Listen free for 30 days

Try for $0.00
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo + applicable taxes after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
Tobacco Road cover art

Tobacco Road

Written by: Erskine Caldwell
Narrated by: John MacDonald
Try for $0.00

$14.95 per month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $23.12

Buy Now for $23.12

Pay using card ending in
Switch payment method
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Tax where applicable.

Publisher's Summary

Set during the Depression in the depleted farmlands surrounding Augusta, Georgia, Tobacco Road was first published in 1932. It is the story of the Lesters, a family of white sharecroppers so destitute that most of their creditors have given up on them. Debased by poverty to an elemental state of ignorance and selfishness, the Lesters are preoccupied by their hunger, sexual longings, and fear that they will one day descend to a lower rung on the social ladder than the black families who live near them.

Caldwell's skillful use of dialect and his plain style make the book one of the best examples of literary naturalism in contemporary American fiction. The novel was adapted as a successful play in 1933.
©1932 Erskine Caldwell (P)1998 Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Classics
Show more Show less

What the critics say

"Caldwell's book is...well served by this classy performance, which manages to highlight the realism amid the rambunctiousness." ( AudioFile)
"An original, mature approach to people who ignore the civilization that contains them as completely as it ignores them." ( The Nation)

What listeners say about Tobacco Road

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    2
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    3
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 3.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1
  • 4 Stars
    1
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    1

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Audible.ca reviews

Amazon Reviews
Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Benjamin Howe

excellent narration, terrible story

The fantastic narration kept me listening to the end of this trainwreck of a story. A display of beautiful vocal presence.

The insight into abject rural poverty and its associated mantality was appreciated.

However, the harsh tone and somewhat unbelievable stupidity of the events destroyed the book. Overall it just feels heartless, hopeless and athiest.

Report this

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!