Play Audiobook Sample
The Sisters Brothers: A Novel Audiobook
Play Audiobook Sample
(3.00) - 26,377 listener ratings
Quick Stats About this Audiobook
Total Audiobook Chapters:
Longest Chapter Length:
Shortest Chapter Length:
Average Chapter Length:
Audiobooks by this Author:
Publisher Description
SOON TO BE A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE STARRING JAKE GYLLENHAAL, JOHN C. REILLY AND JOAQUIN PHOENIX
A BOOKER PRIZE FINALIST
AND A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: Publishers Weekly • Amazon • Hudson Booksellers • Washington Post
Hermann Kermit Warm is going to die. The enigmatic and powerful man known only as the Commodore has ordered it, and his henchmen, Eli and Charlie Sisters, will make sure of it. Though Eli doesn’t share his brother’s appetite for whiskey and killing, he’s never known anything else. But their prey isn’t an easy mark, and on the road from Oregon City to Warm’s gold-mining claim outside Sacramento, Eli begins to question what he does for a living-and whom he does it for.
With The Sisters Brothers, Patrick deWitt pays homage to the classic Western, transforming it into an unforgettable comic tour de force. Filled with a remarkable cast of characters-losers, cheaters, and ne’er-do-wells from all stripes of life-and told by a complex and compelling narrator, it is a violent, lustful odyssey through the underworld of the 1850s frontier that beautifully captures the humor, melancholy, and grit of the Old West and two brothers bound by blood, violence, and love.
Download and start listening now!
"A simple and very readable novel from the first person perspective on one of two brother hit men on a mission. The writing was not particularly complex and there were no wicked twists to the story, but the writing style had an almost naive truthfulness to it that had me really feeling like I was stepping in the shoes of a man for which I had little compassion. For some reason, I still cared about what was happening to him, and couldn't put this book down."
— Outdoorchris (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
-
“A masterful, hilarious picaresque.”
— Wells Tower, New York Times bestselling author -
“Gritty, as well as deadpan and often very comic.”
— New York Times Book Review -
“If Cormac McCarthy had a sense of humor, he might have concocted a story like Patrick deWitt’s bloody, darkly funny western.”
— Los Angeles Times -
“Thrilling…a lushly voiced picaresque story…so richly told, so detailed, that what emerges is a weird circus of existence…At some level, this too is a kind of revenge story, marvelously blurry.”
— Esquire -
"[A] dark, funny, brutal Western about a pair of hired killers, at least one of whom has a conscience. It covers some of the same ground as [Cormac McCarthy’s] Blood Meridian and has a lot more fun along the way.”
— GQ magazine -
“John Pruden has just enough of that laid-back cowboy drawl to allow the listener to slip into another time. His pitch-perfect rendition is a wonderful complement to this story about two soldiers of fortune traveling through ‘old Californy’ during the Gold Rush days.”
— AudioFile -
“Weirdly funny, startingly violent, and steeped in sadness…It’s all rendered irresistible by Eli Sisters, who narrates with a mixture of melancholy and thoughtfulness.”
— Washington Post -
“Mesmerizing…The book seduces us to its characters, and draws us on the strength of deWitt’s subtle, nothing-wasted prose.”
— Cleveland Plain Dealer -
“At once dark and touching, The Sisters Brothers has something on every page to make you laugh. Patrick deWitt has given us a gift, reimagining the old west in a thoroughly original manner. Readers are all the better for it.”
— Charles Bock, New York Times bestselling author
Awards
-
A New York Times bestseller
-
A 2011 Publishers Weekly Best Book for Fiction
-
Selected for the May 2011 Indie Next List
-
A 2011 ALA Notable Book for Fiction
-
An 2011 Amazon Top 10 Book for Fiction
-
A 2011 Scotiabank Giller Prize Finalist
-
A 2011 Governor General’s Literary Award Finalist
-
A 2011 Washington Post Notable Book for Fiction
-
A 2012 RUSA Notable Book for Fiction
-
A 2011 Man Booker Prize Finalist
-
Winner of the 2012 Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humor
-
A GQ Pick of Modern Classics
-
A Publishers Weekly Pick of 10 Must- Read Crime Books Set in the American West
The Sisters Brothers Listener Reviews
-
—
peter , 9/12/2020
-
" Still on my California noir kick. This time, Gold Rush-era noir with a more or less happy ending. Recommended. "
— Erin, 2/14/2014 -
" i loved the premise and the writing. i love the feel of old america and cowboys and roughing it. the story wasn't anything special and the plot seemed to go nowhere. could've been way better "
— sullivan, 1/20/2014 -
" This book was outstanding. This is a truly unique work of fiction that is has some of the most vivid characters that I've read about in a long time. Underneath the tale of these rough men is a touching story about the hearts of men. "
— Cynthia, 1/12/2014 -
" I will admit that I only chose this book because of the cover and the fact that it was shortlisted for the Booker prize. However, I couldn't stop reading it! It was funny, witty, and threw me into the world of the Wild West which is not typical of the books I choose. You really come to like the "bad guys" in the book, and I enjoyed that. The ending was also perfect! "
— Merissa, 1/7/2014 -
" Not your typical Western. I really enjoyed this book. "
— Wendy, 1/4/2014 -
" The book that got me back into reading. "
— Luke, 12/27/2013 -
" Entertaining!! "
— Diane, 11/18/2013 -
" Unusually endearing. A but different but a really nice read. There's something for everyone in this book. "
— Sharon, 11/12/2013 -
" its a sad, slightly disturbing story - a bit gross at points - but surprisingly funny. i enjoyed this relatively simple read. "
— Astropixie, 10/17/2013 -
" Loved this book! Best book so far in 2013. Finished it in a few days and I haven't sped through a book like that in years. I kept thinking how can I be so horrified but in love with the characters at the same time. The main character is especially endearing. I'll miss him. "
— Brandy73, 8/13/2013 -
" quick fun read with strong characters and interesting plot scenarios. "
— Tamera, 7/9/2013 -
" I really enjoyed this. In particular I found the language and voice fantastic. A very entertaining quick read. "
— Andrew, 6/5/2013 -
" I liked the writing style but found the story slow and almost pointless until toward the end. The brothers are hired killers and it is no surprise that is what they do. "
— Jane, 11/13/2012 -
" I'm not a Western genre type, but I have to say this book was fantastic. "
— Jill, 11/9/2012 -
" Quirky Western set in Gold Rush country in the 1850s told in the wonderful, formal language of the time. Lotsa violence, humor, "heart" ...ripping yarn. "
— Rashmi, 8/3/2012 -
" I loved this book! Well written, quick read, unique. It's a western and one of the brothers tells the story of their adventures as "hit men". Thanks Patrick deWitt. "
— Georgeann, 6/5/2012 -
" My very first western! and it was great!! "
— Shelley, 12/4/2011 -
" a quick, relatively easy read. well written. enjoyable. "
— Martin, 4/17/2011
About Patrick deWitt
Patrick deWitt is an author whose books include the critically acclaimed Ablutions: Notes for a Novel and The Sisters Brothers, which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize and the basis for a major motion picture.
About John Pruden
John Pruden is an Earphones Award–winning audiobook narrator. His exposure to many people, places, and experiences throughout his life provides a deep creative well from which he draws his narrative and vocal characterizations. His narration of The Killing of Crazy Horse by Thomas Powers was chosen by the Washington Post as a Best Audiobook of 2010.