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Idyll Banter (Abridged): Weekly Excursions to a Very Small Town Audiobook
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(3.06) - 385 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
In March 1986, while living in Brooklyn, Chris Bohjalian and his wife were cab-napped on a Saturday night and taken on a forty-five-minute joy ride in which the driver ignored all traffic lights and stop signs. Around midnight he deposited the young couple on a near-deserted street, where police officers were about to storm a crack house. Bohjalian and his wife were told to hit the ground for their own protection. While lying on the pavement, Bohjalian's wife suggested that perhaps it was time to move to New England. Months later they traded in their co-op in Brooklyn for a century-old Victorian house in Lincoln, Vermont (population 975), and Bohjalian began chronicling life in that town in a wide variety of magazine essays and in his newspaper column, "Idyll Banter." These pieces, written weekly for twelve years and collected here for the first time, serve as a diary of both this writer's life and how America has been transformed in the last decade. Rich with idiosyncratic universals that come with being a parent, a child, and a spouse, Chris Bohjalian's personal observations are a reflection of our own common experience. "Chris Bohjalian is a terrific columnist—thoughtful and thought-provoking. Just like me! No, really, this guy is good." —Dave Barry, author of Boogers Are My Beat “The best book I’ve ever read about life in a contemporary village. There’s no doubt that Chris Bohjalian has established himself as one of America’s finest, most thoughtful, and most humane writers.” —Howard Frank Mosher
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"I loved this book. It helps that I like reading newspaper columns, and that my parents and sister own homes and land in Lincoln, VT - so I know that the stories are true to life. I even knew a few people in the book. But even if you have never been to Lincoln it is a view of life in a small town - a life we should all aspire to."
— Laurie (5 out of 5 stars)
Idyll Banter Listener Reviews
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" Enchanting glimpse into the magic of small-town life:) "
— James, 2/15/2014 -
" Liked this so much more than the last two novels of his that I read. Reminds me of living in Northern New England, and the people I love and the land I treasure. It's a bunch of short articles, so the book stayed in the car and I read it as I waited around for people. Easy to put down, but just as easy to pick up. "
— Katie, 2/14/2014 -
" amusing....not good enough to keep to read again though, when there is so much else out there to read! "
— Martha, 2/13/2014 -
" cute, you get the feel and idea of chris bohjalin's life in a small town in vermont, lincoln to be exact...short newspaper articles he published. feel good little stories-fun read "
— Carrie, 2/7/2014 -
" A compilation of newspaper style antedotes written by the author of Midwives and a number of other good books I have read. Stories are about his life in VT. "
— Tina, 2/1/2014 -
" A quick read. These are articles (with the exceptions of one fiction short story at the end) Bohjalian wrote about his very small town in Vermont. Very well written, interesting, and frequently amusing. It was nice to learn a little about his private life. "
— Maggie, 1/21/2014 -
" Loved it! Anyone who has spent a lot of time in a small, rural town or wishes they lived in one will like this book. "
— Dmacken2, 1/14/2014 -
" I really liked this book. It's essays written by the author that were published in newspapers, magazines, etc. And the whole "slice of life" style of writing and stories he told just made me happy !! "
— Melissa, 11/28/2013 -
" An edited collection from his long running weekly column in the Burlington Free Press. Fantastic stories that give the reader a glimpse into life in Vermont. Both funny and poignant! "
— Jeff, 11/10/2013 -
" What a great read! Wonderful characters and they all are real. Very enjoyable. "
— Meg, 11/9/2013 -
" Chris used to write a weekly column in the Sunday Edition of the Burlington Free Press, the state's largest newspaper. It was a great read, and was the main reason why I read the paper each week. This book is a collection of stories of things that have happened to Chris. It's a great read! "
— Charles, 10/22/2013 -
" Just a nice read about small town life in Lincoln, VT. The essays here are from a variety of magazine essays written by Bohjalian and from his newspaper column, "Idyll Banter". "
