Shotgun Lovesongs

A Novel

By: Nickolas Butler

Narrated by: Scott Shepherd, Ari Fliakos, Maggie Hoffman, Scott Sowers, Gary Wilmes

Welcome to Little Wing.

It’s a place like hundreds of others, nothing special, really. But for four friends—all born and raised in this small Wisconsin town—it is home. And now they are men, coming into their own, or struggling to do so.

One of them never left, still working the family farm that has been tilled for generations. But others felt the need to move on, with varying degrees of success. One trades commodities, another took to the rodeo circuit, and one of them even hit it big as a rock star. And then there’s Beth, a woman who has meant something special in each of their lives.

Now all four are brought together for a wedding. Little Wing seems even smaller than before. While lifelong bonds are still strong, there are stresses—between the friends, between husbands and wives. There will be heartbreak, but there will also be hope, healing, even heroism as these memorable people learn the true meaning of adult friendship and love.

Seldom has the American heartland been so richly and accurately portrayed. Though the town may have changed, the one thing that hasn’t is the beauty of the Wisconsin farmland, the lure of which, in Nickolas Butler’s hands, emerges as a vibrant character in the story. Shotgun Lovesongs is that rare work of fiction that evokes a specific time and place yet movingly describes the universal human condition. It is, in short, a truly remarkable audiobook—a novel that once listened to will never be forgotten.

©2014 Nickolas Butler (P)2013 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

"Fliakos and Shepherd ably handle the sometimes plaintive voices of the male characters, while Hoffman carries most of the emotional weight with her redolent vocal talents.... There's no question that all the narrators connect with the characters' emotional journeys." ( AudioFile)

On Wisconsin! Great sense of place

As a Midwesterner I enjoyed the setting of prairie and small town. Someone said the subject was the angst of 30-somethings, but I'd say it's more about the universal experience of never being content with what we have, envying someone else, not knowing they are envying you. It's about the age when people look around and wonder if this is how their lives are supposed to turn out. And it's about figuring out what is really important in life.

I usually don't care for books with multiple narrators because I will hate at least one of them but in this book I thought all the narrators were excellently matched with their characters. The one female character may have been less effective, but I think that's because the male author didn't give her as much depth as he did to the men he created.

It may be unrealistic the way some of the characters described the land in such poetic terms, but I thought it fit in just fine.

Quick read!

Good characters! I enjoyed hearing each chapter in a new person's point of view.

Expect to Hear Great Things About This Novel

My favorite contemporary fiction selection so far for 2014. This novel focuses on the comings and goings of lives that were once tightly connected in a small Wisconsin town. This is not a sentimental memoir.. it is solid and reeks of truth. Although the novel spans across a couple of decades, it focuses on the present day effects that friendships from the past have on our lives. Narrators are consistant and likable. Nickolas Butler has written a novel of which almost any reader can relate.

OH WOW, LOVESONGS

This is a terrific book! Since other reviewers have outlined the plot, instead I'll just review the high points, and there are many. It was very clear early on that this book was written by a man. Each character has a clear voice and although there are women characters in this book, this story just exudes testosterone. And I mean this in a very good way. At times I thought I could smell Henry's sweat or taste Leland's tears. The prose is rich and it gives to the listener.
I knew the characters and felt for them. This story about marriage, friendship, loyalty and unrequited love is a winner. Hooray to this author! I had no problem differentiating characters, there were several narrators and each voice / character is introduced in the beginning of each chapter. Enjoy this book..... it's a good one!!

A beautiful, melodic book about small towns

Shotgun Lovesongs captured the essence of trying to find your place in or escaping from a barely surviving small town. What I wasn't prepared for was the absolutely beautiful writing. Melodic, honest, and heartfelt, this book is the story of childhood dreams and friendships that grow together and apart in thousands of little Midwestern towns.