-
Sometimes a Great Notion
- Narrated by: Tom Stechschulte
- Length: 30 hrs and 32 mins
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Buy for $48.99
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test
- By: Tom Wolfe
- Narrated by: Luke Daniels
- Length: 13 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Tom Wolfe - one of the 20th century’s foremost voices in cultural criticism - went from local news reporter to international icon in 1968, with the publication of The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test. Now voiced with vivacity and vigor by Audible Hall of Fame narrator Luke Daniels, the non-fiction swan-dive delves into the world of hippies, hedonism, and everything in between.
-
-
Extremely well-narrated
- By JE on 03-29-19
By: Tom Wolfe
-
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
- 50th Anniversary Edition
- By: Ken Kesey, Robert Faggen - introduction
- Narrated by: John C. Reilly
- Length: 10 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Boisterous, ribald, and ultimately shattering, Ken Kesey's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest has left an indelible mark on the literature of our time. Turning conventional notions of sanity and insanity on their heads, the novel tells the unforgettable story of a mental ward and its inhabitants, especially tyrannical Big Nurse Ratched and Randle Patrick McMurphy, the brawling, fun-loving new inmate who resolves to oppose her.
-
-
Best Narration I have ever listened to
- By Chris on 10-03-12
By: Ken Kesey, and others
-
The Stand
- By: Stephen King
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 47 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This is the way the world ends: with a nanosecond of computer error in a Defense Department laboratory and a million casual contacts that form the links in a chain letter of death. And here is the bleak new world of the day after: a world stripped of its institutions and emptied of 99 percent of its people. A world in which a handful of panicky survivors choose sides - or are chosen.
-
-
A Masterpiece
- By Victor @ theAudiobookBlog dot com on 06-16-20
By: Stephen King
-
An American Tragedy
- By: Theodore Dreiser
- Narrated by: Dan John Miller
- Length: 34 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
An American Tragedy is the story of Clyde Griffiths, who spends his life in the desperate pursuit of success. On a deeper, more profound level, it is the masterful portrayal of the society whose values both shape Clyde's ambitions and seal his fate; it is an unsurpassed depiction of the harsh realities of American life and of the dark side of the American dream.
-
-
Creeping, Creepy Ambition
- By W Perry Hall on 03-05-17
By: Theodore Dreiser
-
Elmer Gantry
- By: Sinclair Lewis
- Narrated by: Anthony Heald
- Length: 15 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A greedy, philandering Baptist minister, Elmer Gantry turns to evangelism and becomes the leader of a large Methodist congregation. Often exposed as a fraud, he is never fully discredited. Elmer Gantry is considered a landmark American novel and one of the most penetrating studies of hypocrisy in modern literature. It portrays the evangelistic activity that was common in 1920s America as well as attitudes toward it.
-
-
How a book SHOULD be written.
- By Kacy on 08-20-10
By: Sinclair Lewis
-
Trinity
- By: Leon Uris
- Narrated by: John Keating
- Length: 34 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the acclaimed author who enthralled the world with Exodus, Battle Cry, QB VII, Topaz, and other beloved classics of twentieth-century fiction comes a sweeping and powerful epic adventure that captures the "terrible beauty" of Ireland during its long and bloody struggle for freedom. It is the electrifying story of an idealistic young Catholic rebel and the valiant and beautiful Protestant girl who defied her heritage to join his cause. It is a tale of love and danger, of triumph at an unthinkable cost.
-
-
Finally!!
- By arussellga on 04-16-18
By: Leon Uris
-
The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test
- By: Tom Wolfe
- Narrated by: Luke Daniels
- Length: 13 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Tom Wolfe - one of the 20th century’s foremost voices in cultural criticism - went from local news reporter to international icon in 1968, with the publication of The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test. Now voiced with vivacity and vigor by Audible Hall of Fame narrator Luke Daniels, the non-fiction swan-dive delves into the world of hippies, hedonism, and everything in between.
