Train Dreams and Jesus' Son

By: Denis Johnson

Narrated by: Will Patton

Here are two complete audiobooks by Denis Johnson, narrated by Will Patton. Listen to both Train Dreams, and Jesus’ Son, as well as an excerpt from Denis Johnson’s National Book Award-winning Tree of Smoke.

In Train Dreams Robert Grainer is a day laborer in the American West at the start of the 20th century—an ordinary man in extraordinary times. Buffeted by the loss of his family, Grainer struggles to make sense of this strange new world. As his story unfolds, we witness both his shocking personal defeats and the radical changes that transform America in his lifetime. Suffused with the history and landscapes of the American West—its otherworldly flora and fauna, its rugged loggers and bridge builders—this new novella by the National Book Award-winning author of Tree of Smoke captures the disappearance of a distinctly American way of life.

Jesus's Son, also adapted for the screen, is a now-classic collection of 10 stories from the author of Resuscitation of a Hanged Man and Angels. The stories are narrated by a young man, a recovering alcoholic and heroin addict, whose dependencies have led him to petty crime, cruelty, betrayal, and various kinds of loss.

©1992 & 2002 Denis Johnson (P)2011 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

“[A] severely lovely tale . . . The visionary, miraculous element in Johnson's deceptively tough realism makes beautiful appearances in this book. The hard, declarative sentences keep their powder dry for pages at a time, and then suddenly flare into lyricism.” —James Wood, The New Yorker

“National Book Award winner Johnson (Tree of Smoke) has skillfully packed an epic tale into novella length in this account of the life of Idaho Panhandle railroad laborer Robert Grainer . . . The gothic sensibility of the wilderness and isolated settings and Native American folktales, peppered liberally with natural and human-made violence, add darkness to a work that lingers viscerally with readers . . . Highly recommended.” —Library Journal (starred)

“[Dennis Johnson is] a synthesizer of profoundly American voices: we can hear Twain in his biting irony, Whitman in his erotic excess, not a little of Dashiell Hammett too in the hard sentences he throws back at his gouged, wounded world. And behind all these you sense something else: a visionary angel, a Kerouac, or, better yet, a Blake, who has seen his demon and yearned for God and forged a language to contain them both.” —Newsday

2 Masterworks Narrated w/ Perfection!

Will Patton did a fantastic job at narrating these masterworks of the late, great Mr Johnson. You Really get Bang for your buck with this purchase, receiving receiving both Train Dreams, Jesus's son and and the opening to Tree of Smoke.
There is SO MUCH packed into these 5 and half hours! What a marvelous Double Feature!
I would recommend that people listen to listen to train dreams and Jesus's son separately callee, however short the pieces may be. They are extremely different t from each other and I believe each one deserves its own listen.
Train Dreams is a phenomenal epically Intimate story of 1 man's life during early 1900s in the West. Some great and beautiful phrases forced to purchase this novella in print.
Same goes for Jesus' Son, a collection of 1st person short stories following one can only assume is a loose fictionalization of the author's own poisoned years yet they are written with such Grace, Humor & Heart that I couldn't help but finish the audiobook and immediately hit Restart!
BRAVO!

Set in Northern Idaho

Would you try another book from Denis Johnson and/or Will Patton?

I was interested in Train Dreams because it is set in northern Idaho, near my home. I also wanted a taste of Denis Johnson's writing before hitting his bigger work. I am not sure that I will follow-up on Johnson's work. These left me luke-warm on his work.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Train Dreams and Jesus' Son?

That is the missing element -- not much memorable.

What about Will Patton’s performance did you like?

He did a good job.

Do you think Train Dreams and Jesus' Son needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

No. Better to start over.

Any additional comments?

This review sounds more negative than I intended. The stories were good and creative, just not remarkable. (Isn't that what we want? Remarkable?)

One of the greats

So fantastic that these two books are available for one credit. They're both extraordinary and Patton does an amazing job, as he always does. Train Dreams is one of my most re-listened to audiobooks.

Honed prose and a solid performance

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Denis Johnson is a writer's writer--in all the good ways. Jesus' Son was and still is one of my favorite books, an elegant pile of deceptively simple stories of youthful addictions and desperation.

Train Dreams recreates the memories of an isolated, hard working life that none still living possess. In the early half of the past century, Robert Grainier works first as a logger and migrant construction worker before he is forced to sublimate his grief (over the sudden loss of his family) into the simple acts of homesteading work and odd jobs, and in those efforts, he works through the loss that still haunts him.

These books are good and worth your time. The narrator of this recording, Will Patton, chews the words carefully and owns each moment on the page.

