🎧I CHEERFULLY REFUSE by Leif Enger is expertly and soothingly narrated by David Aaron Baker.

This is one of the most beautiful and lyrical dystopian stories I have read.

"Probably doomed, and perplexingly merry!" This quote seems to be a fitting picture of how much of this novel felt! The US elected its first "proudly illiterate" president, reading is suspicious and not encouraged, and the general air is of corruption with a wealthy 16 families owning all major resources. And yet.

How light seems brightest in the dark, this tale takes a gentle giant of a man and surrounds him in a frighteningly despairing world, showcasing his flicker of hope while acknowledging his frailty. I fell in love with Rainy. His love for his wife, Lark, is his driving force, and I adored their relationship. Her audacity to run a bookstore, and her voice of kindness to those who wished her harm made her the strongest version of humanity. The characters that Rainy meets after being forced into the vast and tempestuous Lake Superior are all manner of colorful, in the best and worst ways.

I am left wanting to join the subtle protest by also "Cheerfully Refusing" to engage in the darkness.

I absolutely loved the audio of this book. The narrator was perfectly suited to deliver the calming strength that the writing seemed to imagine. Thank you to @recordedbooks & @netgalley for this audiobook, out April 2nd, and letting me gush. I bookmarked so many gorgeous lines that I will be getting the physical copy as well.

I'm really sorry to say that I just couldn't connect with this book. I love dystopian books and the writing in this is absolutely mesmerising, but for some reason, it didn't work for me and I think I know why. I listened to the audiobook and I found the narrator's voice a bit "AI" sounding or perhaps one of those voices I associate with a voiceover man on American Idol! I felt that the soul of the book was lost, especially when voicing female characters as the narrator made them sound like a pantomime dame and that very much took away from the atmosphere of the story.

I think that had I read the book, I would have found it far more impactful, but as an audiobook, it sadly fell flat.

2 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Leif Enger and RB Media for an ARC in return for an honest review.

This was my first book by this author, and I was instantly captivated by his writing. He really has a wonderful way of bringing you into the inner life of his characters and making you feel you're right there with them. I don't generally gravitate toward dystopian stories, but this one was such an adventure, I was quite happy to go along for the ride. Lots to think about in this book!

My favorite thing about this book is the writing. Beautiful. Thought provoking. Mesmerizing. Rhythmic. I really enjoyed the narrator on this book. He did an amazing job of bringing this story to life. A friends asked me about this book. I described it as giving me the same feeling that I get when I watch a Johnny Depp movie. You are enjoying very much, and you might even be loving it. However, you are watching it happen in front of you, and you aren't 100% sure what is happening nor understand it. The story the adventure and life of Rainy. He is living his best life until a stranger seeks refuge in his home. Events, some good and some tragedies, begin to happen to him sending him on an adventure. On this adventure, we meet a lot of interesting (again some good and some bad) people that help shape the story.

I did enjoy this book, but it was different and unique. You need to be in the right frame of mind and situation to read this book. You have to dive in and stay in. Just hold on and enjoy the crazy adventure with Rainy and his friends (or enemies).

Thank you to RB Media and NetGalley for this advance copy of the audiobook I Cheerfully Refuse by Leif Enger. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This was my first Leif Enger book. Excellently paced. Likeable characters. Definitely a book that you want to discuss.
Recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to preview this book!

I used to be a huge fan of dystopian fiction. That is less the case as real life continues to deteriorate socially and politically. So, why did I request to preview this book by an author whose work I haven't read before? I have to admit that I was amused by the title and enticed by the cover art. In this case, judging a book by its cover paid off. Enger has crafted a dark, overwhelmingly sad story with rich descriptive language, interesting characters (some of whom are appealing), music, books, quest by sailboat, and just enough comic relief to keep one from going over the edge into despair.

As in real life, the desperate conditions of the novel are largely due to climate change and a tiny group of rich folks manipulating the masses for their own political and financial gain, including employing tactics like demonizing reading and education to reduce the masses' power and distributing a pharmaceutical that causes people to commit suicide. Main character Rainy—a bass guitar player with a bookseller wife—is accompanied on a great portion of his travels by an uneducated but seemingly bright nine-year-old girl, Sol, who has lost almost her entire family and is escaping physical and emotional abuse by an unrelated adult male.

Having just recently read Percival Everett's James, similarities between Jim and Huck and Rainy and Sol did cross my mind. Both books tell hard stories with a lot of intelligence, grace, and humor.

3.66⭐

This unbiased review is based on an audio ARC supplied by the publisher—RB Media. It was published today—April 2.

I picked up this book after reading glowing reviews and was not disappointed. Leif Enger writes beautifully and elegantly. I Cheerfully Refuse is set in a dystopian world that has seen pandemics, climate change, power plays by those with extreme wealth, and the lack of fresh food. It's a hard world, but Rainy, a musician has found love with Lark, a book seller. When Lark invites a young man to rent out their attic, Rainy suffers heartbreaking loss. He flees in his boat and the journey he goes on takes him from one dangerous situation to the next. Along the way, a young girl hides in his boat......

I had both the book and the audiobook versions of this book which made for a wonderful reading experience. I do think this book works best in the written form. I did enjoy the narrator, but the writing is so beautiful that I enjoyed reading more than listening to it. IThis book touches on the ugliness in people, the feral drive to survive, and lawlessness of a broken society. I also found this book to be emotional, hopeful, sad, thought provoking and beautifully written. It explores love, connection, hope, loss, desperation, resiliency, courage, and kindness.

Beautifully written, thought provoking, and evoking emotion.

What a remarkably warm book, given the setting! There are so many winning lines, that I wish I had requested an ebook version so I could see them visually as well. This is a book that I could see winning awards targeting fiction and literary fiction, as well as sci-fi. Even small tidbits like the first "openly/proudly illiterate presidential candidate" were jaw-dropping. Add this one to your library's collection ASAP!

First of all, the writing is beautiful. I can't fault that. If you are a fan of Emily St. John Mandel, then I think you will totally dig this. This has the same quiet, literary approach to dystopian fiction as Station Eleven and Sea of Tranquility.

The characters are lovely, and Enger's storytelling is charming. I don't really know how else to describe this book. He has taken what is, arguably, a very sad story, and made it charming with lyrical writing and lovable characters. There were times I found myself wanting the plot to move along a little faster, but in the end, it's a beautiful journey that Enger is taking his reader on if you're willing to stick with it.