Tomato Red: A Novel

by Daniel Woodrell, Megan Abbott Narrated by Brian Troxell

Overview

A sharp and funny addition to Daniel Woodrell's collection of "country noir" novels, featuring anti-hero Sammy Barlach and Jamalee Merridew, her hair tomato red with rage and ambition.
In the Ozarks, what you are is where you are born. If you're born in Venus Holler, you're not much. For Jamalee Merridew, Venus Holler just won't cut it. Jamalee sees her brother Jason, blessed with drop-dead gorgeous looks and the local object of female obsession, as her ticket out of town. But Jason may just be gay, and in the hills and hollows of the Ozarks that is the most dangerous and courageous thing a man could be.
Enter Sammy Barlach, a loser ex-con passing through a tired nowhere on the way to a fresher nowhere. Jamalee thinks Sammy is just the kind of muscle she and Jason need.

Editorial Reviews

JULY 2012 - AudioFile

Woodrell, author of the magnificent WINTER’S BONE, knows how to create a haunting sense of place and cast of characters. With this novel, he infuses his intensity with some humor, thanks to protagonist Sammy Barlach. A lovable loser who stumbles among mishaps, Sammy finds a home with like-minded ne’er-do-wells Bev, Jason, and Jamalee. Brian Troxell is magical in his performance. He embraces a Midwestern twang so personable and appealing that we can’t help but root for Sammy and his friends. Occasionally, a phrase might ring a little too quaint, but these moments pale in comparison to the rest of this audiobook. Between Troxell’s mastery of the dialogue and accent and Woodrell’s way with words and characters, this is irresistible. L.B.F. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine

From the Publisher

"Dan Woodrell does for the Ozarks what Raymond Chandler did for Los Angeles."—Richard Eder, Los Angeles Times

"A shimmering novel, rich with insight...a pleasure... Zooms on the rocket fuel of Woodrell's explosively original language."—The Washington Post Book World

"Woodrell's storytelling is as melodic, jangly and energetic as a good banjo riff.... Sammy Barlach's story is a tragedy, but the telling of it is a pleasure."—Valerie Sayers, The New York Times Book Review

Valerie Sayers

"Woodrell's storytelling is as melodic, jangly and energetic as a good banjo riff.... Sammy Barlach's story is a tragedy, but the telling of it is a pleasure."

The Washington Post Book World

"A shimmering novel, rich with insight...a pleasure... Zooms on the rocket fuel of Woodrell's explosively original language."

Richard Eder

"Dan Woodrell does for the Ozarks what Raymond Chandler did for Los Angeles."

JULY 2012 - AudioFile

Woodrell, author of the magnificent WINTER’S BONE, knows how to create a haunting sense of place and cast of characters. With this novel, he infuses his intensity with some humor, thanks to protagonist Sammy Barlach. A lovable loser who stumbles among mishaps, Sammy finds a home with like-minded ne’er-do-wells Bev, Jason, and Jamalee. Brian Troxell is magical in his performance. He embraces a Midwestern twang so personable and appealing that we can’t help but root for Sammy and his friends. Occasionally, a phrase might ring a little too quaint, but these moments pale in comparison to the rest of this audiobook. Between Troxell’s mastery of the dialogue and accent and Woodrell’s way with words and characters, this is irresistible. L.B.F. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940173556004
Publisher:	Hachette Audio
Publication date:	04/24/2012
Edition description:	Unabridged

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