Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Unavailable
    Roosevelt's Beast
    Unavailable
    Roosevelt's Beast
    Unavailable
    Roosevelt's Beast
    Audiobook9 hours

    Roosevelt's Beast

    Written by Louis Bayard

    Narrated by John Pruden

    3/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    1914. Brazil’s Rio da Duvida, the River of Doubt. Plagued by hunger and suffering the lingering effects of malaria, Theodore Roosevelt, his son Kermit, and the other members of the now-ravaged Roosevelt-Rondon scientific expedition are traveling deeper and deeper into the jungle. When Kermit and Teddy are kidnapped by a never-before-seen Amazonian tribe, the great hunters are asked one thing in exchange for their freedom: find and kill a beast that leaves no tracks and that no member of the tribe has ever seen. But what are the origins of this beast, and how do they escape its brutal wrath?
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherDreamscape Media Audio
    Release dateMar 18, 2014
    ISBN9781629234472
    Unavailable
    Roosevelt's Beast
    Author

    Louis Bayard

    A writer, book reviewer, and the author of Mr. Timothy and The Pale Blue Eye, Louis Bayard has written for the New York Times, Washington Post, and Salon.com, among other media outlets. He lives in Washington, D.C.

    More audiobooks from Louis Bayard

    Related to Roosevelt's Beast

    Related audiobooks

    Psychological Fiction For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      The Rise & Fall of the Terror Birds

      Mar 1, 2020

      The Rise & Fall of the Terror Birds
      5 min read

    • Article

      A Bright FRIENDSHIP

      Oct 6, 2020

      A Bright FRIENDSHIP
      2 min read

    • Article

      The Lions And The San

      Jun 1, 2022

      The Lions And The San
      12 min read

    • Article

      Ten Little, Nine Little, Eight Little Lemurs . . .

      Apr 1, 2019

      Ten Little, Nine Little, Eight Little Lemurs . . .
      2 min read

    • Article

      A Sporting Life In Africa

      May 20, 2020

      A Sporting Life In Africa
      2 min read

    • Article

      Trial in Absentia

      Mar 1, 2020

      Trial in Absentia
      4 min read

    • Article

      Wild Neighbors

      Oct 29, 2020

      Wild Neighbors
      2 min read

    • Article

      Chimpanzees: Primates In Peril

      Feb 1, 2019

      Chimpanzees: Primates In Peril
      2 min read

    • Article

      Top 5 Books To Teach Us About Animals

      Aug 9, 2021

      Williamson’s still-unsurpassed classic combines poetic imagination with close observation of a wild animal in its natural environment. To survive, the young otter must cope with threats from other creatures of the wild as well as persecution by human

      1 min read

    • Article

      A Wild Promise

      Jul 20, 2023

      A Wild Promise
      12 min read

    • Article

      Where The Wild Things Are

      Nov 25, 2022

      Where The Wild Things Are
      2 min read

    • Article

      Lionized

      Sep 1, 2023

      Lionized
      7 min read

    • Article

      ADVENTURE Is Out There!

      Sep 1, 2022

      ADVENTURE Is Out There!
      2 min read

    • Article

      Rhino Named SUDAN

      Jan 5, 2023

      Rhino Named SUDAN
      6 min read

    • Article

      The Horned Lizard

      Jul 15, 2023

      The Horned Lizard
      3 min read

    • Article

      What the Deer Are Telling Us: A lesson in home improvement.

      Apr 3, 2014

      In 1909, a United States Forest Service officer named Aldo Leopold shot a mother wolf from a perch of rimrock in the Apache National Forest in Arizona. It was a revelatory moment in the life of the young naturalist. “In those days we never heard of p

      2 min read

    • Article

      Vivid Tale Of Three Leopards

      Oct 14, 2023

      Hosana. Hukumuri. Tavangumi. Three male leopards, two in their prime, who have fallen to human-wildlife conflict. Only Hosana is named in this incredible book in the Remembering Wildlife series. He was shot, allegedly by a member of an anti-poaching

      2 min read

    • Article

      Lure Of Leopards

      Oct 14, 2023

      Hosana. Hukumuri. Tavangumi. Three male leopards, two in their prime, who have fallen to human-wildlife conflict. Only Hosana is named in this incredible book in the Remembering Wildlife series. He was shot, allegedly by a member of an anti-poaching

      2 min read

    • Article

      What Is An Old World Monkey?