-
-
Extremely well-narrated
- By JE on 03-29-19
By: Tom Wolfe
-
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
- 50th Anniversary Edition
- By: Ken Kesey, Robert Faggen - introduction
- Narrated by: John C. Reilly
- Length: 10 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Boisterous, ribald, and ultimately shattering, Ken Kesey's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest has left an indelible mark on the literature of our time. Turning conventional notions of sanity and insanity on their heads, the novel tells the unforgettable story of a mental ward and its inhabitants, especially tyrannical Big Nurse Ratched and Randle Patrick McMurphy, the brawling, fun-loving new inmate who resolves to oppose her.
-
-
Best Narration I have ever listened to
- By Chris on 10-03-12
By: Ken Kesey, and others
-
The Stand
- By: Stephen King
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 47 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This is the way the world ends: with a nanosecond of computer error in a Defense Department laboratory and a million casual contacts that form the links in a chain letter of death. And here is the bleak new world of the day after: a world stripped of its institutions and emptied of 99 percent of its people. A world in which a handful of panicky survivors choose sides - or are chosen.
-
-
A Masterpiece
- By Victor @ theAudiobookBlog dot com on 06-16-20
By: Stephen King
-
An American Tragedy
- By: Theodore Dreiser
- Narrated by: Dan John Miller
- Length: 34 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
An American Tragedy is the story of Clyde Griffiths, who spends his life in the desperate pursuit of success. On a deeper, more profound level, it is the masterful portrayal of the society whose values both shape Clyde's ambitions and seal his fate; it is an unsurpassed depiction of the harsh realities of American life and of the dark side of the American dream.
-
-
Creeping, Creepy Ambition
- By W Perry Hall on 03-05-17
By: Theodore Dreiser
-
Elmer Gantry
- By: Sinclair Lewis
- Narrated by: Anthony Heald
- Length: 15 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A greedy, philandering Baptist minister, Elmer Gantry turns to evangelism and becomes the leader of a large Methodist congregation. Often exposed as a fraud, he is never fully discredited. Elmer Gantry is considered a landmark American novel and one of the most penetrating studies of hypocrisy in modern literature. It portrays the evangelistic activity that was common in 1920s America as well as attitudes toward it.
-
-
How a book SHOULD be written.
- By Kacy on 08-20-10
By: Sinclair Lewis
-
Trinity
- By: Leon Uris
- Narrated by: John Keating
- Length: 34 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the acclaimed author who enthralled the world with Exodus, Battle Cry, QB VII, Topaz, and other beloved classics of twentieth-century fiction comes a sweeping and powerful epic adventure that captures the "terrible beauty" of Ireland during its long and bloody struggle for freedom. It is the electrifying story of an idealistic young Catholic rebel and the valiant and beautiful Protestant girl who defied her heritage to join his cause. It is a tale of love and danger, of triumph at an unthinkable cost.
-
-
Finally!!
- By arussellga on 04-16-18
By: Leon Uris
-
The Monkey Wrench Gang
- By: Edward Abbey
- Narrated by: Michael Kramer
- Length: 16 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ex-Green Beret George Hayduke has returned from war to find his beloved southwestern desert threatened by industrial development. Joining with Bronx exile and feminist saboteur Bonnie Abzug, wilderness guide and outcast Mormon Seldom Seen Smith, and libertarian billboard torcher Doc Sarvis, M.D., Hayduke is ready to fight the power - taking on the strip miners, clear-cutters, and the highway, dam, and bridge builders who are threatening the natural habitat.
-
-
A desert classic that will draw you in
- By Mark on 05-20-15
By: Edward Abbey
-
Middlesex
- By: Jeffrey Eugenides
- Narrated by: Kristoffer Tabori
- Length: 21 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the spring of 1974, Calliope Stephanides, a student at a girls' school in Grosse Pointe, finds herself drawn to a chain-smoking, strawberry-blonde classmate with a gift for acting. The passion that furtively develops between them - along with Callie's failure to develop physically - leads Callie to suspect that she is not like other girls. In fact, she is not really a girl at all.
