Life is Short but Wide

For the generations that pass through this novel, life seems short indeed, and peppered with as much hardship as happiness. In Wideman, Oklahoma, people come and go, love and lose, succeed and fail, with predictable regularity. Adenrele Ojo's performance shines brightest when she engages in dialogue between any of the myriad characters herein, creating a zest and personality that might otherwise go unnoticed. The listener can't help but get pulled into the story of the families whose paths cross in a small town, and Ojo's methodical narration is reasonable and easy to follow--but the audiobook is more diverting than it is dazzling. For the most part, the characters and setting remain flat, leaving the focus on life's brevity rather than its breadth. L.B.F. (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine

December 8, 2008
With another multigenerational, wonderfully crafted Midwest ensemble cast, Cooper (Wild Stars Seeking Midnight Suns
) presents the town of Wideland, Okla., through the eyes of folksy nonagenarian Hattie B. Brown. This community sentinel, though sometimes short on memory, acts as tour guide and historian, introducing the town at the beginning of the 20th century, when the railroad first arrived and, with it, a growing population. Among the new residents, Hattie introduces the industrious, loving African-American cowboy Val Strong and his Cherokee “brother-friend” Wings; Val's hardened but beautiful wife, Irene Lowell; and their two strong-willed daughters, Rose and Tante. Following the Strong family and their associates through the better part of the 1900s, Hattie finds history running roughshod through their lives, crushing some and strengthening others, introducing new generations and obstacles to love, home and happiness. Cooper's characteristic motherly wit carries an appealing raft of characters through a world tougher than it is tender, but touched with beauty and wisdom.