He uses such emotion, giving such depth and nuance to the story, it's quite simply a treat to listen to! Joel captures every nuance of feeling from Charlie's inner worry to his fear of losing Travis.

I adore the voices Joel Leslie does in order to bring these characters to life. I laughed, I sighed, I cried, and I was left with a full heart and a smile on my face. Maybe more than the first, which I thought would be impossible. He brings the characters to life, and engages the listener in the story. Both books in this series are the type you can't 'put down' (or stop listening to).

I totally could have, but I don't have 7-hours in a stretch. Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting? Not only did Charlie out himself, he made Travis realize how much he loved him. Travis was out and proud, but kept his love for Charlie hidden so as to not force Charlie out. Charlie's biggest fear was fellow ranchers finding out he was gay. Just the right mix of internal thinking and external reaction.Īt the cattleman's meeting when Charlie gets into a fist fight defending Travis, and he outs himself to the entire room. Only Walker's writing didn't tend to go overboard on the internal dialogue. Another first-person series, and another engaging story. I might compare the writing to Klune's Bear, Otter, & the Kid. What other book might you compare Red Dirt Heart 2 to and why? I was well into the second book before I actually realized both books were in first-person. Walker is the most skillful first-person writer I've encountered. I listened to both books in the Red Dirt Heart series, and would definitely listen to them again. Would you listen to Red Dirt Heart 2 again? Why? If you haven’t read or listened to this series, you absolutely must! You won’t regret it! I love the foot hooking and nose rubbing and just plain staring into each other’s eyes. The times when they are alone are some of the sweetest. He shows everyone his strength while hiding what a soft, kind-hearted man he is to everyone except Travis.

He has been so hurt and just needs love but when he gets it he doesn’t know what to do with it. He seems so vulnerable, while exuding confidence. But there is absolutely something about Charlie that makes him my favorite. I do love Travis…his stubbornness, his passion, his humor, his intelligence, his dedication to the homestead and to Charlie. Travis and Charlie are just so…everything. This series is now and always will be one of my absolute favorite stories. And this series is filled with emotion that only Joel Leslie can radiate. He sucks you into the story and brings forth every emotion of every character on the pages. He makes the story come alive with his passion. He doesn’t simply recite the words on the pages, he performs them. Anyone who refers to Joel Leslie as a narrator grossly understates what he does with a story.

Red Dirt Heart by N.R. Walker