-
-
Worth Waiting It Out
- By D. N. Meads on 08-28-09
-
East of Eden
- By: John Steinbeck
- Narrated by: Richard Poe
- Length: 25 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This sprawling and often brutal novel, set in the rich farmlands of California's Salinas Valley, follows the intertwined destinies of two families - the Trasks and the Hamiltons - whose generations helplessly reenact the fall of Adam and Eve and the poisonous rivalry of Cain and Abel.
-
-
Why have I avoided this Beautiful Book???
- By Kelly on 03-25-17
By: John Steinbeck
-
Norwegian by Night
- By: Derek B. Miller
- Narrated by: Sean Mangan
- Length: 10 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Sheldon Horowitz - 82 years old, impatient, and unreasonable - is staying with his granddaughter's family in Norway when he disappears with a stranger's child. Sheldon is an ex-Marine, and he feels responsible for his son's death in Vietnam. Recently widowed and bereft, he talks to the ghosts of his past constantly. To Norway's cops, Sheldon is just an old man who is coming undone at the end of a long and hard life. But Sheldon is clear in his own mind.
-
-
A Delightful Surprise!!!
- By Fern Hester on 04-04-15
By: Derek B. Miller
-
Angle of Repose
- By: Wallace Stegner
- Narrated by: Mark Bramhall
- Length: 22 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Wallace Stegner's uniquely American classic centers on Lyman Ward, a noted historian who relates a fictionalized biography of his pioneer grandparents at a time when he has become estranged from his own family. Through a combination of research, memory, and exaggeration, Ward voices ideas concerning the relationship between history and the present, art and life, parents and children, and husbands and wives.
-
-
Not too many novels written about marriage
- By Barry on 08-18-12
By: Wallace Stegner
-
The Woman in White
- By: Wilkie Collins
- Narrated by: Josephine Bailey, Simon Prebble
- Length: 25 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
One of the greatest mystery thrillers ever written, Wilkie Collins's The Woman in White was a phenomenal best seller in the 1860s, achieving even greater success than works by Charles Dickens. Full of surprise, intrigue, and suspense, this vastly entertaining novel continues to enthrall audiences today.
-
-
Gripping novel, excellent production
- By David on 01-18-11
By: Wilkie Collins
-
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Book 1
- By: J.K. Rowling
- Narrated by: Jim Dale
- Length: 8 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Harry Potter has never even heard of Hogwarts when the letters start dropping on the doormat at number four, Privet Drive. Addressed in green ink on yellowish parchment with a purple seal, they are swiftly confiscated by his grisly aunt and uncle. Then, on Harry's eleventh birthday, a great beetle-eyed giant of a man called Rubeus Hagrid bursts in with some astonishing news: Harry Potter is a wizard, and he has a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. An incredible adventure is about to begin!
-
-
Narrator is GREAT!
- By Amazon Customer on 10-01-20
By: J.K. Rowling
-
America and Americans and Selected Nonfiction
- By: John Steinbeck
- Narrated by: Henry Strozier
- Length: 17 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
More than three decades after his death, John Steinbeck remains one of the nation's most beloved authors. Yet few know of his career as a journalist who covered world events from the Great Depression to Vietnam. Now, this original collection offers a portrait of the artist as citizen, deeply engaged in the world around him. In addition to the complete text of Steinbeck's last published book, America and Americans, this volume brings together for the first time more than 50 of Steinbeck's finest essays and jouralistic pieces.
-
-
Really good Steinbeck journalism.....no kidding!
- By Doug on 07-26-14
By: John Steinbeck
-
All the King's Men
- By: Robert Penn Warren
- Narrated by: Michael Emerson
- Length: 20 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The fictionalized account of Louisiana's colorful and notorious governor, Huey Pierce Long, All the King's Men follows the startling rise and fall of Willie Stark, a country lawyer in the Deep South of the 1930s. Beset by political enemies, Stark seeks aid from his right-hand man Jack Burden, who will bear witness to the cataclysmic unfolding of this very American tragedy.
-
-
Beautifully presented
- By Cheimon on 10-12-08
-
The Searchers
- By: Alan Le May
- Narrated by: Tom Stechschulte
- Length: 9 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Alan Le May’s Western novels are widely considered classics in the genre, and the movie adaptation of The Searchers was named AFI’s Greatest Western Movie of All Time. When Martin Pauley and Amos Edwards return to their Texas homestead to find a burning ruin, they set out to find Amos’ missing daughter - and exact revenge on the Comanche responsible for the attack.
