
That Old Ace in the Hole (Abridged)
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Narrated by:
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Arliss Howard
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By:
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Annie Proulx
Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award winner Annie Proulx's That Old Ace in the Hole is told through the eyes of Bob Dollar, a young Denver man trying to make good in a bad world. Dollar is out of college but aimless, when he takes a job with Global Pork Rind - his task, to locate big spreads of land in the Texas and Oklahoma panhandles that can be purchased by the corporation and converted to hog farms.
Dollar finds himself in a Texas town called Woolybucket, whose idiosyncratic inhabitants have ridden out all manner of seismic shifts in panhandle country. These are tough men and women who witnessed firsthand tornadoes, dust storms, and the demise of the great cattle ranches. Now it's feed lots, hog farms, and ever-expanding drylands.
Dollar settles into LaVon Fronk's old bunkhouse for $50 a month, helps out at Cy Frease's Old Dog Cafe, targets Ace and Tater Crouch's ranch for Global Pork, and learns the hard way how vigorously the old owners will hold onto their land, even though their children want no part of it.
Robust, often bawdy, strikingly original and intimate, That Old Ace in the Hole tracks the vast waves of change that have shaped the American landscape and character over the past century. In Bob Dollar, Proulx has created one of the most irresistible characters in contemporary fiction.
Please note: This is the abridged edition. An unabridged version is also available.
©2002 Annie Proulx, All Rights Reserved (P)2002 Simon & Schuster Inc., All Rights Reserved, AUDIOWORKS Is an Imprint of Simon & Schuster Audio Division, Simon & Schuster Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...




















Critic reviews
"Proulx imparts [the story] with such minute accuracy that it's like seeing a painting up close and magnified, with each tiny brush stroke lovingly emphasized." (Publishers Weekly)
Sorry it was abridged
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If you enjoy a "craftsman" of the written word, then you'll love Annie Proulx.
Wonderful characters and a Message, too
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This is one of the best abridged audiobooks I have listened to. Not only is the story outstanding, but the reader uses his considerable acting skills to portray the colorful voices of many of the characters. I find myself wanting to purchase the book now, in order to linger over some of the passages, learn the spellings of some of the names, and read what was omitted in the abridgement.
Masterfully Written and Read
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solid writing and terrific narrator
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Lots of fun
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Annie Proulx excels at writing epic novels where the tide of events runs slower than the Don. Her characters are like butterflies, slowly finding their way across a meadow by turning this way and that way. Introducing yet another queer character into That Old Ace in the Hole does not help very much, because the story still remains fragmented.
I get the feeling that even Annie got fed up on this one before she reached the finishing line. Question is - does anyone bother to read a novel, intent on unearthing any gems, before it goes off to the publisher?
Four stars goes to Arliss Howard, who is a magnificent reader. I'll probably end up listening to the whole novel once again, simply because listening to his voice is such a pleasure.
Slow and fragmented
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Well, I could be wrong, having spent no significant time in either place, but after reading this, I felt I knew the people and the culture. On top of that, there's a good story with genuinely interesting characters. The narration is excellent, always interesting with very clear and consistent distinctions between characters.
I have no regrets about this one!
As good as you would expect
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Fantastic!
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Would you listen to That Old Ace in the Hole again? Why?
This great story recounts Bob Dollar's trying to set up hog farms in the Panhandle, a job he loathes for a goal he hates, against people he respects. The story is a little like 'Shipping News', a lost man who saves himself, helped by the community and the land.What did you like best about this story?
The narration of this story was great, with perfect voices for each character.Beautiful regional coming-of-age story
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little errors too much
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