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The All-True Travels and Adventures of Lidie Newton Audiobook
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(3.01) - 2,496 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Six years after her Pulitzer Prize-winning best-seller, A Thousand Acres, and three years after her witty, acclaimed, and best-selling novel of academe, Moo, Jane Smiley once again demonstrates her extraordinary range and brilliance. Her new novel, set in the 1850s, speaks to us in a splendidly quirky voice--the strong, wry, no-nonsense voice of Lidie Harkness of Quincy, Illinois, a young woman of courage, good sense, and good heart. It carries us into an America so violently torn apart by the question of slavery that it makes our current political battlegrounds seem a peaceable kingdom. Lidie is hard to scare. She is almost shockingly alive--a tall, plain girl who rides and shoots and speaks her mind, and whose straightforward ways paradoxically amount to a kind of glamour. We see her at twenty, making a good marriage--to Thomas Newton, a steady, sweet-tempered Yankee who passes through her hometown on a dangerous mission. He belongs to a group of rashly brave New England abolitionists who dedicate themselves to settling the Kansas Territory with like-minded folk to ensure its entering the Union as a Free State. Lidie packs up and goes with him. And the novel races alongside them into the Territory, into the maelstrom of "Bloody Kansas," where slaveholding Missourians constantly and viciously clash with Free Staters, where wandering youths kill you as soon as look at you--where Lidie becomes even more fervently abolitionist than her husband as the young couple again and again barely escape entrapment in webs of atrocity on both sides of the great question. And when, suddenly, cold-blooded murder invades her own intimate circle, Lidie doesn't falter. She cuts off her hair, disguises herself as a boy, and rides into Missouri in search of the killers--a woman in a fiercely male world, an abolitionist spy in slave territory. On the run, her life threatened, her wits sharpened, she takes on yet another identity--and, in the very midst of her masquerade, discovers herself. Lidie grows increasingly important to us as we follow her travels and adventures on the feverish eve of the War Between the States. With its crackling portrayal of a totally individual and wonderfully articulate woman, its storytelling drive, and its powerful recapturing of an almost forgotten part of the American story, this is Jane Smiley at her enthralling and enriching best.
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"A fascinating historical fiction about the free-staters who came west from New England to help keep Kansas a state without slaves, and the challenges among and between the abolitionists and those who wanted slaves. Told from the perspective of a woman."
— Lynette (4 out of 5 stars)
Awards
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A 1998 New York Times Notable Book for Fiction
The All-True Travels and Adventures of Lidie Newton Listener Reviews
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" Slogged through 1/2 of its 400+ pages before giving it up. Didn't pique. "
— Lori, 2/16/2014 -
" Slogged through 1/2 of its 400+ pages before giving it up. Didn't pique. "
— Lori, 2/16/2014 -
" Oh...it just got really good...rubbing my hands back and forth in anticipation! "
— Jennifer, 2/13/2014 -
" Oh...it just got really good...rubbing my hands back and forth in anticipation! "
— Jennifer, 2/13/2014 -
" Jane Smiley is good but this one didn't leave much of an impression. "
— Sandy, 2/12/2014 -
" Jane Smiley is good but this one didn't leave much of an impression. "
— Sandy, 2/12/2014 -
" I would have liked to have given this book a 3.5 rating. I could have put it down at any time and never picked it up again. BUT, it was a good history lesson. "
— Linda, 2/6/2014 -
" I would have liked to have given this book a 3.5 rating. I could have put it down at any time and never picked it up again. BUT, it was a good history lesson. "
— Linda, 2/6/2014 -
" I loved this book. It was almost like living in those years with her. The only Jane Smiley book I have really enjoyed. The sense of the time, the travel on the rivers, by horse -- family life, death and politics are all wonderfully outlined. "
— Sylvia, 2/3/2014 -
" I loved this book. It was almost like living in those years with her. The only Jane Smiley book I have really enjoyed. The sense of the time, the travel on the rivers, by horse -- family life, death and politics are all wonderfully outlined. "
— Sylvia, 2/3/2014 -
" When I started this book, I was taken by the writing style and format of the story. A little further in, it seemed to become tedious so I skipped over passages here and there. The final three chapters brought me back, but over 400 pages? Too long... "
— CJ, 1/20/2014 -
" This is a adventurous book about the time around the Civil War in the midwest - very fun. "
— Shirley, 1/20/2014 -
" This is a adventurous book about the time around the Civil War in the midwest - very fun. "
— Shirley, 1/20/2014 -
" When I started this book, I was taken by the writing style and format of the story. A little further in, it seemed to become tedious so I skipped over passages here and there. The final three chapters brought me back, but over 400 pages? Too long... "
— CJ, 1/20/2014 -
" an epic read, one of Smiley's best yet. "
— Emma, 12/26/2013 -
" an epic read, one of Smiley's best yet. "
— Emma, 12/26/2013 -
" This is one of the few books that I absolutely could not force myself to finish. "
— Lanette, 11/27/2013 -
" This is one of the few books that I absolutely could not force myself to finish. "
— Lanette, 11/27/2013 -
" Not up to her par with The Thousand Acres. Somewhat interesting to read the history of the early Kansas territory and the beginnings of the Civil War in that area. "
— Pam, 11/12/2013 -
" Not up to her par with The Thousand Acres. Somewhat interesting to read the history of the early Kansas territory and the beginnings of the Civil War in that area. "