      Mar 7, 2024

      What Is An Old World Monkey?
      2 min read

    • Article

      Jurassic Dangers

      Jun 12, 2022

      Jurassic Dangers
      1 min read

    • Article

      Honey, Baby, Mine

      Jun 28, 2023

      (Coronet, 256pp, £18.99) Mother and daughter actors Diane Ladd and Laura Dern (above) have produced a joint account of two generations of life in Hollywood. They based it on the conversations they had while on the walks that doctors had prescribed fo

      1 min read

    • Article

      Gone But Not Forgotten

      Jan 1, 2020

      Gone But Not Forgotten
      2 min read

    Reviews for Roosevelt's Beast

    3/5

    5 ratings17 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 2/5
      Rather uneven in terms of pacing. Not one of Baynard's best.
    • 4/5
      Louis Bayard's new novel takes as its main characters Theodore and Kermit Roosevelt, separated from the other members of their South American expedition and captured by an unknown forest tribe who compel them to rid the jungle of an unknown "Beast" which has been terrorizing the community. A taut psychological/historical thriller with an impressive number of twists and turns ... but it never managed to quite grab me. I liked it just fine, but maybe it's just that the expedition's true history is fascinating enough (as Bayard himself recommends, read The River of Doubt) that I didn't feel drawn into this tale.
    • 4/5
      Title - Roosevelt's BeastAuthor - Louis BayardSummary - It is 1914, along Brazil's River of Doubt, a band of explorers travel deep into the Amazon. In the party are a father and son of one of America's most powerful families. Theodore Roosevelt and his son Kermit. But the Roosevelt's become detached from the rest of the group and with Theodore injured, it falls to Kermit to rescue them. Kermit who is plagued with self doubts and an overriding sense of failure must now care for and save his larger than life father. Alone and captured by the remote tribe known as the Cinta Larga, the Roosevelts bargain for their lives. They are offered a task for their freedom. They must find and kill the Beast that has been terrorizing the village. A Beast of unspeakable evil. "...The Beast, though, hadn't left much for the bugs to feast on. Muscle, heart, liver-all were gone. The man had been peeled open and scooped out like a tin of sardines. The only organs that remained were his eyes, and, under the ministrations of heat and bacteria, even these had melted into black craters, staring out of a mustard-colored mask..." Theodore and Kermit, with only a child and his mother to guide them, go into the jungle to hunt the Beast of the Cinta Larga. But what they find, what they bring back, is a Beast much more powerful than they imagined. "...Both Cherrie and Rondon were silent for a time. Then the Brazilian looked up. "You are asking us to lie, Colonel?" "I am asking you to omit. Surely, amidst the...the infinite gradations of human venality, that particular sin ranks low." The old man kneaded the folds of his throat. "What happened out there belongs out there. The jungle has it; let the jungle keep it..." Roosevelt's Beast is written out of the history books but never from the thoughts and souls of those who faced it.Review - Louis Bayard's talent for re-writing snippets of the past and infusing them with the real people who lived through those times is on full view here. Though slow to begin with, the setting is powerful and the pace quickly picks up and slams into the jungle foliage with all the force and rage of the Beast it projects. It is Kermit, not his father Theodore, who is the narrator of this grand misadventure. Kermit, so full of self doubt and eagerness to please. Kermit, who must decide if the visions he sees are real or is he descending into the madness that has taken others in his family. The tale itself weaves in and out of adventure and the supernatural until together they create their own well woven tapestry. Bayard is a master craftsman at this. Underneath it all there is a mystery. Blood and death. Done by some Beast or by man. This is what Kermit must decide and when he learns the truth, how to deal with it. Another wonderfully novel by one of the best writer's of our generation.
    • 3/5
      A literary reimagining of Teddy and Kermit Roosevelt's 1914 Amazon expedition exploring the River of Doubt (Rio da Duvida). The exploration actually occurred (and I will read the historical account, River of Doubt, soon), but in this version Teddy and Kermit are kidnapped by a theretofore unknown tribe, and must track and kill an unknown beast that is terrorizing the tribe before the tribe will release them. Most of the novel is told from the pov of Kermit, who is full of self-doubt, and has difficulty living up to what he thinks are the expectations of his larger-than-life father. Parts of the novel are hallucinatory, and at times the novel verges on a novel of the supernatural. So on the whole, while the book was interesting, I'm expecting to like the factual account better.
    • 2/5