— Amy, 10/11/2013 -
" I grew up in VT so the book's subject matter was very familiar and enjoyable to me "
— K, 9/22/2013 -
" This compilation of articles written weekly for the Burlington Free Press was a perfect vacation read. I cuaght myself smiling at some and tearing up at others and truly apprecitaed his observations and honesty. I plan to check out his column from now on! "
— Kim, 4/12/2013 -
" Good but I didn't finish "
— Sarah, 4/6/2013 -
" I just can't give this feel good book a chance. I've seen this premise before - spoiled self indulgent writer writes (in this case compiles) a memoir. I'm tired of memoirs, finding a good one was like finding a real artist in the Milli Vanilli era of music. "
— Trissa, 1/7/2013 -
" Made me laugh, made me cry, made me remember why I love being from a small town. "
— Courtney, 9/23/2012 -
" A great collection of newspaper columns and short stories about life in small town Vermont. I could relate to a number of his observations about New England and how it has changed in the past 20 years or so. Very fun to read! "
— Patty, 8/31/2012 -
" If you like Bohjalian's fiction, you'll probably also enjoy reading his anecdotes about living in Vermont. "
— Victoria, 8/17/2012 -
" Nice book, some good insight into a favorite author "
— Rebecca, 8/2/2012 -
" short, quick, sunshine and happy hippy VT short stories. "
— Kaitron, 7/5/2012 -
" If you live in Vermont--or just wish you did--check this book out. Bohjalian nails it. "
— Mary, 4/30/2012 -
" I didn't realise this was just an account of his life. It was boring. I couldn't finish it "
— Joanna, 10/27/2011 -
" Cute, but not one of his best. "
— Donna, 5/15/2011 -
" I really enjoyed this one. I particularly enjoyed Bohjalian's humor in some of the stories he told. "
— Dana, 4/21/2011 -
" I might have thought more highly of this book if I hadn't just read Winesburg, Ohio. "
— Terry, 4/15/2011 -
" Listened to this on CD, and it was fun. "
— Amanda, 3/15/2011 -
" while reading this I smiled, I chuckled, I sighed... <br/>I wanted to pack my bag and move to Vermont. "
— Marshawc, 3/8/2011 -
" I really enjoyed this one. I particularly enjoyed Bohjalian's humor in some of the stories he told. "
— Dana, 8/9/2010 -
" Nice book, some good insight into a favorite author "
— Rebecca, 3/16/2010 -
" Just a nice read about small town life in Lincoln, VT. The essays here are from a variety of magazine essays written by Bohjalian and from his newspaper column, "Idyll Banter". <br/> <br/> "
— Amy, 3/1/2010 -
" Enchanting glimpse into the magic of small-town life:) "
— James, 1/24/2010 -
" I just can't give this feel good book a chance. I've seen this premise before - spoiled self indulgent writer writes (in this case compiles) a memoir. I'm tired of memoirs, finding a good one was like finding a real artist in the Milli Vanilli era of music. <br/> <br/> <br/> "
— Trissa, 1/9/2010 -
" What a great read! Wonderful characters and they all are real. Very enjoyable. "
— Meg, 12/30/2009 -
" I really liked this book. It's essays written by the author that were published in newspapers, magazines, etc. And the whole "slice of life" style of writing and stories he told just made me happy !! "
— Melissa, 12/18/2009 -
" A great collection of newspaper columns and short stories about life in small town Vermont. I could relate to a number of his observations about New England and how it has changed in the past 20 years or so. Very fun to read! "
— Patty, 9/17/2009 -
" amusing....not good enough to keep to read again though, when there is so much else out there to read! "
— Martha, 7/30/2009 -
" A quick read. These are articles (with the exceptions of one fiction short story at the end) Bohjalian wrote about his very small town in Vermont. Very well written, interesting, and frequently amusing. It was nice to learn a little about his private life. "
— Maggie, 7/11/2009 -
" I like these little snippets into VT life, makes me yearn to visit New England. <br/>He has a lovely writing style, almost feels like fiction, the characters and situations are brimming with vitality. I liked it. "
— Alison, 4/2/2009
About Chris Bohjalian
Chris Bohjalian is the New York Times bestselling author of twenty-four books, including The Flight Attendant, which has been made into an HBO Max limited series. His novels Secrets of Eden, Midwives, and Past the Bleachers were made into movies. His work has been translated into more than thirty- five languages. He is also a playwright He can be found at chrisbohjalian.com or on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Litsy, and Goodreads.