The Hour I First Believed by Wally Lamb audiobook

The Hour I First Believed: A Novel

By Wally Lamb
Read by George Guidall

HarperAudio
25.16 Hours • Unabridged
Format : Digital Download (In Stock)
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    ISBN: 9780061771323

When high school teacher Caelum Quirk and his wife, Maureen, move to Littleton, Colorado, they both get jobs at Columbine High School. In April 1999, while Caelum is away, Maureen finds herself in the library at Columbine, cowering in a cabinet and expecting to be killed. Miraculously, she survives. But when Caelum and Maureen flee to an illusion of safety on the Quirk family's Connecticut farm, they discover that the effects of chaos are not easily put right. While Maureen fights to regain her sanity, Caelum discovers five generations' worth of diaries, letters, and newspaper clippings in his family's house. As unimaginable secrets emerge, Caelum grapples with the past and struggles to fashion a future from the ashes of tragedy. His quest for meaning is at once mythic and contemporary, personal and quintessentially American.

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Summary

Summary

A New York Times bestseller

A Publishers Weekly bestseller

A USA Today bestseller

A Los Angeles Times bestseller

A San Francisco Chronicle bestseller

Winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award

Selected for the December 2008 Indie Next List

When high school teacher Caelum Quirk and his wife, Maureen, move to Littleton, Colorado, they both get jobs at Columbine High School. In April 1999, while Caelum is away, Maureen finds herself in the library at Columbine, cowering in a cabinet and expecting to be killed. Miraculously, she survives. But when Caelum and Maureen flee to an illusion of safety on the Quirk family's Connecticut farm, they discover that the effects of chaos are not easily put right.

While Maureen fights to regain her sanity, Caelum discovers five generations' worth of diaries, letters, and newspaper clippings in his family's house. As unimaginable secrets emerge, Caelum grapples with the past and struggles to fashion a future from the ashes of tragedy. His quest for meaning is at once mythic and contemporary, personal and quintessentially American.

Editorial Reviews

Editorial Reviews

“Part picaresque, part Russian novel, part mystery…Caelum is an unusual, provocative character, neither a hero nor an antihero but a regular guy experiencing both the tragic and the absurd. His tone is by turns funny, irritating, depressive, and sentimental—which is to say, recognizably human. —New York Times Book Review
“[Lamb knows just how to let the details of a tragedy unfold without decoration or commentary. He’s a master at the kind of direct, unadorned narrative that brings these events alive in all their visceral power…This portrayal of a couple dealing with the asymmetrical effects of trauma is Lamb at his best, wholly sympathetic, deeply moving.” —Washington Post Book World
“Lamb…has delivered a tour de force, his best yet.” —Entertainment Weekly
“Guidall’s performance makes for spellbinding listening.” —AudioFile
“Narrator George Guidall reads with an earnest, familiar voice. He draws listeners into this fascinating tale with nothing more than raw emotion and honesty; rarely does such a straightforward performance tap into the human psyche so effectively.” —Publishers Weekly (audio review)
“A moving story…that seesaws between hope and despair.” —Boston Globe
“A page-turner…Lamb remains a storyteller at the top of his game.” —USA Today
“Audacious...profound and moving…A soaring novel as amazingly graceful as the  classic hymn that provides the title.” —Miami Herald
“Lamb’s narrative…quickly pulls the reader into the lives of its characters…Lamb casts a wide net and hauls back themes both grand and personal…Lamb is exceptional in his exploration of the direct and indirect impacts of survivor guilt.” —Denver Post
“Lamb does an extraordinary job narrating some of the most terrifying tragedies of the past ten years…This is an epic journey that ponders the inexplicable nature of tragedy and its terrible repercussions. Through the chaos, Lamb reveals a quiet thread of hope.” —Rocky Mountain News
“Every character is rendered with vivid, utterly convincing depth…A heck of a page-turner.”  —Dallas Morning News
“Wally Lamb is a remarkable talent…In his latest novel, he nimbly weaves real events, especially the Columbine school shootings, with the fictional story of Caelum Quirk.” —Columbus Dispatch
“Lamb has crafted another affecting, engrossing tone about complicated, interesting characters.” —Minneapolis Star Tribune

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Author

Author Bio: Wally Lamb

Author Bio: Wally Lamb

Wally Lamb is the author of the New York Times and national bestseller The Hour I First Believed, as well as the novels She’s Come Undone and I Know This Much Is True, both #1 New York Times bestsellers and Oprah’s Book Club selections. He lives in Connecticut with his family.

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Details

Details

Available Formats : Digital Download
Category: Fiction/Thrillers/Suspense
Runtime: 25.16
Audience: Adult
Language: English

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