Ava's Man

By: Rick Bragg

Narrated by: Rick Bragg

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • With the same emotional generosity and effortlessly compelling storytelling that made All Over But the Shoutin’ a beloved bestseller, Rick Bragg continues his personal history of the Deep South.

This time he’s writing about his grandfather Charlie Bundrum, a man who died before Bragg was born but left an indelible imprint on the people who loved him. Drawing on their memories, Bragg reconstructs the life of an unlettered roofer who kept food on his family’s table through the worst of the Great Depression; a moonshiner who drank exactly one pint for every gallon he sold; an unregenerate brawler, who could sit for hours with a baby in the crook of his arm.

In telling Charlie’s story, Bragg conjures up the backwoods hamlets of Georgia and Alabama in the years when the roads were still dirt and real men never cussed in front of ladies. A masterly family chronicle and a human portrait so vivid you can smell the cornbread and whiskey, Ava’s Man is unforgettable.

©2001 by Rick Bragg (P)2001 Random House Inc., Random House AudioBooks, a Division of Random House Inc.

Critic reviews

• Audie Award Winner, Best Narration by Author or Authors

"Grab[s] you from the first sentence....[and] stays with you long after you put it down....It is hard to think of a writer who reminds us more forcefully and wonderfully of what people and families are all about.” —The New York Times Book Review

“Earthy, mischievous, yet gorgeous. . . . [Bragg’s] tales . . . would not be out of place if they were told around a campfire.” —San Francisco Chronicle

“As toothsome as a catfish supper. [Bragg] is every bit the equal of . . . Harper Lee and Truman Capote.” —People

Best Book I've Ever Read

I've read a lot of them. I don't think anyone would be disappointed. If you're reading my review stop wasting your time and read the book.

Mesmerizing!

This is yet another incredible book written by Rick Bragg—the story he has shared about his grandfather whom he never knew makes the reader feel that their life too is incomplete for not having known Charlie—this & all the rest of Rick Bragg’s books are mesmerizing, interesting, & a refuge from yesteryear...I loved this book...& so will every reader! I wish I could tell my own family memories half as well.

One of the best books ever

Rick Bragg has a way of writing so his thoughts come across like a a drink of water in the desert - every drop means something and his thoughts seem crystal clear. I have read several of his books and I think this one is the best. My sense is that if Charlie had been a writer, he would have written just this way. Well done Rick.

Rick Bragg-Ava’s Man

I have listened to this book probably 6 times. That and All Over But the Shoutin’ and The Prince if Frogtown. I love these books. The author really knows how to make you feel like you’re there. You feel the happy, the sad, the hurt & the mad. I’ve laughed and cried… and I’ll do it all over again!!

As good as it gets.

Rick Bragg is a great writer who captures the feeling of the southern life. His humble beginnings and deep love of family is an instant appeal. Grab a glass of sweet tea, sit down for a spell and enjoy reading anything Rick Bragg writes.

memories that stir up feelings of joy and saddness

memories on childhood and evil and sweet kindness...played in morning....before getting out of bed.

if the south or big families are in your blood...this is a keeper

Reminiscing

Loved the walk back in time. It was like sitting on Grandma's front porch listening to stories of our Family.

Powerful Story of Family

I found the beginning of the book a bit disjointed and hard to follow, but once it settled in, I found myself enthralled in the story. Its the story of a simple man who did the best he could, and the people who loved him. Rick Bragg has a wonderful gift of telling a story.

Pure Southern Genius

This and his earlier work "All Over But the Shoutin'" are some of the most compelling family stories you weill ever read. Mr. Bragg made me fel what he and his family felt, which the acme of skill in writing. I wanted to send his Momma flowers after his earlir book and I toasted Ava's Man after reading this. The stories are poignant and often heart wrenching but I couldn't wait to keep reading because he made me care about what happened next.

Read this or listen to to it read.

A beautifully read ans veey interesting story, charmingly written of a hard life lived well.