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The Tie That Binds

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The Tie That Binds

By: Kent Haruf
Narrated by: Danny Campbell
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About this listen

 From the bestselling author of Eventide, The Tie That Binds is a powerfully eloquent tribute to the arduous demands of rural America, and of the tenacity of the human spirit.

Colorado, January 1977. Eighty-year-old Edith Goodnough lies in a hospital bed, IV taped to the back of her hand, police officer at her door. She is charged with murder. The clues: a sack of chicken feed slit with a knife, a milky-eyed dog tied outdoors one cold afternoon. The motives: the brutal business of farming and a family code of ethics as unforgiving as the winter prairie itself. Here, Kent Haruf delivers the sweeping tale of a woman of the American High Plains, as told by her neighbor, Sanders Roscoe. As Roscoe shares what he knows, Edith's tragedies unfold: a childhood of pre-dawn chores, a mother's death, a violence that leaves a father dependent on his children, forever enraged. Here is the story of a woman who sacrifices her happiness in the name of family--and then, in one gesture, reclaims her freedom. Coming of Age Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Small Town & Rural Women's Fiction

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Critic reviews

"An impressive, expertly crafted work of sensitivity and detail. . . . Powerful." --Los Angeles Times Book Review

"[A] fine first novel that dramatically and accurately explores the lives of people who work the land in the stark American Middle West." --The New York Times Book Review

"Kent Haruf writes so wonderfully. . . . His characters live, and the voice of his narrator reverberates after the last page: humorous, ironic, loving." --The Christian Science Monitor

"Haruf's gifts as a writer go beyond choreography. He has caught his prairie people with the skill of Wright Morris, the prairie itself with the sweeping eye of Willa Cather. . . . [I]t's nearly impossible to believe this is his first novel." --Rocky Mountain News
All stars
Most relevant
A story of faithful heart-breaking love in the face of crazy anger and hatred. Perfectly narrated.

Beautiful, Tragic

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Wonderful. Storytelling at it's best! Hard to believe that this was his first novel. The narrator is like an old friend, full of warmth. I hung on his every word, wanting to know what happened, without wanting his story to finish. I thoroughly recommend Our Souls at night, by this author and look forward to listening to his other books.

Excellent

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Wonderful book that had me crying and laughing. An amazing narrator too which can make all the difference.

Engaging

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Good grief, what a depressing read. I selected this book to listen while nursing a particularly bad head cold. Having listened to and enjoyed the softness of Eventide, I hoped the book would be in a similar vein - what a disappointment. Gloomy, glum, black. I gave up - it was making my head cold even worse

A depressing read

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