
" I really tried to enjoy this novel but just couldn't get through it. The sad thing is that I really can't pinpoint why I didn't like it. It is the story of a homesteading family from Montana who end up working on a dam on the Missouri River. "
— Rae, 11/23/2013 -
" A good historical novel like this book is the best of both worlds. You get a good story as well as a history lesson. No one does this as well as Doig, one of my favorite writers. "
— Alan, 11/12/2013 -
" Didn't like this one as much as his other books...maybe because the imagery of the mined land is too painful. "
— Chris, 4/3/2013 -
" This book was SO good. "
— Sally, 1/29/2013 -
" A good listen. Fort Peck dam -- which sounds like Hoover dam construction and the familiar family of Doig's saga. "
— Alan, 12/10/2012 -
" interesting reading about the building of the earthen dam "
— Pam, 9/23/2012 -
" A tale of family and the building of the Fort Peck dam. Didn't put me in touch with the landscape like some of Doig's previous books. "
— Jo, 7/15/2012 -
" required reading for a board meeting. Not Doig at his best (and lots of odd sex) but the history of the construction of the Fort Peck dam is certainly fascinating. "
— Kim, 6/5/2012 -
" What a great book - all those wonderful characters and learn more about buiding a dam than one ever needss to know but the suspense - kept me turning pages until the end. So happy that I have found this author and intend to read more of his. "
— Frances, 5/20/2012 -
" Excellent writer! "
— Amy, 11/23/2011 -
" Wish the author had provided more explanation about the technicalities of dam building. I'm still confused. "
— Amy, 11/14/2011 -
" Wanted to like it and thought the storyline was decent. Just never got riveting. I was disappointed. "
— Kim, 10/16/2011 -
" What a great book - all those wonderful characters and learn more about buiding a dam than one ever needss to know but the suspense - kept me turning pages until the end. So happy that I have found this author and intend to read more of his. "
— Frances, 9/1/2011 -
" Doig is almost always worth reading and this novel is no exception. His feel for location is remarkable for its ability to define and both characters and plot. "
— Sunny, 4/7/2011 -
" Didn't like this one as much as his other books...maybe because the imagery of the mined land is too painful. "
— Chris, 1/28/2011 -
" Concise, sharp look at a family struggling with economic changes. The sparse descriptive language is intriguing. "
— Dalepat, 9/30/2010 -
" interesting reading about the building of the earthen dam "
— Pam, 8/7/2010 -
" required reading for a board meeting. Not Doig at his best (and lots of odd sex) but the history of the construction of the Fort Peck dam is certainly fascinating. "
— Kim, 6/14/2010 -
" Ivan Doig is my favorite author and this is my favorite book by Ivan Doig. "
— Jennifer, 1/10/2010 -
" Not my fave or the Doig books, although even as I type that I can picture some of the landscapes he describes so well (he really brought the WPA work camp to life for me) - which is what always makes me read whatever I can find of his on the shelf. The Rascal Fair series is still my fave though. "
— Katrina, 9/7/2009 -
" Wish the author had provided more explanation about the technicalities of dam building. I'm still confused. "
— Amy, 5/16/2009 -
" Though not as good as other Doig work, this depression era murder story is still pretty entertaining, though hardly as warm and fuzzy as his Montana trilogy. "
— Tom, 5/11/2009
About Ivan Doig
Ivan Doig (1939–2015) wrote over a dozen books, including the Indiebound bestseller Work Song, the classic memoir This House of Sky, and the acclaimed Montana trilogy. He has been a National Book Award finalist and has received the Wallace Stegner Award, among many other honors.
About Tom Stechschulte
Tom Stechschulte (1948–2021) was an acclaimed narrator and winner of the prestigious Audie Award for Best Narration. He had been a college athlete and business major when a friend dared him to audition for a play. He got the part and traded the locker room for the dressing room, eventually taking him to New York City and to recording audiobooks.