House Made of Dawn Audiobook By N. Scott Momaday cover art

House Made of Dawn

A Novel

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House Made of Dawn

By: N. Scott Momaday
Narrated by: N. Scott Momaday, Darrell Dennis
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About this listen

"Both a masterpiece about the universal human condition and a masterpiece of Native American literature.... A book everyone should read for the joy and emotion of the language it contains.” (The Paris Review)

A special 50th anniversary edition of the magnificent Pulitzer Prize-winning novel from renowned Kiowa writer and poet N. Scott Momaday, with a new preface read by the author

A young Native American, Abel has come home from war to find himself caught between two worlds. The first is the world of his father’s, wedding him to the rhythm of the seasons, the harsh beauty of the land, and the ancient rites and traditions of his people. But the other world - modern, industrial America - pulls at Abel, demanding his loyalty, trying to claim his soul, and goading him into a destructive, compulsive cycle of depravity and disgust.

An American classic, House Made of Dawn is at once a tragic tale about the disabling effects of war and cultural separation, and a hopeful story of a stranger in his native land, finding his way back to all that is familiar and sacred.

©2018 N. Scott Momaday (P)2020 HarperCollins Publishers
Classics Fiction Historical Fiction World Literature Native American War
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Poetic Writing • Beautiful Descriptions • Deep Voice • Literary Pinnacle • Vivid Biographical Details • Lush Poetry
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It took concentration and the chapters taking place in the city seemed tedious. In the desert, my attention was good.

Description and narration.

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But the plot was, in my view, only so-so in its development. And the characterizations of the people in the story were also only so-so.

So, one must decide what’s important.

I realize the desire to honor emerging Native American literature. And, in some ways, this excelled. But, frankly, I wouldn’t call it Pulitzer Prize-worthy.

In any event, there are strengths that merit a listen.

The Images and Descriptions of Space and Land Were Fine

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Poetic writing. Soulful and heartbreaking. Momaday is descriptive without being boring, beautiful writing. I leaned t about human experience.

Insight into a person experiencing colonial trauma

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I feel like this book took me places and I admire it for that. I am glad I finally got to read it.

Unrivaled presence 🌅

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Everything was perfect. Plot, characters and prose. Descriptions of the New Mexico landscape were breathtaking.

Beautifully written

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No doubt a worthwhile read but the narrator treated it like one long run on sentence in a hurry to be read. Please Mr. Momaday, read and record this for us.

Good read marred by narrator

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Exquisite book, dreadful voice reading it. I think I will have to return the order.

had to return

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This is a beautifully written, poetic story. The plot is non-linear. I enjoyed it—but the narrative never got its claws in me. I never got fully engrossed.

I feel like this is a book that would take a reader like me several readings to fully appreciate and understand.

There are several Audible reviews that criticize the narrator. I would like to add that those criticisms are bunk. The narrator is fantastic.

A Non-Linear Plot Buried Beneath A Thick Layer of Poetry

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Truly worthy of a Pulitzer Prize. I will read or listen to all of Momaday’s writings.

Truly worthy of a Pulitzer Prize

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This was a fascinating story with many twists and turns, but a few too many ins and outs!

Very well written

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