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The Brothers K Audiobook
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(4.00) - 6,290 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK
Once in a great while a writer comes along who can truly capture the drama and passion of the life of a family. David James Duncan, author of the novel The River Why and the collection River Teeth, is just such a writer. And in The Brothers K he tells a story both striking and in its originality and poignant in its universality.
This touching, uplifting novel spans decades of loyalty, anger, regret, and love in the lives of the Chance family. A father whose dreams of glory on a baseball field are shattered by a mill accident. A mother who clings obsessively to religion as a ward against the darkest hour of her past. Four brothers who come of age during the seismic upheavals of the sixties and who each choose their own way to deal with what the world has become. By turns uproariously funny and deeply moving, and beautifully written throughout, The Brothers K is one of the finest chronicles of our lives in many years.
Praise for The Brothers K
“The pages of The Brothers K sparkle.”—The New York Times Book Review
“Duncan is a wonderfully engaging writer.”—Los Angeles Times
“This ambitious book succeeds on almost every level and every page.”—USA Today
“Duncan’s prose is a blend of lyrical rhapsody, sassy hyperbole and all-American vernacular.”—San Francisco Chronicle
“The Brothers K affords the . . . deep pleasures of novels that exhaustively create, and alter, complex worlds. . . . One always senses an enthusiastic and abundantly talented and versatile writer at work.”—The Washington Post Book World
“Duncan . . . tells the larger story of an entire popular culture struggling to redefine itself—something he does with the comic excitement and depth of feeling one expects from Tom Robbins.”—Chicago Tribune
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"Duncan's use of language is amazing! That is a sad little explanation describing what he does and why this book is so great. He is just so honest with everything. I loved every second of this book and laughed until I cried while reading it. When you are done with the book, each main character has become someone you know personally and you love them and don't want it to end. I do have to warn the people that don't like to read salty language...it's in here. Beware. OK, I've done my duty."
— Heather (5 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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The pages of The Brothers K sparkle.
— The New York Times Book Review -
Duncan is a wonderfully engaging writer.
— Los Angeles Times -
This ambitious book succeeds on almost every level and every page.
— USA Today -
Duncan’s prose is a blend of lyrical rhapsody, sassy hyperbole and all-American vernacular.
— San Francisco Chronicle -
The Brothers K affords the . . . deep pleasures of novels that exhaustively create, and alter, complex worlds. . . . One always senses an enthusiastic and abundantly talented and versatile writer at work.
— The Washington Post Book World -
Duncan . . . tells the larger story of an entire popular culture struggling to redefine itself—something he does with the comic excitement and depth of feeling one expects from Tom Robbins.
— Chicago Tribune
The Brothers K Listener Reviews
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" Possibly my favorite novel of all time, competing with Potok's The Chosen. "
— Jennifer, 2/13/2014 -
" This book is epic. 5 brothers growing up in the sixties. "
— Aimee, 2/8/2014 -
" Excellent writing, insightful look at family life and the sixties "
— Pegeen, 1/30/2014 -
" (Thanks James, why didn't I read this years ago when you recommended it?) "
— H., 1/30/2014 -
" This is my all time favorite book. Duncan manages to delve into a families life and love for one another without being cheesy. He is also insightful and hilarious. "
— Brandon, 1/29/2014 -
" Such a great novel, the writing was delicious - so well crafted! Amazing family saga, and if you're familiar with "The Brothers Karamazov" you'll get a kick out of the subtle similarities to the three brothers... Just beautiful, moving and a pleasure to read. "
— Jenny, 1/23/2014 -
" One of my favorite books. Set in Vietnam era and as the first description I encountered of it read "about the important things in life: God, family, and baseball." Funny and marvelous. Re-read every 1-2 years. "
— Joel, 1/20/2014 -
" I hatehatehate baseball, but Duncan is such an excellent author, I actually cared about the father's baseball career. I loved this family and the book feels new every time I read it. "
— Marsena, 1/18/2014 -
" This went no where. Had no interest in it after 50 pages. "
— Steve, 1/11/2014 -
" A beautiful novel that chronicles an amazing family through the eyes of one of the brothers "K". I laughed, I cried, and was sad to tell the characters goodbye. What more can you ask? "
— Holly, 1/10/2014 -
" One of my all-time favorites. Awesome character development. "
— Emily, 1/5/2014 -
" It's been years since I read this book in my Oregon bookgroup, although my Texas book group read it this year (yeah, I know,l am a slacker). My memory (as the estrogen pours out of my brain) is of a wonderful tale masterfully told. "
— BlueLikeTheSky, 12/30/2013 -
" This is one of those books that you get so involved with that you feel like you are part of the family. You laugh, you cry. You never want this book to end. "
— Renel, 12/16/2013 -
" This is a great book about family, relationships, baseball, and love. This may be the only time in my life I experience a deep appreciation for baseball. "