-
-
A Mortal (Me) Writes of a Classic
- By Craig on 05-21-14
By: Alan Le May
-
Ready Player One
- By: Ernest Cline
- Narrated by: Wil Wheaton
- Length: 15 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
At once wildly original and stuffed with irresistible nostalgia, Ready Player One is a spectacularly genre-busting, ambitious, and charming debut—part quest novel, part love story, and part virtual space opera set in a universe where spell-slinging mages battle giant Japanese robots, entire planets are inspired by Blade Runner, and flying DeLoreans achieve light speed.
-
-
Thanks, But No Thanks
- By Joshua Simpson on 01-27-19
By: Ernest Cline
-
On the Road
- 50th Anniversary Edition
- By: Jack Kerouac
- Narrated by: Will Patton
- Length: 11 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Few novels have had as profound an impact on American culture as On the Road. Pulsating with the rhythms of 1950s underground America, jazz, sex, illicit drugs, and the mystery and promise of the open road, Kerouac’s classic novel of freedom and longing defined what it meant to be “beat” and has inspired generations of writers, musicians, artists, poets, and seekers who cite their discovery of the book as the event that “set them free”.
-
-
My Favorite Narration and a Wonderful Book
- By Guillermo on 09-17-09
By: Jack Kerouac
Publisher's Summary
A literary icon sometimes seen as a bridge between the Beat Generation and the hippies, Ken Kesey scored an unexpected hit with his first novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. His successful follow-up, Sometimes a Great Notion, was also transformed into a major motion picture, directed by and starring Paul Newman.
Oregon’s Stamper family does what it can to survive a bitter strike dividing their tiny logging community. And as tensions rise, delicate family bonds begin to fray and unravel.
More from the same
What listeners say about Sometimes a Great Notion
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Mr. Eyuz
- 06-07-19
Sometimes a Great Novel Pops up out of Nowhere
It’s a mystery why this book never enjoyed the acclaim of, say, For Whom the Bell Tolls, Rabbit, Run, The Executioner’s Song or Bonfire of the Vanities. My two-bit theory posits that, given its arrival immediately following Kennedy’s assassination, it didn’t seem to address current conditions. Set amid the forests of the Pacific Northwest, tinged with country western music and populated with James Dean wannabes, Sometimes a Great Notion might have been perceived in its day as casting a backwards glance when many readers were only looking forward with apprehension or expectation. The fact that author Ken Kesey went on to become the patron saint of psychedelia probably didn’t help the book’s reputation. While Kesey’s notoriety ensured that the novel would not slide entirely into obscurity, readers seeking the literary equivalent of a bong hit would come away frustrated and daunted by this big, dense book.
In any case, at the distance of more than half a century, Sometimes a Great Notion stands as a heroic accomplishment. I can’t remember what virtual rabbit hole led me to this book, but coming upon it now feels like going on an afternoon hike, only to stumble upon the Taj Mahal in a clearing. Here we have everything we could want in a novel. Kesey employs all the most effective innovations of modernist fiction to tell the tale of a dynastic struggle worthy of Shakespeare or the ancient Greeks. If that weren’t enough to sustain the reader’s interest, the central narrative is interlaced with dozens of compelling and entertaining side plots. To encounter Kesey writing at the top of his game is to realize that many authors, including John Irving and especially Robert Stone, are merely dutiful imitators.
While I’m taking pains not to spoil the pleasures of navigating any the novel’s many narrative tributaries, it’s worth noting that, though there are a few well-developed female characters, this story is steeped in testosterone. There are passages that make Hemingway’s machismo look faint-hearted. I hasten to add that the male lumberjacks at the heart of the novel are not any the less complex and believable for all their rough-hewn virility. Nevertheless, it’s impossible to imagine such a full-throated working-class ballad appearing amid the ranks of today’s literary fiction. This accounts for why the book feels simultaneously so fresh and trapped in amber.
Were Sometimes a Great Notion not a masterpiece in its own right, Tom Stechschulte’s performance would still make this book essential listening. The novel's narration passes fluidly from third person to first person. The book doesn’t simply boast dozens of characters; it takes us inside these personae, making us privy to their inner thoughts. Stechschulte’s deft switching of voices—at times done mid-sentence—unlocks Kesey’s vast, kaleidoscopic vision. The masterful direction and performance make even the most complex chapters immediately accessible. This is recorded literature raised to an art form in its own right.
20 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- J. Wiley
- 12-06-17
The Best American Novel in 60 years
I read this book long ago, but remembered it as confusing. Not so with the Audible version. This narrator is a genius with voices and inflections. Because of that I was able to follow the quick dialogue and changes of voice. It is like Faulkner in that past and present switch and weave. With the writing clarified by the reading, I was able to see how these characters and their deep conflicts were so masterfully portrayed by Kesey. Just superb!
15 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Wendy Miller
- 11-01-17
unexpected pleasure
This was a book chosen for our book club. I considered it to be a book I would not read on my own because of the length, dense writing style and subject matter. Because of the length I decided to listen to it as I knew I wouldn't have time to finish if I were reading it. I'm so glad I did. The performance was wonderful, the writing is brilliant, and I found the story to be very engaging once I got into it. I still think about some of the characters weeks later. I do think that having the story read out loud made a huge difference. The preponderance of dialogue in various dialects as well as the shifting points of view would make for a challenging read. The audible version made it a pleasure to listen to. I was sad when it ended.
15 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Whipsnead
- 03-30-12
A great book in print brought to life
If you could sum up Sometimes a Great Notion in three words, what would they be?
Strong Northwest tale
Who was your favorite character and why?
Hank. He was the hero but also an antihero. Kesey brought out his inner thoughts and
downplayed the obvious, i.e. the outer action. He was capable of great love, for his
father, Viv, and Joe Ben but had some trouble expressing this love.
Have you listened to any of Tom Stechschulte???s other performances before? How does this one compare?
The Road. No Country for Old Men. All of them have been well done but
the narrator had more voices in this novel and did all of them extremely well.
Who was the most memorable character of Sometimes a Great Notion and why?
Joe Ben. He was the guy we'd all like to have as a friend. Irrepressible joy and
boundless energy. He wouldn't hurt anyone on purpose. A man who lived his
deep faith but was worldly in every respect.
Any additional comments?
As happened when I read this book 45 years ago in print, I did not want this audiobook
to end.
23 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- John
- 01-30-13
A very worthwhile sleeper classic
I had read in several literary forums that SAGN was lesser known but actually a better book than his more famous One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest. I have not yet read Cuckoo's Nest (loved the film) but I have to say that SAGN lived up to and exceeded my expectations and I would have to place it amongst the greatest of the modern classics I've ever read. Starting out, the plain stark bare-bones writing style reminded me of Cormac McCarthy, another of my all-time favorites. Kesey has an incredible gift to put his reader inside the minds of all the characters, both protagonists and antagonists and other, so much so that I found myself sympathizing and empathizing with even the alleged bad guys. Combine that with all the symbolism, brilliant characterization and quest for universal truths and you have an incredibly enjoyable read! This is a challenging book because Kesey keeps switching the perspective from 1st person from character to character to 3rd person omniscient. Also, the narrator's voice was very appropriate for the novel. SAGN is easily one of the more rewarding reads I've had the pleasure to experience on audible. I'm off to more literary adventures with Kesey and I'd advise all other avid readers of challenging modern classics to do the same.
16 people found this helpful
-
Overall
- Forrest
- 04-25-11
My Favorite Book
If you liked The Count of Monte Christo, Atlas Shrugged, East of Eden, or On the Road you will love this book because it finishes the thought that these books started, but with more humanity, humor and complexity.
21 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Andrew Smith
- 10-19-17
A window into the soul of Oregon
I've had a copy of this for years, but couldn't get through it until I listened to this excellent performance. And it happened to coincide with my moving to Oregon, which was a perfect introduction to the fiercely-independent, deep-woods-and-rain soul of Oregon Kesey depicts here.
