Returning to Earth, Jim Harrison
Returning to Earth, Jim Harrison
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Returning to Earth

Author: Jim Harrison

Narrator: Traci Svendsgaard, Tom Weiner, Ray Porter, Richard Powers, a full cast

Unabridged: 7 hr 43 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 01/01/2006

Synopsis

In this sequel to Harrison's True North, Donald Burkett, a middle-aged Chippewa-Finnish man, is dying of Lou Gehrig's disease. While his wife, Cynthia, transcribes, Donald begins dictating his family history for the benefit of their children, stories that he never before has shared. As old crimes, dreams, wounds, and sacred moments are revived for the members of Donald's family, each is affected in different and profound ways. Each will describe in his or her own voice the inner journey catalyzed by Donald's death and legacy. This is a deeply moving book about origins and endings, about honoring life, honoring the dead, and finding redemption in unlikely places.

About Jim Harrison

Jim Harrison (1937–2016) was the author of over thirty-five books of poetry, nonfiction, and fiction, including Legends of the Fall, The Road Home, The English Major, and The Farmer’s Daughter. His writing appeared in the New Yorker, Esquire, Sports Illustrated, Playboy, and the New York Times. He earned a National Endowment for the Arts grant, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and the Spirit of the West Award from the Mountains & Plains Booksellers Association. His work has been recognized worldwide and published in twenty-two languages.

About Traci Svendsgaard

Traci Svendsgaard is a veteran of a twenty-five year voice-over career. In addition, she and her husband, Lars, host The Retro Lounge on Jefferson Public Radio. They live a simple life in Southern Oregon.

About Tom Weiner

Tom Weiner, a dialogue director and voice artist best known for his roles in video games and television shows such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Transformers, is the winner of eight Earphones Awards and is an Audie Award finalist. He is a former member of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.

About Ray Porter

Ray Porter is an AudioFile Earphones Award–winning narrator and fifteen-year veteran of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. He has appeared in numerous films and television shows, including Almost Famous, ER, and Frasier.

About Richard Powers

Richard Powers has published thirteen novels. He is a MacArthur Fellow and received the National Book Award. He won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for The Overstory, and Bewilderment was shortlisted for the Booker Prize.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Brad on July 15, 2013

The more I think about this book, the more I like it. Ever since my Mom passed away last year I consistently hear comments like, "she's looking down and smiling," which I can't stand. It's so refreshing to read a novel that has a non-Christian view of grief. As it turns out, being part of a family i......more

Goodreads review by Lizzie on October 13, 2007

I just finished this book and so many different thoughts are racing through my mind. My first action will be to pick it up and read it again. At the crux of the book is a character, Donald, who is dying and trying to depart his story on to his future generations. It is told in four parts each by a d......more

Goodreads review by Simon on April 11, 2022

Jim Harrison has returned to his beloved earth, he looked like earth turned over a time too many those last years, but he lived 'em hard like most of his hero's/heroine's and those are always a mashup of himself. This book echos those usuals plus ravens/crows/bears in Anishinaabe lore from the rowdy......more

Goodreads review by Grace on April 08, 2017

Lyrical and at times dark. I put this book aside a few times just to let the story gel a bit, then I'd resume it. Harrison was a gift to readers. I will keep this one in my library for a long time.......more

Goodreads review by Jill on June 20, 2021

Almost five stars. Shattering prose. Great "voice." I am a sucker for setting and this book is set in the UP of Michigan, where I finished the last half of the book. Marquette, Munising, Houghton, Au Train. The Big Two Hearted River. Authentic. My only quibble, and honestly, this is mostly my fault,......more

Quotes

“Harrison’s characters speak with a gripping frankness and intimacy about their own shortcomings and delve into their grief with keen sympathy.”

Publishers Weekly

“The exceptional cast…presents [Donald’s] story, sometimes harshly, sometimes tenderly, but always unsentimentally and truthfully…In this beautiful, spiritual book, the narrators offer impressive performances, bringing a welcome clarity to each human moment.”

AudioFile

“Harrison sounds the themes he has been working out over the course of his long and prolific career, including the healing power of nature and the deep connection between the sensual and the spiritual…Harrison displays a seemingly effortless ability to present abstract issues in earthy, muscular prose.”

Booklist

“Gracefully moving…Living a good life and dying a good death are big themes but Harrison comes at these subjects with a unique storytelling subtlety.”

Bookpage

“The structure of the book lends itself well to a spoken version, and Blackstone Audio has splurged in its production, using a different narrator for each of the four parts/characters of the work.”

ForeWord

Awards

  • Publishers Weekly Best Book
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