Dave is fourteen years old, living with his family in a cabin on Oregon's Mount Hood (or as he prefers to call it, like the Multnomah tribal peoples once did, Wy'east). Dave will soon enter high school, with adulthood and a future not far off—a future away from his mother, father, his precocious younger sister, and the wilderness where he's lived all his life.
And Dave is not the only one approaching adulthood and its freedoms on Wy'east that summer. Martin, a pine marten (of the mustelid family), is leaving his own mother and siblings and setting off on his own as well.
As Dave and Martin set off on their own adventures, their lives, paths, and trails will cross, weave, and blend. Why not come with them as they set forth into the forest and crags of Oregon's soaring mountain wilderness in search of life, family, friends, enemies, wonder, mystery, and good things to eat?
Martin Marten is a braided coming-of-age tale like no other, told in Brian Doyle's joyous, rollicking style.
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“There is adventure, near tragedy, and romance in this luminous novel. The descriptions of the woods will inspire any city dweller to go on a hike. Verdict: Teens will want to read about the lives of Dave and his friends and be introduced to the fast, clever Martin.”
— School Library Journal
“Doyle is a born storyteller…Life in the Northwest woods may be fanciful in Martin Marten, but the characters emerge true as rain.”
— Seattle Times“Doyle seeks that magical connection with the reader and, in Martin Marten, is wonderfully successful in his effort.”
— Portland Book Review“This telling of at least some of [Mt. Hood]’s tales flows along absorbingly, avoiding sentiment while imparting a quiet acceptance of the rhythms of the natural and human worlds…Highly recommended; even city slickers can love.:
— Library Journal (starred review)Be the first to write a review about this audiobook!
Brian Doyle (1956–2017), author of The Plover, Grace Notes, Cat’s Foot, and many other books, was the longtime editor of Portland Magazine at the University of Portland, in Oregon. His many honors include three Pushcart Prizes and Foreword Reviews‘ Book of the Year Award. He won a Pacific Northwest Book Award in 2016 for his collection Children & Other Wild Animals. And in 2018 he was awarded that group’s Indie Spirit Honor in recognition of his body of work and vigorous support of independent booksellers in the Northwest and beyond.
Travis Baldree is a full-time audiobook narrator who has lent his voice to hundreds of stories. Before that, he spent decades designing and building video games like Torchlight, Rebel Galaxy, and Fate. He now also writes books.