This Tender Land Audiobook By William Kent Krueger cover art

This Tender Land

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This Tender Land

By: William Kent Krueger
Narrated by: Scott Brick
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About this listen

The acclaimed author of Ordinary Grace crafts a powerful novel about an orphan's life-changing adventure traveling down America's great rivers during the Great Depression, seeking both a place to call home and a sense of purpose in a world sinking into despair.

"Ask me, God's right here. In the dirt, the rain, the sky, the trees, the apples, the stars in the cottonwoods. In you and me, too. It's all connected, and it's all God. Sure this is hard work, but it's good work because it's a part of what connects us to this land. This beautiful, tender land."

1932: Located on the banks of the Gilead River in Minnesota, Lincoln School is home to hundreds of Native American boys and girls who have been separated from their families. The only two white boys in the school are orphan brothers Odie and Albert, who, under the watchful eyes of the cruel superintendent Mrs. Brickman, are often in trouble for misdeeds both real and imagined. The two boys' best friend is Mose, a mute Native American who is also the strongest kid in school. And they find another ally in Cora Frost, a widowed teacher who is raising her little girl, Emmy, by herself.

When tragedy strikes down Mrs. Frost, it's the catalyst for a series of events that will send Odie, Albert, and Mose to rescue Emmy and flee down the river in a canoe, heading for the mighty Mississippi, leaving a dead body in their wake. Soon, they are wanted by the law, and they know that Mrs. Brickman will stop at nothing to track them down for dark reasons of her own. Over the course of this unforgettable summer, Odie, Albert, Mose, and Emmy carefully make their way through the small river towns and big cities filled with people who are by turns desperate and generous, cruel and kind. As they search for a place to belong, these four remarkable children will lose their innocence but gain the strength to survive in the face of terrible loss.

With his signature "pitch-perfect, wonderfully evocative" (Dennis Lehane, New York Times best-selling author) prose, William Kent Krueger's This Tender Land shows how the magnificent American landscape connects us all, haunts our dreams, and makes us whole.

©2019 William Kent Krueger (P)2019 Recorded Books
Action & Adventure Coming of Age Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Native American United States Heartfelt Feel-Good Inspiring

Take a Listen

This Tender Land
"I am a storyteller. I live in a house in the shade of a sycamore tree on the banks of the Gilead River…"
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This Tender Land
"The tale I’m going to tell is of a summer long ago…"
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This Tender Land
"The first time I got thrown into what the Brickman’s called the quiet room…"
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This Tender Land
"You should be more like your brother…"
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This Tender Land
"My brother was 16 then. He had grown tall and lanky at Lincoln school…"
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This Tender Land
"Tornado! Someone shouted. Run! None of us moved…"
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  • This Tender Land
  • "I am a storyteller. I live in a house in the shade of a sycamore tree on the banks of the Gilead River…"
  • This Tender Land
  • "The tale I’m going to tell is of a summer long ago…"
  • This Tender Land
  • "The first time I got thrown into what the Brickman’s called the quiet room…"
  • This Tender Land
  • "You should be more like your brother…"
  • This Tender Land
  • "My brother was 16 then. He had grown tall and lanky at Lincoln school…"
  • This Tender Land
  • "Tornado! Someone shouted. Run! None of us moved…"
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Editor's Pick

A well-crafted American odyssey
"William Kent Krueger is a writer with a passionate following—it was the many heartfelt listener reviews combined with the persistent endorsement of a respected colleague that finally got me to try him out (thanks, Pam!). This Tender Land is beautifully drawn historical fiction that manages to create both unforgettable, authentic characters and a distinct sense of time and place—I became totally invested in the lives of these four orphans in Depression-era Minnesota. Narrator Scott Brick makes it a perfect trifecta of character, setting, and standout performance. Krueger's writing is an example of great American storytelling that I am so happy to have finally experienced."—Tricia F., Audible Editor

What listeners say about This Tender Land

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Superb

Fantastic book. Well written. Well researched. It is the kind of book that you hope is true but also hope it isn’t true because of the struggles of the characters. But the resolution at the end is wonderful. It is particularly of interest to baby boomers who can picture their parents enduring this era in our history. The narrator is excellent.

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Wonderful

A wonderful journey to embark upon. The characters became real and who couldn’t love little Emmy.

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Odysseus meets Huck Finn

What a wonderful tale read by one of the few narrators I seek out. Allegory and metaphor galore throughout. Bravo.

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This tender land

Great story great performance really looking forward to reading some of William Kent Krueger his other books

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This tender land


I’ve been looking for a really good book for a long time finally found this one the story is so engaging the characters are interesting and touch your heart in many ways. I highly recommend this book If you are looking for a long journey of love and forgiveness and redemption this is your book.

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Could not stop listening

This book is very well written. It kept me wanting for more. My minds eye could see what the story teller painted. I highly recommend this for anyone.

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Heartwarming

Fantastic story, wonderful narrator. This was my first book by this author but it won't be the last. It captured my attention right away and never disappointed. I fell in love with the 4 vagabonds and was rooting for them all the way. Absolutely beautiful story.

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just wow!!!!

all I can say is brilliant writer / author the storyline was genius original and heartwarming. I do like the points of historical fiction embedded within the story

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This tender book....

Very satisfying story, told beautifully. I am the richer for having listened to this. Don’t miss it!

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another excellent offering

I absolutely loved this novel! rhe characters are wonderfully conplex and the story riveting. My only possible criticism was the narration. I usually enjoy Scott Brick's reading but I really struggled with it in this book and it was so distracting at the beginning I almost stopped listening. I got used to it because the story was so good but the narration just seemed terribly over dramatic and times.

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