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Shadow Country

A New Rendering of the Watson Legend

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Shadow Country

By: Peter Matthiessen
Narrated by: Anthony Heald
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About this listen

National Book Award, Fiction, 2008

Inspired by a near-mythic event on the wild Florida frontier at the turn of the 20th century, Shadow Country re-imagines the legend of the inspired Everglades sugar planter and notorious outlaw E. J. Watson, who drives himself relentlessly toward his own violent end at the hands of neighbors who mostly admired him, in a killing that obsessed his favorite son.

Shadow Country transverses strange landscapes inhabited by Americans of every provenance and color, including the black and Indian inheritors of archaic racism that "still casts its shadow over the nation."

©2008 Peter Matthiessen (P)2009 Blackstone Audio, Inc. Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction

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Critic reviews

"[G]ripping, shocking, and brilliantly told....as powerful a reading experience as nearly any in our literature." ( New York Review of Books)
"Magnificent and capacious....the book took my sleeve and like the ancient mariner would not let go....a breathtaking saga." ( Los Angeles Times)
"[Watson] comes across as nothing short of iconic....it's difficult to find another figure in American literature so thoroughly and convincingly portrayed." ( Publishers Weekly)
Most relevant  
An incredibly vivid portrayal of a time, a place, and a man, and the complex web of action and consequence that shape a life and a fate. Edgar Watson is a really compelling character, the time and place are really interesting, the writing is fabulous and the narration brings the whole thing to life. Just a wonderful experience. Other reviewers have mentioned that the second book flags a bit and this I think is true, but it serves a purpose in setting the stage for the stunning finale that is book 3. 40 hours well spent, i'm just sorry it's over.

Unforgettable epic

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An excellent reading of a first class novel.

Unexpected

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This is formed of 3 books, the first I loved. Slow, dark and menacing, with a framing device that works well.
The second, I felt was plotless and miandering. I almost gave up as I felt it was pointless and 40h is a big commitment.
The third, I really enjoyed and it is a fitting conclusion to the trilogy.
So 2 out of 3 ain't bad if you can get through book 2. I would have voted this a 4.5 overall / 4 story if it wasn't for book 2

beautifully written but sprawling

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This is a wonderfully written, wonderfully narrated, epic, listen. The story of Ed Watson told from various perspectives including, most tellingly, his own. It's story is well covered in the synopsis and other reviews i just want to express my gratitude and admiration for an almost perfect marriage between author and narrator. The dizzying texture of the writing - deceptively simple but with similies and descriptions which make you gasp - combined with the multi layered tour de force of the narration make this a hugely rewarding experience.

A Rewarding listen

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Wow, what a conclusion. This trilogy had me riveted from the beginning. A masterpiece.

Amazing saga, beautifully told

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Not something I would normally gravitate towards, but I found this trilogy totally captivating. You are torn between finding the main character a bullying, vengeful, "could-be" killer; then you jump back to his childhood and discover how awful it was and feel terrible pity for him.

The trilogy covers the life of Edgar Watson and his family, living in the early 1900s, trying to survive by producing sugar cane but thwarted at every turn by weather, poor soil, racism and economic climates.

It's a part of history I knew very little about, but will look into more of Matthiessen's novels and indeed, that era.

Great Listen

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Shadow Country - Grrrrreat storytelling
I really enjoyed this book, lots going on, a bit violent
in parts but nevertheless a good listen
Brilliant narration by Anthony Heald
My only criticism was with the production of the book, the sound was very low & I had to turn my headphones up much
Louder than normal

Shadow Country - Grrrrreat storytelling

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