A Sudden Light, Garth Stein
A Sudden Light, Garth Stein
3 Rating(s)
List: $26.99 | Sale: $18.89
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A Sudden Light

Author: Garth Stein

Narrator: Seth Numrich

Unabridged: 11 hr 34 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 09/30/2014


Synopsis

From Garth Stein, author of the beloved bestseller The Art of Racing in the Rain—now a major motion picture!

The New York Times bestselling “witty, atmospheric” (People) story of a once powerful American family, and the price that must be paid by the heirs as they struggle for redemption: “A captivating page-turner” (Star Tribune, Minneapolis).

Twenty-three years after the fateful summer of 1990, Trevor Riddell recalls the events surrounding his fourteenth birthday, when he gets his first glimpse of the infamous Riddell House. Built from the spoils of a massive timber fortune, the legendary family mansion is constructed of giant whole trees and is set on a huge estate overlooking Seattle’s Puget Sound. Trevor’s bankrupt parents have separated, and his father, Jones Riddell, has brought Trevor to Riddell House with a goal: to join forces with Aunt Serena, dispatch the ailing and elderly Grandpa Samuel to a nursing home, sell off the house and property for development, and divide up the profits.

But as young Trevor explores the house’s hidden stairways and forgotten rooms, he discovers secrets that convince him that the family plan may be at odds with the land’s true destiny. Only Trevor’s willingness to face the dark past of his forefathers will reveal the key to his family’s future.

Spellbinding and atmospheric, A Sudden Light is rich with vivid characters, poetic scenes of natural beauty, and powerful moments of spiritual transcendence. “Garth Stein is resourceful, cleverly piecing together the family history with dreams, overheard conversations, and reminiscences…a tale well told,” (The Seattle Times)—a triumphant work of a master storyteller at the height of his power.

About Garth Stein

Garth Stein is the author of the New York Times bestselling novels, A Sudden Light and The Art of Racing in the Rain, and two previous novels, How Evan Broke His Head and Other Secrets and Raven Stole the Moon. He is the cofounder of Seattle7Writers, a nonprofit collective of Northwest authors working to foster a passion for the written word. He lives in Seattle with his family. Visit him online at GarthStein.com.

About Seth Numrich

Seth Numrich won the Evening Standard Award for Outstanding Newcomer for Sweet Bird of Youth at The Old Vic. Additional Broadway and Off-Broadway credits include: The Merchant of Venice (Broadhurst Theatre), War Horse (Vivian Beaumont), Golden Boy (Lincoln Center), Travesties (American Airlines), Orpheus Descending (Theatr Clwyd), and Fathers and Sons (Donmar Warehouse). Numrich starred in four seasons of the AMC drama Turn: Washington’s Spies and appeared opposite Daniel Radcliffe in the film Imperium.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Terrie on March 23, 2023

A Sudden Light by Garth Stein is a Multi-genre Family Fiction Story! Imagine, if you will, seeing a huge home, one the size of an old-time mansion that's constructed entirely of giant whole trees, with all the bark still attached. Trevor Riddell remembers the first time he saw Riddell House, the enor......more

Goodreads review by Shaun on September 22, 2014

I often think about what makes a book "good" for me...Is it amazing poetic prose, memorable and interesting characters, or a kick-ass story that pulls me in, shakes me up, and then spits me back out a little changed, hopefully for the better? Maybe it's some combination of the above. After some refle......more

Goodreads review by MissSusie on January 02, 2015

Those who follow my reviews know I am a sucker for a good family secrets novel and this one had it all…secrets, spirits/ghosts, lies, deception and a great generational story. I enjoyed Stein’s book The Art of Racing in the Rain and when I saw he had a new book coming out I requested this one on Net......more

Goodreads review by Jennie on August 27, 2016

As of this date, 2/11/14, it's possible that I'm the only GoodReads reviewer who has actually read this book in manuscript form. It's not yet available in galley. And it's not the time to reveal anything about it other than, you're going to love it. Pure Garth Stein, for all the things you love in h......more

Goodreads review by Barbara on November 17, 2014

3.75 stars: The sins of our fathers…must we pay the debt??? That is the main story line behind Stein’s new novel, “A Sudden Light”. Written in first person, it’s Trevor Riddell’s story, as he tells it as an adult. In Trevor’s recollection, it’s during his 14th year, when he and his father, Jones, go......more