The Whistling Season

By: Ivan Doig

Narrated by: Jonathan Hogan

When a widowed rancher hires a housekeeper to help with his three young sons, he finds her to be cheerful and competent. Yet she is concealing a colorful and infamous past. Filled with humor and hardship, this novel sings with what the author calls "a poetry of the vernacular".

A finalist for the National Book award, Ivan Doig, who has published 11 books, has been hailed as the "West's preeminent literary novelist" by the Denver Post.

©2006 Ivan Doig (P)2006 Recorded Books

Critic reviews

"The Whistling Season is a book to pass on to your favorite readers: a story of lives of active choice, lived actively." (Publishers Weekly)

Entertaining, but rather juvenile

This is an entertaining read on some levels, but somewhat banal on others. It is the kind of book I would recommend without hesitation to a junior high or high school student. If nothing else, it gives some kind of picture of life in Montana a hundred years ago. It is good, clean, wholesome reading (if that's what is good for kids). Four-letter words are consistently avoided, and even some 8-letter words like "pregnant," which might presumably alarm some younger readers. If you have the sophistication of an adult, you may find quite a bit of it banal and that the characters don't fully ring true. This story centers around a family in Montana (around 1910) whose mother has died. The adolescent and pre-adolescent sons attend a one-room schoolhouse. The story narrated in flashback by one of the sons as an adult is mostly from the point of view of the boys. They occasionally get involved in nothing worse than innocent, cheerful mischief. They experience life with a widowed father, a new female housekeeper from Minnesota, and the erudite man she tells them is her brother. Much of the book has the feeling of a TV family sitcom. This family has few tears, no fights between the sons, no jealousies, no recalcitrance, no serious issues of discipline for the children, etc. What we get is a cheerful, amusing story with an occasional difficult situation thrown in to provide a moral lesson. Despite its shortcomings, the story moves along nicely. The narration is fine.

3 stars so far...

Right now this book is just background noise, I am not invested in it. It is Quaint, and I keep waiting for something to happen... I think I'm going to quit for now and revisit it later. I do appreciate the writing and the tone.
I have in the past liked books that are just stories about a town, village or group of interesting people such as Guernsey potato peel pie society. But so far half way through this book its just stories about kids and their shenanigans or lack there-of. The Father, the house-keeper and the teacher are all decent characters but nothing has grabbed me yet to make me become invested in their lives.

I was captivated

What made the experience of listening to The Whistling Season the most enjoyable?

Doig is a great story-teller. I found myself seeking escape from the cynical, often depressing stories in the daily news by diving into this book. It describes a time in the early 20th century, in Montana, when life, if not easy, was simpler. The pace is slow, but the dry western wit that pervades the writing kept it from being boring. At first I found the narrator's hard, nasal voice hard to take, but it grew on me, and finally seemed completely appropriate for this story.

Any additional comments?

I look forward to reading other books by Doig. I am reading the Rascal Fair now and loving it.

What a fun and enjoyable read

My book club is now reading this book. A lovely story that made me laugh outloud at times. I loved listening to this as I drove.

realism with humor

This is one of the best stories I have read lately. It did not come across as a dime store novel, but almost as an autobiography. You can believe the events and experiences of the family, the drama, humor, sorrow and joy as it was narrated in richly descriptive fashion, including small details that gave it depth. it reminded me somewhat of the Little House on the Prarie stories but for more mature audiences.

Simple and Nostalgic

As a Westerner who is currently living across the Atlantic this book made me nostalgic for the West and for my family's (and many a Westerner's) past. Simple and country-eloquent in writing and masterfully narrated. A great listen and maybe even a better read. For anyone who enjoys Stegner, Steinbeck or any of the other great American West writers, you'll love this.

Loved this book!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I cannot wait to recommend this book first to my dad who grew up on a wheat farm in Eastern Oregon and second to my book club. I loved the story, the characters (Morrie was my favorite) and my highest praise goes to the narrator, Jonathan Hogan. He was a delight to listen to and the folksy charm in his voice was the perfect match for this story. He reminds me of the man who used to narrate the Wonderful World of Disney shows on Sunday night.

What did you like best about this story?

I thought it was beautifully written - I felt completely transported to that time and place. I loved the sweet relationship between the brothers.

Which scene was your favorite?

Hard to decide but I loved the wrong-end-to horse race.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Several times I teared up while listening. Particularly during the scene when Paul goes out to the pump at the school house and reflects on all the horse paths which lead to the school.

Even better than when I remember reading it myself

Even better than when I read it myself. A little confusion when it came to Brose versus Rose.

Totally engrossed

Would you consider the audio edition of The Whistling Season to be better than the print version?

I liked it better than the print version because Jonathan Hogan read it so beautifully.

What did you like best about this story?

I liked the story from a young boy's perspective.

What about Jonathan Hogan’s performance did you like?

Jonathan Hogan read with ease. He was always on target with the punctuation - did not over or under emphasize. I was able to forget the reader and concentrate freely on what he was reading.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

The book made me laugh and cry both.

Wonderful book

It was a great story with wonderful characters. I love that it was never predictable.