      Louis Bayard has as his foundation the riveting account of the Roosevelts' actual torturous journey down the River of Doubt, an adventure that Theodore never recovered from. Upon that foundation he builds a framework of psychological suspense. Kermit Roosevelt knows before he and his father ever start out to find and kill the beast that it will be something that will haunt him for the rest of his life-- a never-ending fever dream. Yes, Kermit is the Roosevelt who "owns" the beast in the title.Bayard's foundation-- the expedition itself-- is riveting stuff, but once he began weaving his fiction into the facts, my interest began to lag. I have a very uneven track record with psychological suspense. I seem to either love it or hate it. I wouldn't go so far as to say that I hated the psychological side to Roosevelt's Beast, but I certainly didn't enjoy it. I disliked reading about what was going on in Kermit's head so much that I found myself wanting to skip ahead to try to find sections about the expedition. (I didn't.)If your track record with psychological suspense is better than mine, I say go for it. If yours is as spotty as mine, I would highly recommend Candice Millard's The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey. It's history that reads like the finest fiction, and it's one of the best books I've ever read.
    • 3/5
      I was looking forward to receiving this book, and sat down and started reading it the moment it came. I was hooked by the mix of true history (former President Teddy Roosevelt and his son Kermit disappear into the uncharted depths of Brazil on a scientific expedition) and creative powers of author Louis Bayard when describing the scenery. If Bayard had just stayed on the course of history (and on the river, Rio da Duvida), I think I would have rated the book 4-stars. Unfortunately, he has the Roosevelts veer off into the jungle in a fictitious confrontation with a formerly unseen Amazonian tribe bothered by a Thing that feasts on warm-blooded hosts and (spoiler alert) jumps from one form of being to another. For me, Bayard didn't have the psychological and/or metaphysical depth as a writer to carry this implausible plot off. There were so many problems with it, including the obvious question of first cause: Where did the dang Thing come from to begin with? Personally, I was disappointed with "Roosevelt's Beast." But Bayard isn't the first writer to take a wrong turn, and, talented as he is, I hope returns soon with another tale. (p.s. as I'm writing this I decide to change my original rating from 2-stars to 3-stars. Hey, everybody has a bad Thing day now and then.)
    • 2/5
      I didn't realize when I requested this book (my own fault for oftentimes not reading all the way through the descriptions) that it had some supernatural elements to it. I found that off-putting while reading the book, particularly because I have something of a love affair with the Roosevelts. However, I didn't know much, or anything really, about Kermit Roosevelt before I read this book. Now it's fictionalized, so I don't necessarily know a whole lot more, but still it was interesting to see the dynamic between Kermit and his grandiose father. And also to think about how difficult it would have been to be the son of a former president, as well as the cousin of a future president AND future first lady. I can only imagine that anything you chose to do would be seen as something of a failure, even if you were a super successful person. So it was interesting to see his struggle with that, which is a feeling that is eminently easy to relate to even these days. I also knew nothing about the Amazon excursion, which is one of the truths that the story is based upon, and was intrigued enough to find out more about that, history-nerd that I am.Mostly this book just really rubbed me the wrong way, and I couldn't nail down precisely why that was. I like historical fiction books, I like supernatural books, I even like historical fiction supernatural books. But I couldn't settle into this one.
    • 3/5
      Disclosure: I received an ARC for review.There are some minor spoilers, so do not read if you have not read the book yet.I like the genre of historical fiction, so I was intrigued by the concept.Overall it worked. I enjoyed a recounting of the expedition and it's troubles. The author managed to work in the story within the context of real events without making too many implausible changes to real events. I knew very little of the trip so I had plenty of suspense about the fate of the expedition.Teddie Roosevelt's blustering personality seemed to be well mirrored, and while I do not know much about Kermit Roosevelt, nothing struck me as too anachronistic or unrealistic.I also usually enjoy exploring psychological issues like the descent into madness... let me wade into the overlapping variables of a family history of depression/alcholism, an incredibly demanding/overbearing father with high expectations, exacerbated by trauma, starvation, and probably hallucinations brought on by quinine and/or the malaria ... all of that I found interesting.However, the fact that there was a vaguely supernatural element implied - kept me from really getting