Homestead

A Novel

By: Melinda Moustakis

Narrated by: Ariel Blake

"Ariel Blake soothingly narrates this desolate tale of Marie and Lawrence as they come together and navigate an abrupt new marriage, loss of their first child, and homesteading in the rugged Alaskan wilderness during the 1950s."—AudioFile

From NATIONAL BOOK FOUNDATION 5 UNDER 35 HONOREE and FLANNERY O'CONNOR AWARD WINNER Melinda Moustakis, a debut novel set in Alaska, about the turbulent marriage of two unlikely homesteaders

"So good, so precise, so strong, and so deeply felt.”—Jess Walter, #1 New York Times bestselling author

"Recommended for fans of Kristin Hannah’s The Great Alone.”—Booklist (starred review)

Anchorage, 1956. When Marie and Lawrence first lock eyes at the Moose Lodge, they are immediately drawn together. But when they decide to marry, days later, they are more in love with the promise of homesteading than anything. For Lawrence, his parcel of 150 acres is an opportunity to finally belong in a world that has never delivered on its promise. For Marie, the land is an escape from the empty future she sees spinning out before her, and a risky bet is better than none at all. But over the next few years, as they work the land in an attempt to secure a deed to their homestead, they must face everything they don’t know about each other. As the Territory of Alaska moves toward statehood and inexorable change, can Marie and Lawrence create something new, or will they break apart trying?

Immersive and wild-hearted, joyfully alive to both the intimate and the elemental, Homestead is an unflinching portrait of a new state and of the hard-fought, hard-bitten work of making a family.

A Macmillan Audio production from Flatiron Books.

©2023 Melinda Moustakis (P)2023 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

“Inspired by Moustakis’ own family history and set during the Alaskan Territory’s bid for statehood, this stunning debut novel considers what it truly means to own land. Recommended for fans of Kristin Hannah’s The Great Alone.”—Booklist (starred review)

“Moustakis shines in her debut…The wondrous descriptions of the back-breaking labor involved in clearing and farming the land, and of the region’s vast beauty, will make readers feel like they’re there. This evocative, well-drawn account of Alaska’s American settlers is so convincing it ought to come with a pair of mittens.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Moustakis’s writing is so good, so precise, so strong, and so deeply felt that it immediately creates a sense of time and place, and builds a quiet suspense about Marie and taciturn Lawrence. Homestead manages to be laconic and wry and visceral and primal and almost subversive in its depiction of marriage as a lovely, profound hardship.”—Jess Walter, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Cold Millions and Beautiful Ruins

Boring

The book is a slow read but the reader made it slower! Had to go to the end to make sure I didn’t miss something.

Excellent Story

It really reviews the hardship between the land and people in homesteading thank you for an excellent story

The distinct writing style. Abrupt and short.

This is a story of survival without any fluff. The struggles are many and the sadness abounds. There is little joy.

Excellent novel and reading

Lyrical and precise storytelling with fully alive characters, including the land. I could not put it down. Also loved the delivery by the narrator- which was as melodic as the prose.

Did not like

I just didn’t like the way this story was written. Prose was very choppy. The characters seemed superficial and immature, their actions ill-advised. It was a struggle to finish.

One note story- depressing.

Very monotone story line. Nothing but sadness and depression. Needed some variety. Some happiness, hope, etc. i kept expecting more. Wish I had given up.

very hard to follow. was disappointed 😞

I had a very hard time trying to listen, and follow the book was very disappointing in the book.