Sweet Thunder: A Novel

By: Ivan Doig

Narrated by: Jonathan Hogan

In the winter of 1920, a quirky bequest draws Morrie Morgan back to Butte, Montana, from a year-long honeymoon with his bride, Grace. But the mansion bestowed by a former boss upon the itinerant charmer, debuted in Doig’s best-selling book The Whistling Season, promises to be less a windfall than a money pit. And the town itself, with its polyglot army of miners struggling to extricate themselves from the stranglehold of the ruthless Anaconda Copper Mining Company, seems - like the couple’s fast-diminishing finances—on the verge of implosion. These twin dilemmas catapult Morrie into his new career as editorialist for The Thunder, the fledgling union newspaper that dares to play David to Anaconda’s Goliath. Amid the clatter of typewriters, the rumble of the printing presses, and a cast of unforgettable characters, Morrie puts his gift for word-slinging to work. As he pursues victory for the miners, he discovers that he is enmeshed in a deeply personal battle as well - the struggle to win lasting love for himself.

©2013 Ivan Doig (P)2013 Recorded Books

Narrator had an excellent voice.

I found the story boring. There was one funny line about a former president being too dumb to open an umbrella, but otherwise there was nothing remarkable for me.

Simply a great listen.

Gifted writing, entertaining story line that keeps you engaged and looking forward to the next twist. This is one of those books that turns a long drive into a pleasure. Wonderful characters that you will miss when the book ends. The turn of the phrases in this story almost feels like poetry at times. Can’t wait to download another book by this writer.

Butte at its best!

Haven't been there and may never visit that City of Copper but no matter, I've lived there now for a week or two and so, will henceforth think of myself as a true Buttean. And I'd suggest you do too.

can't miss with I. Doig

I always enjoy the story the prose and the humor. And also love the reader.

Butte vs Anaconda

Having grown up in Anaconda and always being warned by my parents to be careful of THOSE people from Butte. I found the book a great perspective from those Butte characters.
Diog captured the culture of Butte in a manner that respected the hard working and family caring people.
I found the comment about the scoundrel who estimated the poundage of the ore to be interesting as that was my Dad's job for over forty years. He would make comments that the goofy guy in Butte didn't know what they were talking about when it came to the poundage!
My grandfather was recruited by the ACM to work in Anaconda. He and three brothers came from Ireland. They traveled by train to Butte stopping in Chicago for a beer. The story brought back many memories of good people and the struggles of living in a union city.