— Pam, 11/12/2013 -
" After the first 10 minutes of this audio book, I didn't think I would like it, but it quickly picked up, was entertaining, fairly easy to follow plus kept my attention the entire book. I might even listen again some day. "
— Ed, 6/3/2013 -
" After the first 10 minutes of this audio book, I didn't think I would like it, but it quickly picked up, was entertaining, fairly easy to follow plus kept my attention the entire book. I might even listen again some day. "
— Ed, 6/3/2013 -
" I couldn't finish this book -- too long. I really like Smiley's earlier books. "
— Ellie, 3/9/2013 -
" I couldn't finish this book -- too long. I really like Smiley's earlier books. "
— Ellie, 3/9/2013 -
" Set in the 1800s during the last years of slavery. Lidie Newton is a strong woman who has a hard road to travel. A touching, realistic story I read when I lived in Kansas. Made me feel a bit better about living there at the time. "
— Ruthanne, 2/5/2013 -
" Set in the 1800s during the last years of slavery. Lidie Newton is a strong woman who has a hard road to travel. A touching, realistic story I read when I lived in Kansas. Made me feel a bit better about living there at the time. "
— Ruthanne, 2/5/2013 -
" This book had a plodding character, save the last 100 pages. The protagonist was captivating but the men were disappointingly flat. "
— Virginia, 5/17/2012 -
" This book had a plodding character, save the last 100 pages. The protagonist was captivating but the men were disappointingly flat. "
— Virginia, 5/17/2012 -
" If you don't know Jane Smilely, you should get familiar. She's an excellent author, and this book is different than her norm. I was inspired by Lidie Newton and wish she could have been my friend. "
— Lori, 4/24/2012 -
" If you don't know Jane Smilely, you should get familiar. She's an excellent author, and this book is different than her norm. I was inspired by Lidie Newton and wish she could have been my friend. "
— Lori, 4/24/2012 -
" gritty, independent woman marries an abolitionist and ends up in pre-Civil War Kansas during the conflict with Missouri "
— Marie, 3/11/2012 -
" gritty, independent woman marries an abolitionist and ends up in pre-Civil War Kansas during the conflict with Missouri "
— Marie, 3/11/2012 -
" unfortunately forgettable. "
— Ann, 3/6/2012 -
" unfortunately forgettable. "
— Ann, 3/6/2012 -
" A fascinating historical fiction about the free-staters who came west from New England to help keep Kansas a state without slaves, and the challenges among and between the abolitionists and those who wanted slaves. Told from the perspective of a woman. "
— Lynette, 12/27/2011 -
" I finished 'book 1' of this book, and couldn't make it through 'book 2.' It was an interesting read, but not interesting enough to get through it all. "
— melody, 1/28/2011 -
" I finished 'book 1' of this book, and couldn't make it through 'book 2.' It was an interesting read, but not interesting enough to get through it all. "
— melody, 1/28/2011 -
" Jane Smiley is good but this one didn't leave much of an impression. "
— Sandy, 1/9/2011 -
" Jane Smiley is good but this one didn't leave much of an impression. "
— Sandy, 1/9/2011 -
" I loved the KS-Lawrence-MO setting and learned a lot from this book. I'd forgotten about it until I was explaining how much I liked this author! "
— Jan, 1/8/2011 -
" I loved the KS-Lawrence-MO setting and learned a lot from this book. I'd forgotten about it until I was explaining how much I liked this author! "
— Jan, 1/8/2011 -
" After the first 10 minutes of this audio book, I didn't think I would like it, but it quickly picked up, was entertaining, fairly easy to follow plus kept my attention the entire book. I might even listen again some day. "
— Ed, 10/15/2010 -
" After the first 10 minutes of this audio book, I didn't think I would like it, but it quickly picked up, was entertaining, fairly easy to follow plus kept my attention the entire book. I might even listen again some day. "
— Ed, 10/15/2010 -
" This was historically very interesting and I enjoyed the characters, but wouldn't call it a Must Read! "
— Connie, 8/29/2010 -
" This was historically very interesting and I enjoyed the characters, but wouldn't call it a Must Read! "
— Connie, 8/29/2010 -
" Enjoyed it, and learned a lot about Kansas in the 1850's. Not a place I would want to be living!! Wouldn't call it a fantastic book though, as it dragged a bit in some parts, and just wasn't what I was expecting it to be. "
— Kyria, 7/30/2010 -
" Enjoyed it, and learned a lot about Kansas in the 1850's. Not a place I would want to be living!! Wouldn't call it a fantastic book though, as it dragged a bit in some parts, and just wasn't what I was expecting it to be. "
— Kyria, 7/30/2010 -
" life in Lawrence, KS in late 1800's. "
— Judy, 6/28/2010 -
" life in Lawrence, KS in late 1800's. "
— Judy, 6/28/2010 -
" It was just too slow for me. I liked Lidie, but she was written so passively that I couldn't stay awake. "
— Marshaferz, 6/19/2010 -
" A woman's experiences in pre-civil war USA. Well written "
— Jeanne, 6/19/2010 -
" It was just too slow for me. I liked Lidie, but she was written so passively that I couldn't stay awake. "
— Marshaferz, 6/19/2010 -
" A woman's experiences in pre-civil war USA. Well written "
— Jeanne, 6/19/2010
About Jane Smiley
Jane Smiley is the author of numerous novels, including A Thousand Acres, which was awarded the Pulitzer Prize, as well of works of nonfiction and books for young adults. A member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, she has also received the PEN Center USA Lifetime Achievement Award for Literature. In 2001 she was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
About Anna Fields
Kate Fleming (a.k.a. Anna Fields) (1965–2006), winner of more than a dozen Earphones Awards and the prestigious Audie Award in 2004, was one of the most respected narrators in the industry. Trained at the Actors Theatre of Louisville, she was also a director, producer, and technician at her own studio, Cedar House Audio.