Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

Get this deal Try for £0.00
Offer ends May 1st, 2024 11:59PM GMT. Terms and conditions apply.
£7.99/month after 3 months. Renews automatically.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Dancing at the Rascal Fair cover art

Dancing at the Rascal Fair

By: Ivan Doig
Narrated by: Robert Ian MacKenzie
Get this deal Try for £0.00

Pay £99p/month. After 3 months pay £7.99/month. Renews automatically. See terms for eligibility.

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically.

Buy Now for £28.99

Buy Now for £28.99

Pay using card ending in
Switch payment method
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Listeners also enjoyed...

 English Creek cover art
This House of Sky cover art
Exit Unicorns cover art
The Shifting Fog [also published under the alternate title The House at Riverton] cover art
Three Daughters cover art
Sarum cover art
Hyperion cover art
A Tale of Two Cities cover art
Eventide cover art
Taliesin cover art
Anna Karenina cover art
The Midwife's Revolt cover art
For Whom the Bell Tolls cover art
The Woman in White cover art
The Far Pavilions cover art
Virgins cover art

Summary

Dancing at the Rascal Fair by National Book Award nominee Ivan Doig, captures the passion and tenacity of turn-of-the-century immigrants struggling to build new lives amidst Montana’s windswept Rockies. The tale unfolds into a contest of the heart between Anna Ramsay and Angus McCaskill—kept apart by obligations—as they and their stormy kin vie to tame the brutal land.
©1987 Ivan Doig (P)2010 Recorded Books, LLC
Coming of Age Friendship Literary Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction
Show More Show Less

Critic reviews

“Magnificent… Dancing at the Rascal Fair establishes its author in the front ranks of contemporary American writers.” ( Seattle Times)
"The settlement of Montana between 1890 and 1919 is recounted through the quiet but compelling life of Angus McCaskill, a young Scotsman who travels with his friend Rob Barclay to Montana's Two Medicine Country to homestead. Doig writes fervently of the voyage from Scotland and the lean first years, as the two share the work and hardship of establishing claims and building up flocks of sheep. He tells of their separate marriages, the severing of their friendship, and the final resolution of their conflict through death. Doig successfully recaptures the violence of the Montana elements and the staunch heritage of the Scottish settlers." ( Library Journal)

What listeners say about Dancing at the Rascal Fair

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    9
  • 4 Stars
    6
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    6
  • 4 Stars
    2
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    4
  • 4 Stars
    4
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Audible.co.uk reviews

Amazon reviews
Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Debbie

Detailed and moving account of late 1800s migrants to Montana

Beautifully written and observed and superb narration for this chronicle of two young men who leave Scotland to make their lives in Montana. Their journeys, both distance and emotional, are movingly told and carefully woven. There are plenty of unexpected twists, and vibrant descriptions of the majesty, and the hardships, of this mountainous region as the immigrants moved in.

My only issue was the candle held by the narrator for his first love; I really wanted him to give it up. On every page. Maybe I’m lucky that I’ve never known, nor heard of, anyone living their whole life waiting to ditch their wife for someone else’s wife if she ever felt like it. Really?

But that apart, it was engrossing and I’m sorry that it’s finished.

Report this

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for sarahmoose2000

Scots Whahey

Another hidden gem here, not having had any interest in history, audible has further boosted my learning with this tale of two fellow Scots moving to Montana.

We learn of their heartbreaking battles with the climate and the demands of mother nature on body and mind. Your dreamy picture of a sunny Montana is harshly sullied by the bleak depictions of the winters. A real eyeopener, you'll love it and its characters.

Report this

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful