February 17, 2012 / Leslie

Review – Audiobook: A Good American by Alex George

Audiobook Review, Book Review, Historical Fiction, Literature

A Good American
by Alex George
Read by: Gibson Frazier

Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Penguin Audio (Amy Einhorn Books)
Publish Date: February 7, 2012
Format: Audio CD | 12 hours and 30 minutes
Rating: 4½ of 5

What a wonderful surprise! I received this in audio for review and knew little about the book other than it was historical fiction. As I began listening I was immediately swept away into the saga of the Meisenheimer family.

The story opens in 1905, Germany. Frederick serenades Jette with beautiful opera songs and eventually wins her heart. But Jette’s mother does not approve of Frederick and when Jette becomes pregnant, the only real option available to the two young lovers that will allow them to stay together is to leave for America. They book passage on the first available ship, marry on the journey and eventually arrive in New Orleans. Finding it difficult to fit in and not understanding the language, they continue traveling and when they reach Beatrice, Missouri, they find other German immigrants and settle there. Frederick takes a job at a local bar and eventually buys the establishment.

Music, food and family are themes that runs throughout this amazing story. While much of the novel is upbeat there is also sadness, tragedy and secrets. The writing is rich, the characters are vivid and I was carried away with their tale. Never boring and rarely predictable, the story takes turns I wasn’t expecting, and kept me engrossed.

The entire novel is told from the point of view of one narrator, Fredericks’s grandson, James. Many of us can relate to being the grandchildren of immigrants. My grandparents came to America in the early 1900s to escape the aftermath of a Europe devastated by World War I, seeking employment and a better life for their future children. But I know little of their story, and while I was listening to this book I kept thinking how I wished someone in my family had written some of it down for, sadly, it is now lost in time.

The audio was a pleasure to listen to. Gibson Frazier’s narration was superb and his storytelling had a perfect rhythm and just the right amount of emotion and inflection. I highly recommend this to readers who want to try an audiobook for the first time as a single narrator makes it an excellent choice to become familiar with the audiobook format. And I’m sure it’s wonderful in print, too.

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Source: Review copy.