into the book. (I am probably in the minority on this given the recent upsurge in Twilight wannabes, merfolk, angel/demon sub-genre books.) I understand that the 'beast' was probably partly metaphysical and this was an internal struggle, but I felt like the book veered in too many directions, did it want to be a horror novel? Was it a murder/mystery? An episode of Supernatural? Were we supposed to be waiting to see who was the beast? Was there an actual beast? Did it truly enter Kermit in the forest -or had he brought it with him?I spent too much time in confusion trying to figure out what was going on. I think the author purposefully left it vague, which works for some people -that's fine. Personally, I like a little more definition. So definitely still worth a read. An interesting take on what sounds like a 'wild ride' down the Rio Roosevelt.
    • 4/5
      I requested to receive this book knowing it was somewhat out of my realm of preferred genres. I have been trying to branch out of my young adult bubble, so I decided this would be an excellent opportunity to do so! To my pleasant surprise, I really enjoyed reading this novel! I absolutely love historical fiction, and this story is historical fiction with a bit of a phychologically thrilling twist. I was continuously captivated and intrigued. I found it hard to put the book down. However, some parts I found very complex. Perhaps my YA brain wasn't quite in shape for this read... Overall, I found this book to be a great read. I definitely recommend this to anyone interested in historical fiction, suspense, and adventure!
    • 4/5
      I received this book from the Early Reviewers page. I like books that take historical people or happenings and re-imagine them. This story follows an expedition into the Amazon jungle with Teddy Roosevelt and his son Kermit. The story explores many twists and turns and both Teddy and Kermit are likeable characters. They are faced with many obstacles along the way. The biggest obstacle they face is hunting an unknown beast that rips apart its victims. The book makes you question what you think you know...
    • 4/5
      I received this book for free through LibraryThing's Early Reveiwers Giveaway. Thank you very much! It is a great book!I have never read any books by Louis Bayard before and I was certainly impressed by this book and his writing style. What I found most intriguing about this novel is that he used real, historical people and events to weave a fictionalized, psychological story adventure. The character of Colonel Theodore Roosevelt was by far my favorite character. He was just so darn likeable that it oozed off the pages. He took life lightly with no worries, and it showed. If I was ever abducted by an Amazonia tribe, I would want him by my side.I don't normally reread books but if I did, I would choose this one. I think more information about Kermit and Elliott's past would be gained; especially by having the knowledge of the book's ending from the onset. This would definitely make a good book for a reading club.
    • 4/5
      I went into this book with a bit of trepidation as I knew it was a fantasy-horror re-imagining of Roosevelt's Amazon excursion and neither fantasy nor horror are genres I usually read. However, I had heard much praise of Bayard's writing and decided to give it a try. Boy am I glad I did! Roosevelt's Beast is a wonderfully written engaging story that was hard to put down. Narrated by Kermit Roosevelt it interweaves the story of the expedition (including Bayard's incorporation of a kidnapping and beast) as well as a history of the Roosevelt family and the relationship between Kermit and his father, Theodore Roosevelt. The characters had depth and felt realistic and the plot was fast paced. I would recommend this book to historical fiction lovers and those who just love a good story.
    • 4/5
      "A reimagining of Teddy and Kermit Roosevelt’s ill-fated 1914 Amazon expedition—a psychological twist on the smart historical thriller that first put Louis Bayard on the map
      1914. Brazil’s Rio da Dúvida, the River of Doubt. Plagued by hunger and suffering the lingering effects of malaria, Theodore Roosevelt, his son Kermit, and the other members of the now-ravaged Roosevelt-Rondon scientific expedition are travelling deeper and deeper into the jungle. When Kermit and Teddy are kidnapped by a never-before-seen Amazonian tribe, the great hunters are asked one thing in exchange for their freedom: find and kill a beast that leaves no tracks and that no member of the tribe has ever seen. But what are the origins of this beast, and how do they escape its brutal wrath?
      Roosevelt's Beast is a story of the impossible things that become possible when civilization is miles away, when the mind plays tricks on itself, and when old family secrets refuse to stay buried. With his characteristically rich storytelling and a touch of old-fashioned horror, the bestselling and critically acclaimed Louis Bayard turns the story of the well-known Roosevelt-Rondon expedition on its head and dares to ask: Are the beasts among us more frightening than the beasts within?

