Joe

By: Larry Brown

Narrated by: Tom Stechschulte

An ALA Notable Book, Joe has earned critical acclaim nationwide, and Larry Brown has been compared to great Southern writers such as William Faulkner and Eudora Welty. Like them, Larry Brown has an unerring feel for the truest details of regional life.

The Mississippi countryside is Joe Ransom's world. There, whiskey, fast trucks, and a hard right fist are the badges of manhood. But middle age is approaching, and Joe tries to not think too much about the future. At 15, Gary Jones' life is painful and unpredictable. His days are spent avoiding his brutish father and caring for a damaged mother and sister. When Joe's and Gary's paths cross, the resulting friendship is a bizarre rite of passage for both of them.

Throughout the story, Brown deftly maintains a balance between action and destruction, compassion and compulsion. His characters are riveting; the conclusion is shocking. This novel will leave you astonished and grateful for Larry Brown, a major talent.

©1991 Larry Brown (P)1996 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic reviews

"Powerful...Brown comes into his own." (Publishers Weekly)
"Brown delivers....This raw and gritty novel ranks with the best hard-knocks, down-and-out work of Jim Thompson and Harry Crews. It's lean, mean, and original." (Kirkus Reviews)

Great Story

A very worthwhile read! Well written story-so good!- with excellent narration by a fine narrator. I highly recommend!! ☺️

Amazing

What a pity the author died so soon. Stechschulte has the perfect voice for this story.

This book blew my mind

It has everything. It's tragic, hilarious, suspenseful and poetic. The end will shake you.

Great story…

I didn’t know what to expect from Joe. It was a suggestion from my brother. Wonderful characters (even the low life’s). Story moved quickly and I was sad when it ended.

Sloooooooooow narration, & gross verbiage.

Mind numbing slow narrator. Listen at 2x speed to push through the plethora of domestics and verbal abuse in this story. I’m stopping at chpt 3.

Joe

as usual, Larry Brown writes a beauty.

mesmerzing

Would you consider the audio edition of Joe to be better than the print version?

yes - this superb reader builds a character with his voice - the story comes alive in a whole new way. His voicing of old man Wade is especially memorable.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Joe?

one of the funnier parts of the story was when Gary has his first encounter with a hooker and she tells him to go brush his teeth

Joe's relationship with the law is also memorable

What about Tom Stechschulte’s performance did you like?

so much to like. He handles the different voices so well without sounding contrived or affected - and his handling of the southern accent is remarkable. He gives each character such close attention. Wade sounds evil and Gary sounds pure and lost - its all Tom's doing

Powerful narrative

Strong characters, compelling story, what more could you ask? Though set in Mississippi, this is not a story of the Southern condition - it's a story of the Human condition.

Hidden Gem

My last couple of listens were Bukowski titles in the plus catalog. This book appeared in my recommendations. The characters are well developed and the story is captivating. Performance is great too, accents sound genuine to me even though I am not overly familiar with the area of the country being presented. Has a good mixture of funny, sad and frustrating moments where I am angry at the actions of characters and wish I could help out! Haven't quite finished, I have an hour left, but overall a great listen and I will be looking for other titles by the author and narrator.

Very glad that I found Larry Brown

Real characters, love them or hate them! This is my 3rd larry brown book. Wish I had found this author sooner.