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Kings of the Earth Audiobook
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(3.00) - 1,061 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Author of the award-winning novel Finn, Jon Clinch has drawn favorable comparisons to such luminaries as William Faulkner and Cormac McCarthy. With Kings of the Earth, he weaves the compelling tale of a troubled family haunted by dark secrets. On their upstate New York farm, the three aging Proctor brothers-Vernon, Audie, and Creed-eke out a living. When Vernon dies in his sleep, evidence of asphyxiation quickly turns suspicion upon Audie and Creed. The brothers' estranged sister, their protective neighbor, and others are eventually drawn into the case and offer startling insights. But all these differing perspectives obscure the reality of daily life on the farm, and the truth of what happened that fateful day remains shrouded in mystery. In a starred review, Library Journal calls Kings of the Earth "a gritty but nonetheless warm-hearted and beautifully realized novel." A full cast of talented narrators delivers a gripping performance, providing each character with a unique voice. ". Clinch explores family dynamics in this quiet storm of a novel that will stun readers with its power."-Publishers Weekly, starred review
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"This novel captured my attention from the first pages. Clinch writes from the perspective of the numerous different characters. The Proctor boys, dirt poor dairy farmers in upstate New York become suspects in the death of their oldest brother. Clinch jumps from the present (1990) to the past, as the boys were growing up to explain how they became what they are. This novel was was upsetting and disturbing at times, but beautifully written."
— Jeanine (4 out of 5 stars)
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“This is the kind of fiction we should be reading. Kings of the Earth is eloquent and moving, written with precision and clarity to stave off loss—the loss of history, of art, of humanity.”
— Washington Post -
“In this masterful and compassionate novel...Clinch readily slips into the voices of his diverse cast of characters. Through evocative descriptions of the rural landscape, and by imbuing these odd men with a gentle nobility, Clinch has created a haunting, suspenseful story.”
— O, The Oprah Magazine -
“We know the events that lie behind Clinch’s novel were real and that the novel is not. But the realism here is no less, with writing so vibrant that you feel the bite of a northern wind, smell the rankness of dissipated lives and experience the heart-tug of watching tenuous lives play out their last inches of thread.”
— Los Angeles Times -
“Clinch’s literary alchemy results in a stunning book…Recalling William Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying, each short chapter is broken into a section that is told in the first person. Not only do we get the brothers’ voices, we hear a rural chorus.”
— Dallas Morning News -
“Inspired by the Ward brothers (of the 1992 documentary My Brother’s Keeper), Clinch explores family dynamics in this quiet storm of a novel that will stun readers with its power.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review) -
“[A] gritty but nonetheless warmhearted and beautifully realized novel.”
— Library Journal (starred review) -
“[A] gripping tale of family, life, death, and the hardships and hazards of agricultural work and rural poverty. Spanning nearly sixty years, the story is narrated in multiple voices: the brothers; their neighbor, who tries to protect them from things they don’t understand; a state trooper; and others. It’s an odd but intriguing story, made both odder and more intriguing by the fact that it is based on real people and real events.”
— Booklist -
“With a realism not often present in modern-day fiction, Clinch tells his story with a technique used by William Faulkner and in prose compared to that of Cormac McCarthy; he is eloquent and clear-eyed in everything—from his descriptions of the harsh landscape to the simple brothers’ grueling farm life.”
— Bookmarks magazine -
“Kings of the Earth is blunt and brutal yet beautifully told, a classic tale of family kinship twisted askew…[with] the resonance of a modern ballad—more Waits than Springsteen—about the fate of America's rural outback.”