— Leah, 12/10/2013 -
" Other people get just as annoyed as I do about mixing up "your" and "you're." :) "
— Katrina, 4/24/2013 -
" I got so attached to the characters and to the Chance family in general. Definitely a page-turner and I loved his writing style. Awesome book! "
— Karlie, 4/23/2013 -
" 80 pages is enough to tell you if something is worth finishing. Not worth finishing. "
— Zach, 4/20/2013 -
" Family, religion, politics and baseball!! This book has it all and is told in such an endearing tone you don't want to put it down and can even be heard chuckling out loud while reading. Highly recommend. Good for women but especially for guys that like baseball. "
— Ltshaw, 3/23/2013 -
" Great book about family, especially the complexity of sibling relationships. Once it got going I couldn't put it down. "
— Kerrycapp, 2/8/2013 -
" Ryan introduced this book to me when we were dating...awesome! "
— Ashleigh, 11/24/2012 -
" Incredible - excellent read and I'm not a baseball fan. this book made me laugh and weep - themes of family, love, war, baseball, growing up, pacific northwest - all wrapped into a sweeping saga that is beautifully written. Highly recommend "
— Frances, 6/8/2012 -
" READ THIS. Lots of laughs and tears. Just wonderful. "
— Mary, 3/20/2012 -
" A novel that combines American history, cultural criticism, philosophy, theology, family relations and especially baseball with remarkable humor throughout the sprawling story. This is a classic and now is the best season of the year to read it again. "
— Roy, 11/24/2011 -
" Its been a really long time since I was so fully engaged in a story. The characters are so very realistic that it is hard to believe that they do not exist outside of David James Duncan's mind. Amazing, amazing, amazing. I recommend it to everyone. "
— Karyn, 10/16/2011 -
" Stroy was great and I could really relate to the big family aspects. Little too much profanity for my liking, but a great story. "
— LauraLee, 9/14/2011 -
" I can't believe I finally finished it! I had a hard time with the first half, but the second half was un-put-down-able. "
— Tracywendt, 7/11/2011 -
" Loved it. Would give it 5 stars but I had a hard time getting through some of Peter & Everett's college days...this may or may not be due to pregnancy brain. "
— Jill, 7/9/2011 -
" What a creative author! Why hasn't he published any new books in the past 15 years? The use of four letter words keeps me from recommending it to others though they were appropriate in context. "
— Conrad, 6/22/2011 -
" Wow! Completely new take on the Brothers Karamazov! Not aligned enough to be plagiarism, but reminiscent of the style (anecdotal, drawn-out, etc.) of Dostoevsky and carrying vague plot references, enough for me to be just satisfied. Also completely hilarious. "
— Ariel, 6/17/2011 -
" Great read. Really well written. Not often I can enjoy a book that delves into religion as much as this one did. Can get a little scattered and long winded at times. Helps to enjoy baseball. I'm sure there are some deeper meanings I missed but I still liked it. "
— Jim, 6/4/2011 -
" So good I bought it for my stepdad, and my mother has already stolen it from him. Made me care about baseball.<br/><br/> "
— Leah, 6/4/2011 -
" This sprawling opus chronicles one family's journey from innocence to brokenness and back to something not unlike wholeness. Capturing both the joy and sorrow of coming of age, The Brothers K is a memorable portrait of love and faith that endures the weathering of life. "
— Mike, 6/2/2011 -
" I'm in the midst of this book, which was highly recommended by a friend. I'm lukewarm on the book. My reading of this has been put aside. "
— John, 5/24/2011 -
" After a slow start, I soon found that I couldn't put it down. The author is clearly "swinging for the fences" with this one and he is mostly successful (maybe a "triple" anyway). Sort of "Look Homeward Angel" meets Forrest Gump. "
— David, 5/1/2011 -
" Not going to lie, this book starts getting good at 292...(645pages) if you can hang tough you won't be disappointed. It is definitely something that I would not read unless chosen by my book club, which it was. But I'm very glad that I read it and I really liked it. "
— Kim, 4/22/2011 -
" Excellent character book. I thought the first half was better than the second, but it was brought all together again at the end. The characters were entertaining and lovable. An excellent family saga. "
— Sarah, 4/5/2011 -
" Easily one of my top 5. This is a book that makes you wonder what you love more....the story or the words themselves. Masterful. Was very excited recently to learn this was being assigned in school. Well worth reading. "
— Mary, 3/31/2011 -
" I loved this book. Wow -- such a great story. The last 30-40 pages were serious tear-jerkers. I found myself having a hard time holding back tears on the afternoon ferry commute. "
— Melanie, 3/15/2011
About David James Duncan
David James Duncan, novelist, essayist, and fly fisherman, is the award-winning author of two bestselling novels, as well as a collection of short stories and a memoir. His novel The Brothers K won the American Library Association Best Books Award and was a New York Times Notable Book. His work has appeared in Harper’s, Sierra, and Gray’s Sporting Journal. He lives with his family beside a Montana trout stream.
About Robertson Dean
Robertson Dean has played leading roles on and off Broadway and at dozens of regional theaters throughout the country. He has a BA from Tufts University and an MFA from Yale. His audiobook narration has garnered ten AudioFile Earphones Awards. He now lives in Los Angeles, where he works in film and television in addition to narrating.