Welcome to Litsy!

We begin this week with a tale as old as time....cutting up couches. From there we dive into the brilliant 2013 novel, 'The Son' by Philipp Meyer. This is our second Meyer novel and it's safe to say we are big fans! So much to unpack in this sprawling epic novel and we had a great time diving in. We highly recommend this novel and hope you enjoy this episode.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/3bmW9R451GCEKdbjw9ilJp

I explain the context of this in our newest episode.

https://spotify.link/npY1k1k3EDb

Just a stack of books from our latest #bookdraft episode!

https://open.spotify.com/episode/4AHZsIP211yo6o4Y7m1Wsg?si=y1eiqTbIQ3eo2z-fsRb9X...

Seemed way to long, i ended up finishing on audio.

It was prophesied I would live to see one hundred and having achieved that age I see no reason to doubt it.

Going to give this a go next, purely because I want to watch the TV show next as well

#audiocrafting. Diamond painting.

Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

What I liked: The intertwining storytelling, varying character points of view, and the family drama.

What I didn't like: The story was a bit confusing at times. I had to look at the family tree at the beginning of the book more than once to see the relationship between the characters.

Bonus: The audiobook was great. Three different narrators, each with their own narration style. I also plan on watching the TV show soon.

Listened to this one on #audiobook Was a great narration with Will Patton and Kate Mulgrew. A long one for #TomeTopple

Ambitious novel which recounts the story of Texas by following the McCullough family of ranchers and oil men. The story opens with 13-year-old Eli seeing his mother and sister raped by a Comanche band who kidnap him. The account of how he is assimilated into the band and his subsequent adventures is a terrific feat of storytelling, as are the alternating chapters recounting the bloody struggle between Mexicans, native Americans and Anglos. Superb

The Son fits the definitions of both epic for its scale and great American novel for its story. It is the story of the McCullough family, told primarily from the perspectives of three family members and spanning from 1836 to 2012.

This novel is about the blood, sweat and tears (and there was plenty of all 3) that went into settling the state of Texas. The hostility between the Commanche and the Whites, the injustices done to the Mexicans and the development of the oil industry are all key factors in this story. Be warned it is a little brutal in places but don't let that stop you. It is an incredible piece of historical fiction and will always be a memorable book for me.

While on a road trip a couple weeks ago, I suggested to my husband that we listen to an audiobook. "How about a western?" he suggested. To be honest, I had never read a western. We landed on "The Son," and I loved it.
The story skips from generation to generation, and the audio has 4 different narrators which made it easy to keep track of who was who. I do wish I had had a copy of the family tree - that would have helped me a lot at the beginning

"I have always found it interesting that white children take so quickly to Indian ways, while Indian children, when brought to be raised in white families, never take to it at all."

"My brother began to cry out in his sleep; I started to shake him, then stopped. There wasn't any dream he could be having that would be as bad as waking up."

Really enjoyed how the different generations clicked together by the end. A very aggressive and ultimately sad story of a family legacy. The second act kind of slowed down for me but I always came back to it. Enjoyed it a lot though.

I really enjoyed this family saga told from three main characters‘ viewpoints over several generations. It was a sweeping book, detailing the often violent and brutal lives of the early settlers of Texas and the changing landscape and livelihoods of its inhabitants told through one family‘s story.

The saga of a Texas oil family told from the perspective of 3 family members of different generations. There were a lot of things to learn and enjoy in this book. Warning: There is a lot of violence.

After that I couldn‘t bear to look. In the distance I could see the Nueces and the green river flats all around, the sun continuing to rise, catching in the pall of dust, the air around the casa mayor turning a brilliant orange as if some miracle were about to occur, a descent of angels, or perhaps the opposite, a kind of eruption, the ascent of some ancient fire that would wipe us all from the earth.

#RockinMay #Cat'sInTheCradle

The title alone, amiright? Also, good excuse to recommend this book. 😉

Kindle deal if you haven't read this yet. Personally I loved it. 😁

Appropriate that my own feline "son" walked into my picture here...I was really impressed with this book, though once again anybody put off by unflinching depictions of violence should pass. I need a palate cleanser/something fun!

I'm back to this book today and somehow a beer feels like the right drink to go with it.

I'm about to dive into this family saga.

I'm not a fan of movie tie-in covers but guys Pierce Brosnan still looks good - even if I do miss my Remington Steele. 😜

Catching up the pilot for The Son. The casting of Pierce Brosnan as a Texan patriarch is a bit of a head scratcher. Can't decide if I'm enjoying it or not. Have y'all watched it?? #adaptation

Whoa! Checking out GR and saw a bit for this in the corner. I loved this book! Series premier is this Saturday, 4/8 on AMC, 8pm central time.

The Son is like reading a Michener epic. Sex, murder and a Comanche what could be better?

Just started this

The Son is certainly an interesting novel of my beloved home state, but I am going to have to bail for now - the brutality and the violence (especially sexual violence) is all too much for me right now. I may revisit...or may not.

Couple of hours on the train ahead of me this evening - luckily, I have Mr B's latest pick to keep me company! #MrBsEmporium

#FunPhotoFriday
My son and I in front of the Biltmore House in Asheville NC the last time he visited me. What's making me especially happy is that I leave on Monday to visit he and his fiancé in San Antonio TX !!!

Texas #bookandbrew - I can't believe that McMurtry & Bats of the Republic (& many other ebooks) aren't in this pile (b/c couldn't find my hard copies) and that there's not a Shiner or Lone Star in sight. Bottles & cans seem to have somehow disappeared from my refrigerator in the craziness of the past 24 hours (or the past 6 months-whatever). I may need to restock to get through the rest of this week! #photoadaynov16

This just arrived from Mr B's today! Excited to see what they've sent this time...

I LOVED this book. It was EPIC. If you like Westerns and/or Texas historical settings and/or sweeping multigenerational novels, this is for you. Get it while it's cheap 😉👍🏽

Oh. Oh. 💔

Don't get discouraged if you're confused by all the changes in point of view and time period. It is tough to track, but well worth it. Incisive and so, so honest. Meyer hits the core of human nature for sure. The bad and the ugly much more so than the good.

The Son isn't just western fiction. It's contemporary fiction at its best. It spans generations, shifts perspectives. Meyer wrote every passage without judgment. If we are to judge, that's fine, but he will not do it for us. Beautiful work.

An all time favorite of mine and others in my book club. The history of Cowboys and Indians isn't watered down in this book so be ready for violence.