— Julia Glass, National Book Award-winning author
Awards
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#1 on Oprah’s Summer Reading List
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A 2010 Washington Post Best Book for Fiction
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An Indie Next Notable Title, July 2010
Kings of the Earth Listener Reviews
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" Hard to describe this book...lots of back and forth and up and down...but still easy to follow. Can't wait to talk about it later this month! "
— Debbie, 2/10/2014 -
" I found the multiple time lines distracting. I had to spend too much time thinking about the date of the narrative. There were way too many needless side stories - especially in the older dates. The side stories did nothing to move the plot or explain the characters. "
— Rita, 2/1/2014 -
" Never heard a novel describe stink so much "
— Tom, 1/28/2014 -
" Loved this book. I loved the cadence of the writing. The story told from so many points of view. The love between the three brothers and the visual writing Clinch uses in every paragraph. Can't wait to read Finn. "
— Peri, 1/21/2014 -
" Fascinating story about a rural family buried in tradition and ignorance. The author provides a detailed look at what goes through the minds of three brothers who have known only hardship and poverty. Their sister has managed to escape to a marriage that removes her from the stagnant life of the farm. The writing style is superb in bringing the reader right into the family I loved the book. the only thing I have against it the way the author skipped around. It was hard to keep a train of thought on any one scene. Once you get into it, bam! You're back in time about 30 years. than back to the future again. This is done too often. It confused the heck out of me. "
— Theweed74955, 1/19/2014 -
" Shouldn't really even say I read this book, only made about 100 pages. My book club didn't felt the same way I did... too many good books out there to read to read a book this boring. "
— Nancy, 1/14/2014 -
" Clinch's use of language and ability to evoke emotion from the mundane are unparalleled. He develops each character with compassion, yet distills the essence of their tragic nature with breathtaking clarity, making this this one of the best books I have ever read. "
— Dalia, 11/3/2013 -
" I thought it was a good read "
— Irene, 10/15/2013 -
" Terrible waste of precious reading time!! "
— Denise, 10/10/2013 -
" The writing style was interesting enough, but I don't think I have the proper background to appreciate a story about three old farmers. I gave it 100 pages to pick up speed but it never happened. "
— Hannah, 10/2/2013 -
" This was one odd book - but I did enjoy reading about these three weird brothers living in upstate New York country...a little difficult to follow since the chapters varied in 4-5 different time frames. "
— Joanne, 9/26/2013 -
" Portrayal of people you would never choose to spend your life around, yet you want to protect them from the world that tries to take advantage of them. "
— Carla, 8/22/2013 -
" I finished this book and still have no idea what it was about. I waste of my precious reading time. "
— Lisa, 3/14/2013 -
" Ward boys from Munnsville, NY "My brothers keeper!" "
— Mark, 12/28/2012 -
" Very well written book. I am still a bit confused by the abrupt ending but I loved it. "
— Nicole, 11/7/2012 -
" I thought this book was so boring. I could not get into it. Didn't feel connected to any of the characters. Wish I had more to say about it, but I don't. "
— Danielle, 8/25/2012 -
" This was an amazing story!! I couldn't put this book down. "
— Alanna, 12/3/2011 -
" This is an incredible and well-written story. I must say that the ending threw me... I was looking forward to the trial. "
— Rose, 9/2/2011 -
" So good... but the ending... really?!?! "
— Kristen, 7/10/2011 -
" A busy life made this a long read but well written. I enjoyed it even if I didn't love how the story ended. "
— Crystal, 5/27/2011 -
" Disappointing story. Didn't like the constant changing of time periods and characters telling the tale. It was difficult to follow and I didn't feel the story was resolved at the end, unless I missed it, which is possible because it was so erratic. "
— Amy, 3/30/2011 -
" This is an incredible and well-written story. I must say that the ending threw me... I was looking forward to the trial. "
— Rose, 3/19/2011 -
" slow moving, hard to get through "
— Tori, 3/15/2011 -
" This story about three eccentric brothers who farm the land in New York state had a promising start, but after a while I just got so bored and couldn't read on. Like I completely lost the thread and just didn't give a flying @#%@ what happened next. (Did I just use that expression?) "
— Lauren, 1/23/2011 -
" Disturbing look at three brothers who live & work on a New York farm. The story is told over many decades by various characters. The filthy conditions in which the brothers lived got a little old after a while. "
— Mary, 1/20/2011 -
" Beautiful and interesting writing, but it was just too depressing for me. "
— Britt, 1/17/2011 -
" A little hard to read because of the back and forth narrative. Interesting and different story, however not a satisfying end. "
— Linda, 1/15/2011
About Jon Clinch
Jon Clinch is the author of several novels, including his debut, Finn, which was named an American Library Association Notable Book and was chosen as one of the year’s best books by the Washington Post, the Chicago Tribune, and the Christian Science Monitor. It also won the Philadelphia Athenaeum Literary Award and was shortlisted for the Center for Fiction’s First Novel Prize. His second novel, Kings of the Earth, was named a best book of the year by the Washington Post and led the 2010 Summer Reading List at O, The Oprah Magazine. In 2008, he organized a benefit reading for the financially ailing Twain House, an event that literally saved the house from bankruptcy.
About the Narrators
Rich Orlow is a film, television, and voice actor. Among his audiobook narrations are The Outsider by Jimmy Connors, House Rules by Jodi Picoult, and Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger.
Henry Strozier is an actor with a forty-year career in numerous movies and television series. Also a voice-over artist, he has worked extensively in video games and audiobook narration, earning several AudioFile Earphones Awards.
T. Ryder Smith is an American actor. A native of New York state and long-time resident of New York City, he has appeared frequently on stage, particularly in avant-garde theater works, and in film, sometimes as a voice actor.
Ken Marks is an actor/narrator with almost thirty years experience in New York City and beyond. He is an Earphones Award Winner for his narration of The High Country by Williard Wyman, and currently he can be seen on Broadway as Uncle Ben in the hit musical Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark.
Andrea Gallo is an audiobook narrator whose works include Ungifted by Gordan Korman, The Nosy Neighbor by Fern Michaels, Kings of the Earth by John Clinch, and In Search of Eden by Linda Nichols, among many others.