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Train Audiobook
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(3.04) - 608 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Train is a 18-year-old black caddy at an exclusive L.A. country club. He is a golf prodigy, but the year is 1953 and there is no such thing as a black golf prodigy. Nevertheless, Train draws the interest of Miller Packard, a gambler whose smiling, distracted air earned him the nickname "the Mile Away Man." Packard's easy manner hides a proclivity for violence, and he remains an enigma to Train even months later when they are winning high stakes matches against hustlers throughout the country. Packard is also drawn to Norah Still, a beautiful woman scared in a hideous crime, a woman who finds Packard's tendency toward violence both alluring and frightening. In the ensuing triangular relationship kindness is never far from cruelty.
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"This book took me over. (Stop if it doesn't grab you within the first 10-15 pages.) Love/longing, violence, humor, mystery, race, golf, gambling.... I would call it Southern (California) Gothic: marriage of Raymond Carter and Flannery O'Connor? I would like to see movie versions by Clint Eastwood, the Cohn Brothers and P.T. Anderson."
— Larry (5 out of 5 stars)
Awards
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Winner of the 2003 Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Fiction
Train Listener Reviews
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" If I could give this 2.5 stars, I would. Dexter is obviously a talented writer (I've never read Paris Trout), but there was very little plot and I stopped caring half way through. "
— Alexandra, 2/9/2014 -
" I absolutely loved Spooner and really enjoyed Deadwood so I thought I would love this as well. Pete Dexter is a wonderful writer but this book was a bit too dark for me. I had a hard time connecting with any of the main characters. "
— Diane, 2/6/2014 -
" Train is young, black and a caddy...he trained himself to become the best golf player "
— Chiara, 2/4/2014 -
" An enigmatic read, as most of Pete Dexter's books tend to be. A good read. "
— Zoe, 1/21/2014 -
" I am upset I let this one sit on my bookshelf for so long. I like Dexter's writing style and am interested in reading more of his books. "
— Gina, 1/7/2014 -
" Harrowing, but gripping... "
— Belinda, 1/6/2014 -
" I liked this book, the way it was written and the story line...just found it a tad unsatisfying at the end. "
— Gina, 1/4/2014 -
" easy, 'cheap' read. fun. enjoyable, likable characters. "
— G, 12/15/2013 -
" My first exposure to Pete Dexter. Liked the story, loved the writing. "
— Lynn, 11/25/2013 -
" I really enjoyed this "gritty book". Suspenseful and evocative. 17 year old Black caddie at a Beverly Hills golf course right after WWII. The characters have flaws, hardships and smarts. It reminded me a bit of Walter Moseley. "
— Ami, 11/18/2013 -
" great use of language in a classic noir context. ready to be a film "
— Batz, 10/31/2013 -
" I had a hard time getting into this book--probably didn't appreciate what Pete Dexter was trying to accomplish. I didn't "get" it. Weird ending. Maybe I should read it again. "
— Susan, 7/17/2013 -
" I think Dexter is the best American writer right now, and Train is his best book. If you don't mind some graphic, but really well-written violence, you'll like this book. Some scenes will stick with you forever. "
— Mr, 5/15/2013 -
" interesting story, very violent. "
— charlotte, 3/30/2013 -
" Really well-written, good characterization, dialect that doesn't suck. I recommend it. "
— Amber, 8/12/2012 -
" Gave insight into black life in50's with good golf setting. I like this author. "
— Sallie, 5/13/2012 -
" Unusual writing style-poetic & challenging in its honesty of human thoughts/flaws. INTERESTING. "
— Barb, 11/17/2011 -
" Just completed this book on tape. started rough and slow and then I was hooked. A golf setting. Great diversion!!!! "
— Steve, 10/16/2011 -
" This book was stomach churning and disturbing at many parts, and I could feel for really only one of the characters, but it was an interesting story and very well written. I don't know how many stars to give it, so I am splitting the difference. "
— Tracy, 10/8/2011 -
" I liked this freaky weird book. "
— Carol, 6/13/2011 -
" The style is very typical of the other novels I've read by the same author --- grim and biting. This isn't a pleasant story and the ending leaves many issues unresolved. "
— Mike, 3/28/2011 -
" One of several books I'm ready by South Dakota authors. "
— Frodo, 1/25/2011 -
" This is a good read, but I'm not sure that women would like this book as much as men. Golf, guns, cars, a sailboat; not chick-lit. "
— GT, 12/30/2010 -
" I think Dexter is the best American writer right now, and Train is his best book. If you don't mind some graphic, but really well-written violence, you'll like this book. Some scenes will stick with you forever. "
— Mr, 7/24/2010 -
" Outstanding novel looking at racism in the 1950s through the interaction of a grizzled police sergeant and a black teenager who loves golf. Author Pete Dexter probably best known for "Paris Trout. "
— Jim, 11/28/2009 -
" I had a hard time getting into this book--probably didn't appreciate what Pete Dexter was trying to accomplish. I didn't "get" it. Weird ending. Maybe I should read it again. "
— Susan, 11/22/2009 -
" It's like James Ellroy wrote a book about golf course maintenance. Very good and very dark. "
— Jim, 10/10/2009 -
" This book was stomach churning and disturbing at many parts, and I could feel for really only one of the characters, but it was an interesting story and very well written. I don't know how many stars to give it, so I am splitting the difference. "
— Tracy, 9/27/2009 -
" Terrific novel. Pen's as I could only dream. "
— Adam, 9/6/2009 -
" easy, 'cheap' read. fun. enjoyable, likable characters. "
— G, 9/1/2009
About Pete Dexter
Pete Dexter is the author of the National Book Award–winning novel Paris Trout, among others. He has been a columnist for the Philadelphia Daily News and the Sacramento Bee and has contributed to many magazines, including Esquire, Sports Illustrated, and Playboy. His screenplays include Rush and Mulholland Falls. Born in Michigan, he was raised in Georgia, Illinois, and eastern South Dakota. He now lives on an island off the coast of Washington.
About Dion Graham
Dion Graham is an award-winning narrator named a “Golden Voice” by AudioFile magazine. He has been a recipient of the prestigious Audie Award numerous times, as well as Earphones Awards, the Publishers Weekly Listen Up Awards, IBPA Ben Franklin Awards, and the ALA Odyssey Award. He was nominated in 2015 for a Voice Arts Award for Outstanding Narration. He is also a critically acclaimed actor who has performed on Broadway, off Broadway, internationally, in films, and in several hit television series. He is a graduate of Rutgers University’s Mason Gross School of the Arts, with an MFA degree in acting.