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The Devil's Dream Audiobook
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(3.05) - 555 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
A New York Times Notable Book of the Year, The Devil's Dream is an animated, lyrical novel that is meant to be savored as spoken word. Consummate storyteller Lee Smith's creation will delight anyone who enjoys the sound of language and a good story. Preacher's son Moses Bailey believed that the fiddle was the voice of the Devil and denied his wife the pleasure of the music she dearly loved. She fiddled for her three children behind her husband's back. Thus begins a magnificent 150-year saga of a musical Southern family featuring barn dances, medicine shows, the Grand Ole Opry, and the evolution of country music from hymns to rockabilly. Generations of authentic, down-home mountain people spring to life, colorful dialects and all, through the magic of several extraordinary narrators. Each chapter, a story in itself, will move listeners with its passion, emotion, warmth, and intimacy.
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"The only negative thing I have to say about this book is I sometimes got the characters confused. That being said, don't let anything stop you from reading this novel. It reads like what could have been the Carter family history. Being from the "Music City" I know something about Mamma Mae Belle and her family. Having a Father who never lost his country roots, I can appreciate the hard life many of the fictional characters suffered. Their suffering came out often in their music, which is the thing about music isn't it? It reflects one's life."
— Cindy (4 out of 5 stars)
The Devil's Dream Listener Reviews
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" Great family saga. Will definitely try to read more by Lee Smith. "
— Cjperkins33, 1/5/2014 -
" It was slow to get into, but I enjoyed the second half immensely. A well-crafted story about an often-forgotten region and era: bluegrass and country western music in Appalachia, Family Von Trapp-style. Mostly tragic with unusually deep characters that are entirely unaware of their own complexity. "
— Lauren, 12/10/2013 -
" Excellent Appalachian fiction from a powerful writer. "
— Rachel, 11/29/2013 -
" Love the way music is actually a character in this book. "
— Kim, 10/24/2013 -
" A dense and beautiful love song for all of Smith's country heroes. "
— Heather, 10/17/2013 -
" Good book, very accurate representation of life in the Appalachains. Includes the ups and downs of real life, disfunctional families and all. Characters come alive thru the dialogue. "
— Paula, 9/27/2013 -
" Really good historical NC fiction. "
— Mary, 9/11/2013 -
" You love music? You love books about the south? Read this. Lee Smith at her best. "
— Cheryl, 2/12/2013 -
" Loved the story, but could not keep up with the characters due to the way it was written (in chapters telling stories from various characters' points of view). "
— Robin, 10/26/2012 -
" Very nice, I actually read it because of the subject matter. She's no Margaret Attwood or Annie Proulx nor nothing like that, but this swings along and tells the truth. "
— Paul, 4/8/2012 -
" I have always thought Oral History was my favorite of Lee Smith's books, but it may now be The Devil's Dream. "
— Denton, 1/30/2012 -
" Smith weaves magic around her charaxters--or maybe she makes them seem magical. This novel lags at the end, however. "
— Enid, 10/23/2011 -
" This is one of my absolute favorite books! It's wonderful. That's it. Read it. "
— Becky, 9/6/2011 -
" This book wasn't the page turner for me like "Fair and Tender Ladies". "
— Renee, 5/20/2011 -
" absolutley loved it! there were a few things i would have liked a bit better BUT seriously? not worth complaining about!! READ IT!! a great story! "
— Mich, 4/6/2011 -
" A slow starter, but ultimately utterly powerful and compelling. One of Smith's best. "
— A., 12/24/2010 -
" My fave author. Recent books are three or four stars compared with first ones, which are all 5. Oral History is a classic for all women to read, all literature and writing students to study. "
— Cindy, 11/8/2010 -
" Loved the story, but could not keep up with the characters due to the way it was written (in chapters telling stories from various characters' points of view). "
— Robin, 2/22/2010 -
" A dense and beautiful love song for all of Smith's country heroes. "
— Heather, 8/5/2009 -
" My fave author. Recent books are three or four stars compared with first ones, which are all 5. Oral History is a classic for all women to read, all literature and writing students to study. "
— Cindy, 9/4/2008 -
" A slow starter, but ultimately utterly powerful and compelling. One of Smith's best. "
— A., 8/2/2008 -
" Darn, I wrote a review but it didn't save it. <br/>Read it anyway. "
— Danielle, 1/8/2008 -
" This is one of my absolute favorite books! It's wonderful. That's it. Read it. "
— Becky, 12/31/2007 -
" Very nice, I actually read it because of the subject matter. She's no Margaret Attwood or Annie Proulx nor nothing like that, but this swings along and tells the truth. "
— Paul, 10/31/2007
About Lee Smith
Lee Smith is a New York Times bestselling novelist. She has written numerous novels and short story collections, including Saving Grace, Fair and Tender Ladies, and a novella, The Christmas Letters. Her novel The Last Girls won the Southern Book Critics Circle Award and the North Carolina Award for Literature; two of her short story collections also won the O. Henry Award. Smith currently lives in Hillsborough, North Carolina.
About the Narrators
Linda Stephens is a seasoned audiobook narrator whose readings include Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell, which won an AudioFile Earphones Award and was a finalist for the Audie Award for Best Narration.
Mark Hammer has had long and distinguished career in the theater. After earning an undergraduate degree from Stanford University, he completed an MFA degree at Catholic University. For twenty-three years after that, he served on the drama faculty at that university and as co-chairman of its MFA acting program. For the last sixteen of those years, he was also a member of the resident acting company at Washington, DC’s Arena Stage. There, he had significant roles in both classic and contemporary dramas. He was twice nominated for the Helen Hayes Award for his performances in Cloud Nine and The Wild Duck. He has also appeared in several Broadway plays. Hammer was proud to be chosen to narrate the opening film of the permanent exhibit for the National Holocaust Museum.
Sally Darling, a graduate of Wellesley, made her professional debut as Anna in The King and I with members of the original Broadway cast. She worked with Katherine Houghton in a production of Murder in the Cathedral performed in the chapel at West Point Military Academy. As a director, she has workshopped productions of musicals slated for Broadway. She has directed numerous regional productions and has created several revues. She is also an acclaimed audiobook narrator.
Tom Stechschulte (1948–2021) was an acclaimed narrator and winner of the prestigious Audie Award for Best Narration. He had been a college athlete and business major when a friend dared him to audition for a play. He got the part and traded the locker room for the dressing room, eventually taking him to New York City and to recording audiobooks.
Alyssa Bresnahan is a dynamic dancer, actor, and audiobook narrator. She has narrated over two hundred audiobooks, has earned twenty Earphones Awards, and was named one of AudioFile magazine’s Golden Voices. In 2009 she was a finalist for the prestigious Audie Award for best fiction narration.
Christina Moore is an actress and Earphones Award–winning audiobook narrator. As an actress, she is best known for her roles in the television series That ’70s Show, Hawthorne, and 90210. She is a founding member of Bitches Funny, an all-female sketch group that has performed in New York City and Los Angeles.
Ruth Ann Phimister has appeared off Broadway and in numerous regional productions, including Life with Father with Robert Reed. She has also worked in television, film, and commercial voice-over.
C. J. Critt is a veteran of Broadway, regional theater, poetry slams, and solo shows. Hailed “Spoken Word Queen” by the Dallas Observer, Critt is a produced writer-director, an Audie nominee, and a CableACE Award winner.