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Remembering Laughter  By  cover art

Remembering Laughter

By: Wallace Stegner
Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
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Publisher's summary

Margaret Stuart, the proud wife of a prosperous Iowa farmer, sets high standards for herself and others. Happy in her marriage, she tries to look the other way when her genial husband, Alec, takes to the bottle. When Elspeth, Margaret’s sister, comes to live with them, the young woman is immediately captivated by the beauty and vitality of the farm and by the affection she receives from those around her. But as summer turns into fall and the friendship between Alec and Elspeth deepens, Margaret finds her spirit tested by a series of events that seem as cruel and inevitable as the endless prairie winters.

Remembering Laughter marked Wallace Stegner’s brilliant literary debut.

©1937 Wallace Stegner. renewed 1965 by Wallace Stegner (P)2011 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“Adroit and moving…has the quality of a rueful ironic legend.” ( New York Times)

What listeners say about Remembering Laughter

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Masterful

A masterful, timeless piece written with poetic precision. Steiner at his best in this beautiful short.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Remembering why I love Stegner

I may decide to re-read Stegner's books after listening to this story. So good and reminds me of so many marriages

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1 person found this helpful

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A sad tale filled with warmth

The story is a sad one, true to its setting and was still delightful to hear the reader…a chilling story read with warmth and compassion!

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Hearty

Feels like a heart burn after a hearty meal. It hides the beauty away for a long while but not before is gives a good promising hint of it.

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4 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Stegner’s first

In this first short story Stegner already proves to be a great writer. A very good narrator.

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A Sad Story

This one is pretty sad, but the writing of it is flawless as Stegner’s writing is.

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4 people found this helpful

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Wallace Stegner

This was a good story and well written. Life lost and ruined to desires. Sadly stupid.

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    3 out of 5 stars
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I don’t get it

Kind of boring. Not much to it. Well performed but no suspense. Dull. Can’t even say it was particularly well written as the plot was so ordinary

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sandy at 60

good story and probably true about women at that time, SAD FOR THEM. A GOOD READ

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6 people found this helpful

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Portrait of Quiet Desperation

Sad story of three basically good people whose existence devolves into a life of quiet desperation due to an impulsive marital betrayal. Worth a listen because of the beautiful writing. Every detail is sharp with feeling and leaves the reader with a clear impression of the bleak lives of the characters.

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5 people found this helpful