Play Audiobook Sample
Fine Just The Way It Is: Wyoming Stories 3 Audiobook
Play Audiobook Sample
(3.02) - 1,231 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
Returning to the territory of "Brokeback Mountain," National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize-winner Annie Proulx delivers a stunning and visceral collection of new stories. In Fine Just the Way It Is, she has expanded the limits of the form. Her stories about multiple generations of Americans struggling through life in the West are a ferocious, dazzling panorama of American folly and fate.
Proulx's characters try to climb out of poverty and desperation but get cut down as if the land itself wanted their blood. Deeply sympathetic to the men and women fighting to survive in this harsh place, Proulx turns their lives into fiction with the power of myth -- and leaves the listener in awe.
The winner of two O. Henry Prizes, Annie Proulx has been anthologized in every major collection of great American stories. Her bold, inimitable language, her exhilarating eye for detail and her dark sense of humor make this a profoundly compelling collection.
Download and start listening now!
"Nine beautifully written stories set in an America of wide open spaces and hard realities where nothing is free and there are no easy answers. Proulx has a wonderful eye for detail, her descriptions are sharp and compelling, and the characters fill out unobtrusively over the course of each story. She is a craftswoman and this book was a pleasure to read."
— Aaron (5 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
-
“[Fine Just the Way It Is] bears Proulx’s brand of hard drama, hard irony, hard weather, and hard and soft characters blown about and many times destroyed by the powerful mix…She writes like a demon.”
— New York Times Book Review -
“Reaffirms that no one writes better about tough people in tough places.”
— USA Today -
“Vivid…In the tour de force finale…we see the method in Proulx’s genius, where the enchanting description, unparalleled sentence structure, and unwavering insight combine to reveal both the coldest and most resilient recesses of the human heart.”
— O, the Oprah Magazine -
“Deliciously macabre stories…A must for fans.”
— People -
“[Proulx] shows without mincing words that the present-day West is every bit as inhumane and vengeful as it was way back when…Excellent and original.”
— Elle -
“Nine unforgettable stories…[An] assured and unnerving collection.”
— Miami Herald -
“Proulx writes with clear-eyed, ironic affection about life in the real West, not the sentimental version…Breathtaking.”
— St. Petersburg Times -
“Brilliant.”
— Associated Press -
“Astonishing…Breaks new literary ground…Unforgettable characters.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review) -
“[Fine Just the Way It Is] takes gigantic steps toward securing Proulx’s position as one of the most inventive yet, at the same time, traditional story writers working today.”
— Booklist (starred review)
Awards
-
A 2008 San Francisco Chronicle Best Book for Fiction
-
One of the 2008 New York Times Book Review 100 Notable Books for Fiction
Fine Just The Way It Is Listener Reviews
-
" Another great collection of short stories by one of my favorite authors. "
— Jason, 2/17/2014 -
" Stories of the countryside seem so unfamiliar to me because the problems a rancher faces is different from one faced by a city person. For example, the story of Brokeback Mountain presents an issue that is currently debated in society: heterosexuals. In an urban society, this issue is better accepted compare to the more conservative part of America. In Fine Just the Way It Is, the problems faced by the different generations of Americans reveal how the American society is changing over time. Perhaps, it is where each generation was brought up that sets the different point of view on their problems. "
— Amy, 2/10/2014 -
" Way disappointed in this book. It's the first of Proulx's work that I just couldn't get into. I think she went out of her way to make the stories totally depressing and morose. I do love her style of writing and her descriptions and metaphors are awesome, but just way too depressing for me. Very bummed. "
— korey, 1/31/2014 -
" I really liked some of the stories; others not so much "
— Becky, 1/27/2014 -
" Proulx has a true gift. The writing is sharp, crisp and descriptive in the extreme. She paints portraits that will make you cry. If not from the tragedy of the story, from the beauty of the description. It did not speak to me, but the artistry was plain to see. "
— Mark, 1/26/2014 -
" some of her short stories. nothing as compelling as her book Brokeback Mountain. "
— Peg, 1/14/2014 -
" This uneven collection nevertheless contains some unforgettable stories. "
— Christine, 1/13/2014 -
" I was mixed on the stories in this book, but the more true-to-Wyoming stories really pulled me in. She has a warm, gritty style, and it's a joy to lose yourself in it. "
— Ris, 12/28/2013 -
" Proulx is at her best in her stories of rough-bitten Wyoming folks with Dickensian names. It's when she veers into fantasy stories of hell, or prehistoric Indians that she falls flat on her face. "
— Ruth, 12/26/2013 -
" My least favorite of the Wyoming Series books. Favorite stories: Family Man and Tits-Up in a Ditch. "
— Emily, 12/3/2013 -
" Not my favorite Proulx, but still very good. Includes a very un-Proulxish story about the devil, set in Hell, which I could have done without. My dog ate the first few stories, but luckily he only ate the part I'd finished. "
