That Room

by Tobias Wolff, Anthony Heald (Narrator)

Eager for independence and adult-like freedom, a teenage boy takes a summer job baling hay on a rural farm. Savoring the farm wife's attention and the extra change in his pocket, the boy feels like a grown man. The fellow hands give him a sense of camaraderie - Clemson, a fastidious boy who attends the same high school; Eduardo, a talkative Mexican seasonal worker; and Miguel, a quiet man and Eduardo's brother.

Genres: Short Stories, Audiobook

1 pages, Audible Audio

Published December 1, 2013

About the author

Tobias Jonathan Ansell Wolff is a writer of fiction and nonfiction.

He is best known for his short stories and his memoirs, although he has written two novels.

Wolff is the Ward W. and Priscilla B. Woods Professor in the School of Humanities and Sciences at Stanford University, where he has taught classes in English and creative writing since 1997. He also served as the director of the Creative Writing Program at Stanford from 2000 to 2002.

Reviews

[Norma · Rating 3 out of 5]

( Format : Audiobook)
Becoming a man.

I love the world of Tobias Wolff, his way of introducing characters and interaction between them with such a reality. But this story, enjoyable as it is and beginning with the same glimpses at that time of beginning to feel grown up, independent, a man, is just too short, leaving a feeling of a story started but incomplete.
Told in the first person, the narrator, Anthony Head, again becomes the young man relating his memories: a fine performance.

Available to download for free through the Audible Plus programme, this ten minute piece, though well done, left me feeling 'Is that it?'

[cypher · Rating 3 out of 5]

somehow, i did not connect as much with this story as i did with others, i felt it had a bit too many added unnecessary details, that could be interpreted, but did not feel relevant.
a story about memory.
i will say this, the best short story i have read from this author will remain "Bullet To The Brain".
this fell short of that.

[Dylan Perry · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5/5 This was fine. Not good, not bad, just fine.

[🌶 peppersocks 🧦 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reflections and lessons learned:
“That room… Jesus…”

Intriguing concept for a tale of practical friendship, trying to work life out. Too short to go anywhere though?

[MaKensie Tully · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too short to get its point across. There’s themes of friendship, coworker friendship and peer pressure but not enough to really drive it home

[H Lee · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am a big fan of Tobias Wolff but what is this? It ended before it can go anywhere. Seriously lame.

[Sheila · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audible had a sale and I had a credit reward I had never read any of this author bought several of his short stories. This was the first I read. Quite short around 10 mins.