The Midnight Cool
Written by Lydia Peelle
Narrated by Don Hagen
3.5/5
()
About this audiobook
The Whiting Award—winning author of the story collection Reasons for and Advantages of Breathing delivers her enchanting debut novel, set in 1916 Tennessee: a rich and rewarding tale of two flawed yet endearing grifters who pursue women, wealth, and a surprisingly valuable commodity for the troops in Europe—mules.
A middle-aged Irish immigrant, Billy has a gift for illusion—making damaged objects look new. His companion, Charles, the smooth-tongued teenage son of a prostitute, is a natural salesman, just like the mythical father he’s never met. Longtime horse traders and partners, they’ve recently turned their talents to trading mules. But in the summer of 1916, these seasoned grifters skilled in the art of the underhanded deal have just been swindled themselves. They’re saddled with the one thing they may not be able to unload: a gorgeous, murderous black mare named The Midnight Cool.
Charles should have listened to Catherine, the beautiful, rebellious daughter of Leland Hatcher, the richest man in Richfield, Tennessee, and the former owner of The Midnight Cool. The horse would be worth a fortune—if she weren’t a verified man-killer who attacks on sight. Charles and Billy are rooted in this muggy town until they can miraculously retrain their recalcitrant mare, and in the shadow of the growing inevitability of war, their bond begins to fray. Falling in love with Catherine—and under the spell of the deceitful, wealthy Leland, the vision of himself he’d like to be—Charles pulls away from the older man.
Despite their growing distance, Billy and Charles find their business thriving when the war in Europe pushes the demand for mules sky-high and the United States enters the fight. But when a trade goes terribly wrong, Charles is forced to reevaluate his allegiance to his country, the moral implications of his lifestyle, his relationship with Catherine, and, ultimately, his mysterious and surprisingly deep connection to Billy.
Populated by spirited, memorable characters, The Midnight Cool is a startlingly profound tale of aspiration, loyalty, and love—and the eternal search for something lasting in a transitory world.
Lydia Peelle
Lydia Peelle is the author of the novel The Midnight Cool and the story collection Reasons For and Advantages of Breathing, which received an honorable mention for the PEN/Hemingway Award. She received her MFA from the University of Virginia and has been a fellow at the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, Ucross, Yaddo, and Ragdale. Peelle is a recipient of two Pushcart Prizes, an O. Henry Prize, the National Book Foundation's "5 Under 35" honor, and a Whiting Award, as well as the Anahid Award for Emerging Armenian-American writers. She lives in Nashville, Tennessee.
Related to The Midnight Cool
Related audiobooks
Paris Echo: A Novel Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWhile Mama Had a Quick Little Chat Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I Fail at the Afterlife Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLove in a Time of War Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTelling the Bees Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Farawayer: A Novel Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Cherry Harvest: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Emma McChesney and Company Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAshes in the Snow: A Novel Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Trick: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5It Was Always You Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Tea Set Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsY Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Only Road North: 9,000 Miles of Dirt and Dreams Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Lost at Sea Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sirius: A Novel About the Little Dog Who Almost Changed History Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Shadow Network Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Silver Spoon of Solomon Snow Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Beyond the City Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This Great Wilderness Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Leper Spy: The Story of an Unlikely Hero of World War II Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Tiny Shoes Dancing and Other Stories Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5After The Rising: Centenary Edition Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe House of the Seven Gables Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Without Her Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsQueen Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Green Mansions: A Romance of the Tropical Forest Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLife and Adventures of Jack Engle An Autobiography Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWinter Solstice Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEmpire Girls Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Literary Fiction For You
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes: A Hunger Games Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Remarkably Bright Creatures: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Demon Copperhead: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Bell Jar Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5All the Light We Cannot See: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Stardust Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Tom Lake: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Alchemist Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Picture of Dorian Gray: Classic Tales Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Hunger Games Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Parable of the Sower Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Covenant of Water Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Song of Achilles: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Name of the Wind Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Poisonwood Bible Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Man Called Ove: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Leave the World Behind: A Novel Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Yellowface: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Measure: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Road Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Cloud Cuckoo Land: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The House in the Cerulean Sea Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Lady Tan's Circle of Women Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5It Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Kindred Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Ocean at the End of the Lane: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Tree Grows in Brooklyn Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Overstory Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Blood Meridian: Or the Evening Redness in the West Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for The Midnight Cool
7 ratings1 review
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I struggled to get through this book, likely because I'm not that much of a horse person and I didn't find the two main male characters to be entirely likable. I did enjoy the book's atmospheric setting - the last days of the American west filled with horse traders and people seeking new beginning - and the perspective of ordinary Americans has the country became embroiled in the first world war. A good book, but just not for me.