I Should Have Disliked These Stories

Trains Dreams was a slow, immersive story that artfully unfolds a story of aman's simple life. I thought I would not care for a story of a man who seemed to have no introspection, but as I read more deeply, I began to understand how well this character was wrought. On the surface he and the supporting characters appeared two-dimensional; but now I believe the author was writing with the simplicity of the times and demonstrated how people truly interacted and presented themselves. What is so uncanny about this novella is observing how the character's true self was revealed so subtly, almost to be missed, if the reading was not attended to more closely.

Jesus' Son--why would I care about a manipulative, opportunistic lost soul as the main character? Written in the first person, I felt like this was the author's real-life story and I did not like him. But the writing was mesmerizing, and for every reprehensible action or discussion the character embarked on, I was transported by the poetic narrative. A purely wonderful experience. And somehow as the character, in such simple steps, attempts to redeem himself, he becomes sympathetic and an individual to be cared about.

Both stories so masterfully written. The narration in both instances was spot-on, a beautiful voice that characterized his subjects with a straightforward but empathetic understanding.

One of a Kind.. Top Shelf

Would you consider the audio edition of Train Dreams and Jesus' Son to be better than the print version?

I just have the audio version

Who was your favorite character and why?

I enjoyed all of the characters. I loved the talent and sa v v y of the author Denis Johnson.
Hope he writes more stuff. I'll buy it.

Have you listened to any of Will Patton’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Did he do Water for Elephants? If so yes. Will Patton was perfect for the characters in Jesus' Son . Did a great job on Train Dreams also.

Two Brilliant Novellas Read Brilliantly

TRAIN DREAMS:

“Frost had built on the dead grass, and it skirled beneath his feet. If not for this sound he’d have thought himself struck deaf, owing to the magnitude of the surrounding silence. All the night’s noises had stopped. The whole valley seemed to reflect his shock. He heard only his footsteps and the wolf-girl’s panting complaint.”
― Denis Johnson, Train Dreams

So, I've just read my second great American novella set in Northern Idaho. 'Train Dreams' isn't A River Runs Through It and Other Stories, but it travels similar territory. Just different actors and a different experience. It reads like the Spring sun had just risen on Cormac McCarthy's prose.

If you can describe any novel of less than 120 pages as epic, this novel would own that group. The story seems to float like a gossamer-thin cloud across the sky of the late 19th and early 20th century. It captures horizon-to-horizon the struggles and the dreams that disappeared as horses were replaced with cars and planes, and trains traveled back and forth.

JESUS' SON:

“All these weirdos, and me getting a little better every day right in the midst of them. I had never known, never even imagined for a heartbeat, that there might be a place for people like us.”
― Denis Johnson, 'Jesus' Son'

Sometimes while reading this I thought I was reading Burroughs (just not so dark), other times J.G. Ballard (just not so cold), sometimes even Palahniuk (but with more of a poet's heart). It was madness, a fever dream, tied together with beauty. It was fragments of insanity stitched together with the stars. And sometimes the night of this novel was so dark, I couldn't see the stars, and the blood all looked black.

I didn't personally like it as much as 'Train Dreams', but that was just personal preference. I can see how some readers would absolutely adore it. It felt like I was looking at a painting of blood or a beautiful photograph of a corpse. I was both attracted to and repelled by the art and the vision.

Surprisingly Brilliant

Would you listen to Train Dreams and Jesus' Son again? Why?

Yes - certainly Train Dreams. The story affects you long after you stop listening. The writer has a very delicate touch, never descending to sentimentality or mawkishness.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Granier; a simple man's interaction with the world told with such dignity and pathos. Some scenes, like the fire, or the worlf girl, really affected me.

Have you listened to any of Will Patton’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I listen to a lot of Will Patton's work, mainly because I am addicted to his readings of James Lee Burke's novels. He is always brilliant. The cadence and tonality in his voice here is quite different to the JLB material. Granier's story is told with a breathy tenderness that I just loved. On foot of getting addicted to his readings of JLB's work, I have seen a lot of Patton's film work and he has extraordinary range and nuance, which clearly spills over to his readings.

Unique American voice

Where does Train Dreams and Jesus' Son rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Both these books reveal a special voice in American literature, a perspective at once recognizable and distinctive.

What did you like best about this story?

Train Dreams explores the mindset of America as seen through a man's trials in developing the country, establishing a partnership, and interacting with the landscape.

Which scene was your favorite?

Jesus' Son similarly explores the mindset of a distinctly contemporary creature, the modern addicted youth with little direction or self-awareness. The Mennonite couple's ordinary difficulties and the sense of possible redemption for the protagonist made for compelling listening, particularly with the book's infusion of humor.

A great introduction to Denis Johnson

Train Dreams and Jesus Son are very different books. The former is a novella following the life of a man in the Pacific Northwest. The latter is a series of vignettes about people in the bottom tier of society. Both are profoundly moving, and the narrator does a great job of conveying the tales.