— Steve, 9/28/2013 -
" This is the first Annie Proulx book I've read and I'd like to read more. Most of these stories are sad and realistic tales about how tough it was to make it as a homesteader or rancher back in the '30s and '40s. And there are a couple of funny stories about the devil and his mischievous ways. "
— Jackie, 8/5/2013 -
" Beautifully written prose, but most of these stories are incredibly depressing. Not one happy ending. The only "positive" note comes from a couple of humorous stories featuring the devil trying to redesign parts of hell, or make fake pterodactyls appear in Yellowstone. "
— Will, 1/29/2013 -
" I really do like her writing but these stories were a little dark. "
— Marion, 1/12/2013 -
" Her stories are so well written. She is at the same time bleak and wickedly funny. I don't know anyone who manages it half so well as Proulx. "
— Claire, 5/14/2012 -
" Another good collection of Annie Proulx' Wyoming stories. Don't expect too many happy endings, but do expect a good ride where the pain and trouble is sometimes tinged with wry, dark humor. It takes a tough character to survive in the Wyoming stories. "
— Hans, 2/11/2012 -
" I love her writing but don't read this if you're feeling depressed! I suppose these stories might make you feel better about your own circumstances. I almost took this back without finishing it "
— Annette, 1/28/2012 -
" I love the way AP is realistic (cruel?) to her characters, she never indulges them. Perhaps I've read too many but in the end I found this collection a little patchy and think I'd like to read another full length story from her. "
— Emmapettitt, 1/20/2012 -
" I really enjoyed the breadth of the stories, the beauty of the writing, the portrayal of a time and place. Be prepared for descriptions of lingering deaths at the hands of weather. "
— Lilian, 11/10/2011 -
" Not so fine as it is. Very depressing. Choppy. "
— Chad, 8/21/2011 -
" I normally don't like short stories, and I couldn't even finish Shipping News, one of her other books, but I picked this up randomly in the library last week and really enjoyed it. "
— Ariele, 7/31/2011 -
" This uneven collection nevertheless contains some unforgettable stories. "
— Christine, 6/29/2011 -
" Beautifully written prose, but most of these stories are incredibly depressing. Not one happy ending. The only "positive" note comes from a couple of humorous stories featuring the devil trying to redesign parts of hell, or make fake pterodactyls appear in Yellowstone. "
— Will, 5/29/2011 -
" Some great stories and some not so great stories. She really veered into strange territory with her depiction of the Devil redecorating Dante's Inferno -- but it was enjoyable and shows her wicked sense of humor. "
— Judith, 5/6/2011 -
" Proulx has a true gift. The writing is sharp, crisp and descriptive in the extreme. She paints portraits that will make you cry. If not from the tragedy of the story, from the beauty of the description. It did not speak to me, but the artistry was plain to see. "
— Mark, 4/24/2011 -
" Can't get enough of Annie Proulx. "
— Lyndsey, 4/22/2011 -
" Not so fine as it is. Very depressing. Choppy. "
— Chad, 4/17/2011 -
" exquisite writing, but the stories are so very hauntingly depressing... "
— Christee, 3/28/2011 -
" Terrifying, beautiful, sublime. The only book I've read by Annie Proulx. "
— Neal, 2/22/2011 -
" Her stories are so well written. She is at the same time bleak and wickedly funny. I don't know anyone who manages it half so well as Proulx. "
— Claire, 2/15/2011 -
" most of the stories were excellent as ever with AP, rich poignant and vibrant - didn't like the ones about the devil too much though "
— Ray, 2/1/2011 -
" dark and sad at times. but beautifully written. moving & captivating. immersive. "
— Kelli, 1/30/2011 -
" Not all happy but a great set of short stories about Wyoming. Annie Proulx is a good storyteller and these run the gambit over the last 150 years or so. "
— Lisa, 1/25/2011 -
" Proulx words are colorfully raw and beautiful. Every single story has stayed with me, from the depressing stories written in such a personal manner curbed by the witty antics of Proulx' own visions of the devil, making hell more coveted than the back roads of Wyoming. "
— Melissa, 1/16/2011 -
" Doesn't it drive you crazy when you get halfway through a short story and it sounds soooo familiar, and finally you realize you read it in the New Yorker last year?<br/><br/>But there's still no one like her.<br/> "
— Betty, 12/29/2010
About Annie Proulx
Annie Proulx is the author of eight books, including the novel The Shipping News and the story collection Close Range. Her many honors include a Pulitzer Prize, a National Book Award, the Irish Times International Fiction Prize, and a PEN/Faulkner Award. Her short story “Brokeback Mountain,” which originally appeared in the New Yorker, was made into an Academy Award–winning film starring Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal. Proulx currently lives in Wyoming.
About Will Patton
Will Patton is an award-winning actor and narrator. HIs narrations have earned the prestigious Audie Award for Best Fiction Narration and also won dozens of AudioFile Earphones Awards. His numerous film credits include Remember the Titans, The Punisher, The Mothman Prophesies, Armageddon, and The Spitfire Grill. He starred in the TNT miniseries Into the West and on the CBS series The Agency and won Obie Awards in the theater for his performances in Fool for Love and What Did He See.