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The Violent Bear It Away

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The Violent Bear It Away

By: Flannery O’ Connor
Narrated by: Mark Bramhall
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About this listen

First published in 1960, The Violent Bear It Away is now a landmark in American literature. It is a dark and absorbing example of the gothic sensibility and bracing satirical voice that are united in Flannery O'Conner's work. In it, the orphaned Francis Marion Tarwater and his cousin, Rayber, defy the prophecy of their dead uncle - that Tarwater will become a prophet and will baptize Rayber's young son, Bishop. A series of struggles ensue, as Tarwater fights an internal battle against his innate faith and the voices calling him to be a prophet, while Rayber tries to draw Tarwater into a more “reasonable” modern world. Both wrestle with the legacy of their dead relatives and lay claim to Bishop's soul.

O'Connor observes all this with an astonishing combination of irony and compassion, humor and pathos. The result is a novel whose range and depth reveal a brilliant and innovative writer acutely alert to where the sacred lives and where it does not.

©1960 Flannery O'Connor (P)2010 Blackstone Audio, Inc. Classics Historical Fiction Fiction Witty Emotionally Gripping

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Critic reviews

“There is very little contemporary fiction which touches the level of Flannery O’Connor at her best.” ( New York Herald Tribune)
“I am sure her books will live on and on in American literature.” (Elizabeth Bishop, American poet laureate and Pulitzer Prize winner)
All stars
Most relevant  
loved the narrator,can't help but listen to his mesmerising voice,love the story hopefully it's not the end and more books will follow.i found the story very similar to Cormac McCarthy books who to me is one of the best authors..will look for more books from this author,Flannery OConner....up there with Cormac!

Brilliant and absorbing.

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As a relatively recent convert to Flannery O'Connnor (twenty years ago I still didn't 'get' her), I found The Violent Bear It Away to be more coherent and accessible than her first novel, Wise Blood. The characters are drawn with the upmost skill, and O'Connor never makes them 'heroes' or 'villains' cheaply. There is depth here as well as darkness. The narration, by Mark Brmhall, is superb – just as good as Bronson Pinchot's excellent reading of Wise Blood. Highly recommended.

Brilliantly evocative

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Francis Tarwater was raised by his preacher great-uncle – destined to be a prophet. He resists his destiny; he does not bury his great-uncle, he goes to live with his uncle, he does not want to baptise his cousin, he does much worse! He is in the thrall of his ancestors, his nature and his destiny. Powerful, sensitive and moving with fantastic Southern States voice.

Resist destiny at your peril!

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“The great dignity of man,” Rayber said to Tarwater, “is his ability to say: I am born once and no more. What I can see and do for myself and my fellow man in this life is all of my portion and I’m content with it. It’s enough to be a man."

This book was just utterly sensational.

A young boy is caught between religion and secularism. Between what is felt and known and what can be learned and known. Between what has been laid out for him and what he can choose for himself.

Madness. The bleak horror of living as a being capable of knowing. Being aware of mortality. Of sin. Condemned by that awareness.

Everything in this book is stained with rancour. You're a spirit with a bird's view of things. Vulture like. The world slowed to allow each thought and feeling the characters have to be teased out and examined intimately. Almost like a divine violation.

Maybe this isn't for everyone. It takes a certain type of person to enjoy this type of writing. It is southern gothic at its finest. Irredeemably cruel and vicious.

But it has a message. It makes its point.

If you've not had a religious upbringing, it might be a little inaccessible. I think that if you're not in a similar position to Tarwater (flavoured by the rational and the religious) you'll have an uphill battle on your hands.

But my god... For me... This short book spoke to me! It will go on as a lifetime favourite.

performance flawless story spectacular

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one of the best books ever written read by a great narrator get it now you donkeys

honestly astounding

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It is a wonderful book,visceral language of a true writer.Flannery's health was never of the best and she died young (in her thirties),perhaps that is why her view of the World at times seems so narrow but at other times embraces everything that has puzzled men and women since time began.I felt the mid West sun burning my eyes and how strange to call a young child Bishop.

First time Flannery O'connor experience

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One of the greatest American writers; she’s such an original. A word/perfect novel that is dark, bleak, beautiful, hilarious and horrifying, tender and cruel, and so wise. So many many layers to this masterpiece and an excellent reading.

Takes your breath away

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A classic of American literature, the writing is wonderful, but it's not an easy listen for a long car journey. Although it's supposed to be a Catholic novel and an affirmation of O'Connor's faith, it is very hard to find a chink of light here. None of the characters possess so much as a breath of humanity, compassion or humour and the whole thing is a dark, nasty, brutal argument. Yes, it is a triumph of something or other, probably writing prowess, but it's not fun, and leaves nothing but despair.

Relentlessly Depressing

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