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Light in August
- Narrated by: Will Patton
- Length: 15 hrs and 28 mins
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Light in August
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Editor reviews
Having grown up in the South, the daughter of someone who wrote her masters thesis on Southern fiction, the idea of writing even a 300 word review of William Faulkner’s classic Light in August is intimidating, to say the least. In the South, Faulkner is a rite of passage, someone we all read in high school or college but certainly not since, preferring to celebrate our literary legacy through more contemporary “Southern fiction light”. Faulkner is just tough — it’s dense and wrought with meaning — classic literature at its finest, but not what you would call a beach read (unless you’re my mom).
And then I listened to Will Patton perform Faulkner’s Light in August.
Faulkner’s stories are written out of chronological order, in layers, in such a way that you might come to know a story over time from hearing it told by many different people in a place. Those who have studied Faulkner say when you get really caught up in one of the author’s page-long sentences, the best thing to do is read it out loud.
It’s even better to listen. With intonation, and the honey smooth cadence of Patton’s voice, the story is suddenly clearer.
Patton introduces us to Lena Grove as she begins her journey to find the father of her unborn child, Lucas Burch. Instead she finds Byron Bunch, who feels a strong pull to take care of her, though it puts him in an awkward social position. For guidance, Byron visits the Rev. Gail Hightower, a man so haunted by not even his own past, but that of his grandfather, that he has trapped himself in his own home.
Even before we encounter Joe Christmas, the 33-year old drifter of ambiguous race, the allusions to the life and death of Jesus are thick. There is a fire and a murder, and it all unravels from there. Patton’s voice carries us through it all, enhancing the story with approachability and authenticity. The Charleston-born Patton’s southern accent is true and real—not a touch of the theatrical, overdone linguistics adopted by some other actors.
In Light in August, Faulkner addresses themes of morality and race, religion and redemption — all too deeply to address in these few words. But he does it without preaching or judgment, leaving the reader — and in this case the listener — to wonder about our own stories, and how they might be told. —Sarah Evans Hogeboom
Summary
Audible is pleased to present Light in August, by Nobel Prize-winning author William Faulkner.
An Oprah's Book Club Selection regarded as one of Faulkner's greatest and most accessible novels, Light in August is a timeless and riveting story of determination, tragedy, and hope. In Faulkner's iconic Yoknapatawpha County, race, sex, and religion collide around three memorable characters searching desperately for human connection and their own identities.
Audie Award-winning narrator Will Patton lends his voice to Light in August. Patton has narrated works by Ernest Hemingway, Don DeLillo, Pat Conroy, Denis Johson, Larry McMurtry, and James Lee Burke, and brings to this performance a keen understanding of Faulkner, an authentic feel for the South, and a virtuoso narrator's touch.
As an added bonus, when you purchase our Audible Modern Vanguard production of William Faulkner's book, you'll also receive an exclusive Jim Atlas interview. This interview – where James Atlas interviews James Lee Burke about the life and work of William Faulkner – begins as soon as the audiobook ends.
Critic reviews
- Audie Award Nominee - Best Classic Audiobook, 2011
"For all his concern with the South, Faulkner was actually seeking out the nature of man. Thus we must turn to him for that continuity of moral purpose which made for the greatness of our classics." (Ralph Ellison)
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What listeners say about Light in August
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Natasha
- 05-07-23
Flawless narration of a work of genius
William Faulkner can write better than most other people on the planet, past, present and future. This reading is almost like music in places, so lyrical and powerful.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- chris
- 26-04-18
STUNNING PERFORMANCE
Would you listen to Light in August again? Why?
Yes because Will Paton is astounding
What was one of the most memorable moments of Light in August?
The character of Doc Hines and his vileness, vividly brought to life
Which character – as performed by Will Patton – was your favourite?
All of them, but as above Doc Hines
Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
Yes, astounded by the performance, listened to it again immediately after the end.
Any additional comments?
Highly recommend this performance. It is a tough and uncompromising novel and narrated by an actor who has an incredible talent.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- M. Winner
- 18-12-23
The best book that I read this year
My first Faulkner novel, and what a revelation. His stream-of-consciousness, multiple viewpoint approach provides otherwise inarticulate people with a clear and ringing poetic voice, building up a sense of tension and dread as we receive more information about the events as they unfold in time. He plays with time too, in a similar way that Vonnegut was later to do, but decades earlier. The reading by Will Patton is exemplary. If you like Cormac McCarthy, read this to find out where he got it all from. The entire plot of McCarthy's 'All The Pretty Horses' seems to be taken from a single throwaway paragraph in 'Light In August', and you can hear in the dialogue and prose that Faulkner cast a long shadow over McCarthy's writing that he struggled to get out of. And I say that as a fan of his work. Read Light in August, it is fantastic.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Mono
- 13-03-24
Painful and Poetic
An incredibly beautifully written novel which is enhanced by Will Paton’s narration. Several times I considered whether I should continue to put myself through the agonising descriptions of the treatment of some of the characters but being so beautifully written and desperate to hear the outcome I persevered. A fabulous introduction to William Faulkner’s novels and incredible insight into the lives of the inhabitants of the 19th Century Deep South.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- LC
- 17-03-22
An immersive experience
This book immersed me into some very different lives than my own, in a very different social environment. Very interesting and well written. Not an easy read though, but worthwhile. Requires concentration.
It’s quite dark, so I found it wasn’t suitable when I wanted something uplifting, comforting or relaxing.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- Nilgun
- 15-03-24
A novel to listen to twice
A literary star, great narration. A story about a time period that is into the depth of the societal dynamics
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- BookWorm
- 09-03-16
wonderful novel and beautifuly read
I am in awe over this performance, Will Patton briethed life into this novel, read it according to the mood, to the characters, giving individual voice to each one of them. This novel is a wonderful mix of poetry and triviality, the good in people and disgusting stupidy if not evil - all equally share their part. It is the mastery of the language of angels and people that let Faulkner create a world inhabited by pitiful creatures, good and bad, both having our sympathy...
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Leona Merclova
- 16-03-24
I keep falling asleep
I've never had this with another audio book. As soon as I press play I'm instantly asleep! The voice, the stories... everything is so bizarrely slow and somehow uninteresting...
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Debbie
- 17-12-14
Slow in the extreme
I never give up on a book. Well, I never have until this one. It's dreary, tedious, tells us every tiny moment in drawn-out misery and I can stand no more. The narration is similarly drearily drawled; I enjoyed his style for The Son, but it just reinforces how dull this story is here. I'll have to remain a philistine when it comes to Faulkner.
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1 person found this helpful