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The Son

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The Son

By: Philipp Meyer
Narrated by: Will Patton, Kate Mulgrew, Scott Shepherd, Clifton Collins Jr.
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About this listen

THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
NOW A MAJOR TV SERIES starring Pierce Brosnan and co-written by Philipp Meyer

The critically acclaimed, New York Times-bestselling epic, a saga of land, blood and power, follows the rise of one unforgettable Texas family from the Comanche raids of the 1800s to the oil booms of the 20th century.

Eli McCullough
is just twelve years old when a marauding band of Comanche storm his Texas homestead, brutally murder his mother and sister and take him captive. Despite their torture and cruelty, Eli - against all odds - adapts to life with the Comanche, learning their ways and language, taking on a new name, finding a place as the adopted son of the band's chief and fighting their wars against not only other Indians but white men too, which complicates his sense of loyalty, his promised vengeance and his very understanding of self. But when disease, starvation and westward expansion finally decimate the Comanche, Eli is left alone in a world in which he belongs nowhere, neither white nor Indian, civilized nor fully wild.

Deftly interweaving Eli’s story with those of his son Peter and his great-granddaughter JA, The Son maps the legacy of Eli’s ruthlessness, his drive to power and his lifelong status as an outsider, even as the McCullough family rises to become one of the richest in Texas, a ranching and oil dynasty that is as resilient and dangerous as the land they claim. Yet, like all empires, the McCulloughs must eventually face the consequences of their choices.

Panoramic, deeply evocative and utterly transporting, The Son is a masterpiece American novel - part epic of Texas, part classic coming-of-age story - that combines the narrative prowess of Larry McMurtry with the knife-edge sharpness of Cormac McCarthy.

'Stunning ... a book that for once really does deserve to be called a masterpiece' Kate Atkinson

'Magnificent ... McCarthy's Border Trilogy is a point of reference, as is There Will Be Blood, but it is not fanciful to be reminded of certain passages from Moby-Dick - it's that good'The Times

'Brilliant ... a wonderful novel' Lionel Shriver
©2013 Philipp Meyer (P)2013 Simon & Schuster
Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Texas Wild West Old West
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What listeners say about The Son

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Fantastic tough listen

Graphic account following two families in Texas and Mexico over 100 years beginning in the early 1800’s. Beautifully read, vivid and harrowing, nothing permanent. A great story

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Loved this book

Wonderful stories spanning three generations, Eli, Peter and Jeannie McCullogh. Each beautifully set in its time and place. The reading was superb.

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The pinnacle of storytelling possibly the best book I’ve ever read.

For years I thought Steinbeck the greatest storyteller, but this is certainly equal if not better.
And the readers are all perfect in their parts. Which is so rarely true.

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Epic!!

Very good historic adventure slowly bringing together the story of three generations and all their foibles. A little too self indulgent in places, but great listen!

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captivating. at times brutal. brillian narration.

the journey of eli is incredible. the detail of his growing up with Indians is fascinating.

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An incredible story

An epic story following three generations of the same family. Brutal in places exploring prejudice and laying it bare. America will never be tamed, it is still at war. This book tells a vivid story and the narrators bring this story to life. Fabulous.

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Phenomenal

One of the all time great novels. Written and told in a unique and memorable way.

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Taste the frontier

Brilliant narration lets you live the emotions of the characters. Very enjoyable listen start to end.

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Masterful

Fabulous, did not in any way detract from the mental pictures formed when reading for the first time. An extraordinary book. Read/hear it.

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wonderful!

a wonderful story, with wonderful characters with some of the most magnificent narrators I've heard.
I've just finished it, and I'm already missing them.

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2 people found this helpful