It was repeated several times that "you must go through one of these winters to have some notion." And having spent my first winter in the state, I can understand that now.
The narration is almost essential to read the book. Because of the Faulkner-style free association of the writing, it is sometimes difficult to figure out who is talking. But the narrator's voice changes with each character, and that helps tremendously to follow the threads. And his characterization of Joe Ben will be a particularly lasting memory for me.
So if you invest the 30-odd hours of listening, you will be rewarded with a rich picture of the tangled Stamper family dynamics, the gnawing Waconda river, and life in a hard-scrabble wet insular logging town in the Oregon coast range.
5 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- M. Gibson
- 09-13-17
Great story, great performance. a must listen/read
This is a book I failed to finish multiple times while reading the actual book. Kesey is an amazing writer and his style is truly something special, but his tendency to switch from one character to another and changing from current story to a flashback without any indication and his long intricate descriptions make it hard to stay focused for me.
that is why listening to this story, especially narrated by Tom Steckschulte, really allowed me to enjoy this story. as an Oregonian, I know what the coast is like here, and Kesey (also an Oregonian) really makes you feel it. Tom does great voices for each character, and really allows you to feel their emotion. he also does a great job of giving indication of when the story is switching timeframes, or when your are switching from one characters stream of consciousness to another character's, while still allowing you to experience the chaos of it all that really makes this story.
this story is definitely in my top 5 favorite books. get it.
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- GK
- 09-12-12
Kesey writes Oregon like King writes Maine
Where does Sometimes a Great Notion rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
It's hard to say. I have listened to over 100 audio books, perhaps more. My first experience with them was when I was a little girl back in the 60's and they were on LP records. So of course nothing can compete with the stories like The Little Match Girl and The Tin Soldier read by a master, male voice I could play on my little record player in the privacy of my bedroom at the age of five, and weep without being teased by my older brothers and sisters. The LP had sound effects too!Sometimes A Great Notion is a wonderful, earthy story of a Oregonian logging family that is dysfunctional. The father is judgmental and runs his family like his business...under a saw, as in cutting words, being blunt. Union strikers try and intimidate the family into stopping their non--union, independently owned logging business for the season and that isn't going to happen. The seasonal help is intimated and refuses to work for the family, so the prodigal, hippie, little brother comes home to help. You would think his father was grateful to have anyone help, nope, he has to get his judgements in like barbed fish hooks, and both men, really father and both sons are hard headed. The women smooth things over.I had always loved the film adaption of this book with Henry Fonda and Paul Newman. There is a scene of the brotherinlaw getting trapped under a log in the water. Paul Newman tries over and over again to start a large chain saw. Both men thinking they have all the time in the world--help will eventually come. The water starts to rise and the log rolls a bit on the brotherinlaw, laying him back into the water, up to his chin, then his nose, then he is under water. Paul keeps giving him mouth to mouth and you know that Paul's character will do this all night. His brotherinlaw is such a loving and joy filled father and husband--always with a joke to try and keep peace between father (Fonda) and his two sons. He starts to laugh under water and Paul is yelling at him to stop, but it makes him laugh more...and he drowns. The tone of the film turned dark from there. I hadn't read the book and this author also wrote One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest (I did read and have it in a leather bound copy I love it that much), so when I saw Sometimes A Great Notion was on Audible, I had to hear it. I couldn't wait to read it.
Which scene was your favorite?
All the descriptions of the coast, forest and river in such rich detail. I was born and raised in Oregon. A stone's throw from Lincoln City. My family made weekend day trips to every inch of the coast and camping along the Santiam River every summer. My father, brothers and husband grew up hunting and fishing too many places I can list here. Kesey knows the areas well.
If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?
I highly recommend the film by the same name
Any additional comments?
If you've read One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest and loved it, you will likely love this book too.
10 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- BB
- 06-17-21
Tough to follow the Narration
The lack of inflection of the narrators voice for the different characters made this story very difficult to follow. So much so I gave up listening half way thru it... Disappointed!
2 people found this helpful