Waterloo

Name: Waterloo
Brand: Blackstone Audiobooks
Availability: InStock
Author: Karen Olsson
ISBN: 9781481580700

Author: Karen Olsson

Narrator: Anna Fields

Unabridged: 9 hr 22 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Blackstone Publishing

Published: 01/01/2006

Categories: Fiction, Political, Humorous

Synopsis

“You’re in a slump.” Nick Lasseter’s boss is talking about his job performance as a reporter for the Waterloo Weekly, but he might as well be talking about Nick’s whole life. His current assignment, a profile of a legendary liberal ex-congressman, is in trouble even before the subject abruptly dies. When Nick grudgingly agrees to write a piece about a rising female Republican legislator, he stumbles onto a political fight in which the good guys and bad guys start to seem interchangeable. Then, when he gets involved with the late congressman’s confidante, it seems that not even the deceased can be relied on to stick to their stories. Some things never change: the moral ambiguity of practical politics, and the hilarious cluelessness of young men in love.

About Karen Olsson

Karen Olsson is a writer at large for Texas Monthly and a former editor of the Texas Observer. Her award-winning writing has appeared in the Washington Post, Baffler, The Nation, and other publications. She lives in Austin.

About Anna Fields

Anna Fields (1965–2006), winner of more than a dozen Earphones Awards and the prestigious Audie Award in 2004, was one of the most respected narrators in the industry. Trained at the Actors Theatre of Louisville, she was also a director, producer, and technician at her own studio, Cedar House Audio.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Emily on March 18, 2018

There are very few novels about Austin, Texas, and so I had to read this one. Author has a very solid political writing background and so I thought it would be interesting. It turned out to be a slow read, in a good way, think Virgin Suicides. I wasn't that interested in the small-town politics in t......more

Goodreads review by Chelsea on September 11, 2007

Tyler said he didn't think he would like this book because it bothers him how people fetishize Austin. People do that, and you can't do anything about it because those people are very self-effacing about it. Everyone likes being here, though it's a badge of a lack of motivation. This seems like very......more

Quotes

“A funny, intelligent novel about people who are at odds and at home with each other, just like in a real town.” Washingtonpost.com

“[An] intricate, ambitious debut novel…With clean, brisk prose, Olsson brings a specific, authentic sense of character, time and place to this story of Texas politicians and muckrakers.” Publishers Weekly

“Anna Fields gives another in a string of fine performances…Fields reads with a keen sense of character and a superb sense of timing. She is also adept at making each character seem charming, funny, or serious, as needed, without losing focus on the novel’s plot, thus making this Texas story a pleasant diversion that will surely appeal to most listeners.” AudioFile

“This wry love letter to Austin (formerly Waterloo), Texas, is steeped in nostalgia for the halcyon years of the late 1970s, when the music was fine, the beer was free, and the city seemed awash in addled good humor…Olsson displays an enviably light touch and a deep affection for her hometown.” Booklist

“Olsson’s dry irony, nuanced observations and enjoyably moody atmosphere build into a sophisticated portrait of her hometown…A debut to be enjoyed by idealists everywhere, and one bound to get Austin locals gossiping.” Kirkus Reviews

Awards

PEN/Ernest Hemingway Foundation Award