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Sun Going Down Audiobook
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(4.00) - 172 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Mavis Gallant Award-winning author Jack Todd-an American expat living in Canada-pens an epic work of historical fiction based partly on his own relatives. Spanning the Civil War to the Roaring Twenties, Sun Going Down details three generations of the Paint family as they work to find their places on the untamed American frontier. "This is an impressive, grand work that wants to sit next to Lonesome Dove [and] even mentioning them in the same breath should be telling enough."-Booklist
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"I enjoyed this book, which was a quick read despite its thickness. The real-life background to the incredible story lines makes it all the more fascinating. The author's descriptions of the places his characters (er, family members) inhabit is well crafted -- not overdoing the detail, but choosing the right details to give you the feeling of the place. Like many other (mostly male) writers, Todd seems obsessed by sex and rape scenes. And in this book, some of them are necessarily horrific. I could have done with a bit more allusion and less literal. The ending also left me a little "meh" and wanting a bit more, having invested the emotion and time. All that said, however, I bought this one and will keep it on my shelf to reread again. Recommend."
— Melissa (4 out of 5 stars)
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“Vivid and colorful in its depiction of the West’s transformation from the frontier to the modern age, this is a hardscrabble tale of proud folks who refuse to forgive mistakes or forget faults…[an] epic story, which an afterword notes is based on the lives of relatives, pulpy sweep, and palpable anguish.”
— Publishers Weekly -
“This is an impressive, grand work that wants to sit next to Lonesome Dove [and] even mentioning them in the same breath should be telling enough.”
— Booklist
Sun Going Down Listener Reviews
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" I loved this book. The author develops his characters well and I was quickly taken in and attached to them; further wanting to learn more. There was one area in the middle of the book that was a little slow and you got the impression that the author either didn't know where he wanted to go with the story or that he was not much interested in writing that phase of the book. I thought his depth of historical background was wonderful and his descriptions captivating. I would read something else he has written. "
— Jean, 2/19/2014 -
" It took awhile to get used to the way the author didn't use quotation marks. The way he goes through the generations and switches viewpoints is interesting and well done, as I imagine this would be a difficult thing to do successfully. Once finished the book, I felt like something was missing, like it wasn't supposed to end just yet. Perhaps this was purposeful because obviously the family will continue with the next generation and the next... but, even so, the book felt like it was missing a chapter. I would have liked a reason for ending where he did. "
— Jaclyn, 2/9/2014 -
" One you get past the very beginning, maybe the first 1/8 of the novel, it becomes a wonderful, sweeping epic that you just can't put down. I'm looking forward to the sequel. "
— Gillian, 1/27/2014 -
" The first book in the trilogy. Brilliant depiction of the American West at the turn of 20th century. "
— Robin, 1/25/2014 -
" From the cover: "An extravagant epic; A page-turning tale of adventure; An intimate romance; A story of four generations of one family bound to the land and the fate of the American West" "
— Barbara, 1/19/2014 -
" I LOVED this book. An epic tale of one families struggles through the generations of settling in the midwest. "
— Crystal, 1/8/2014 -
" I sat next to Jack Todd at a booksigning last fall, where we traded books, or I undoubtedly would have missed this ripsnortin' novel of the West. Good job, Jack! "
— Jessica, 11/25/2013 -
" This was a good read up until the last third of the book, when the main hero does a 180 and turns into a complete douchebag. I started to wish someone would knock his teeth out or something. The last part just ruined the whole book for me. "
— L., 11/17/2013 -
" Above-average historical novel and western. I couldn't put it down. "
— Kate, 11/14/2013 -
" I love Westerns "
— Jennifer, 11/9/2013 -
" I adore historical fiction, so this book caught my eye. Once I started reading, I couldn't put it down! I was drawn in immediately by Todd's characters and his vivid description of the events which shaped them. Great read! "
— Jennie, 1/10/2013 -
" Wonderful historical saga based on true facts of the author's family. Can't wait to read more by this author. "
— Debbie, 11/24/2012 -
" Loved this one. Great for anyone who loves historical fiction. Totally compelling and just full of enough daily life details of the period to keep it intestine but not bogged down. "
— Joseph, 10/23/2012 -
" Great book on the history of our early settlers in the west "
— Jacque, 10/21/2012 -
" This was a good story. I enjoyed the generations of Paints and the changing time periods. It's a good read for anyone who enjoys history, especially American History. "
— Heather, 9/21/2012 -
" This was a great book. It is quite long w/ small print, but well worth the time. Extremely well-written, w/ believable characters and situations. "
— Sheila, 9/2/2012 -
" It's been a long time since a book made me cry. This one did! I don't usually read westerns but I totally fell for this one. "
— Rachel, 7/25/2012 -
" great fronteir saga. made me grumble less about my chores. Life was hard back then.The plot/many characters were easy to follow. "
— Magi, 7/20/2012
About Jack Todd
Jack Todd is the author of numerous
books in a variety of genres, including Sun
Going Down and the memoir Desertion,
which won the Quebec Writer’s Federation First Book Prize and the Mavis Gallant
Prize for Non-Fiction. He worked as a hotel clerk, CBC editor, journalist, and
columnist before becoming a novelist.
About James Jenner
James Jenner is an actor known for Very Good Girls, Enemy Territory, and Third Watch.