      I adore Louis Bayard's novels, every one is different and you never know what you are going to get except powerful writing and wonderful characters that live and breath through the pages. This is no different, a marvellous blend of historical fiction, high adventure and supernatural chiller plus a very touching father and son relationship. A pacy, thrilling read that takes you on an exotic but deadly journey.
    • 3/5
      Author Louis Bayard uses the real life South American expedition that Teddy Roosevelt and his son Kermit went on as the setting for his novel, Roosevelt’s Beast. The expedition had run into trouble, they were travelling at an extremely slow rate, food supplies were running out and both Roosevelt’s were being affected by re-occurring bouts of malaria. The author supposes that the two men get kidnapped by a never-before-seen tribe of natives, and in order to be guided back to their party are given the task of killing a strange predator that is wreaking havoc with both the natives’ game supplies and now even with the natives themselves. Being experienced hunters, father and son take on this task but soon find they have embarked on an almost impossible mission and one that will scar them for the rest of their lives.I had enjoyed the story up to this point, but I am afraid when it ventured into the dreamlike, supernatural descent into madness, I was a little disconcerted. Is this a case of delirium, where fever has caused their minds to play tricks or is this the impossible that became a reality. I believe the author is trying to show that the beast within can be a far greater monster than any wild creature we must face. Full of flashbacks and family secrets, this story also shows how difficult it is to be the offspring of a universally famous man. I fully intend to read the non-fiction version of Roosevelt’s trip down the River of Doubt, but one thing I can say for certain the South American jungles that Louis Bayard describes so vividly, with their wet heat, dense undergrowth, strange insects, snakes and fearful inhabitants is no place that I would ever care to venture. As for Roosevelt’s Beast, I found it an interesting read, but due to its’ metaphysical nature, will not be a book that I mark as a favorite.
    • 5/5
      Offering an intriguing twist to the history of the 1914 Roosevelt-Rondon expedition to Brazil’s Rio da Duvida, “Roosevelt’s Beast” by Louis Bayard presents a disturbing story that is rich in atmospheric suspense. It is, in Bayard’s own words, “a psychological fantasy built out of historic events,” and the very setting—the River of Doubt—lends itself to the mythological feel of the work. While featuring the inimitable Theodore Roosevelt, the story’s main protagonist is his solemn and somewhat beleaguered son, Kermit Roosevelt, who has always traveled in his father’s authoritative shadow. When father and son embark on a late-night hunting foray, they are captured by a primitive tribe and saved from serious harm only to be exploited as hunters. Their quarry is a mysterious beast that leaves no tracks and eviscerates its prey. So begins a harrowing forty-eight hours, in which skeletons in the family closet come to light and the men come face-to-face with their greatest fears.“Roosevelt’s Beast” is a fascinating literary triumph in the vein of “Heart of Darkness,” combining jungle adventure with the climactic suspense of old. Although there are some more graphic descriptions, the novel overall relies on ethereal suspense and trepidation, and it has the feel of an old-fashioned thriller, thankfully devoid of sexuality and unnecessary violence. Due to its setting, the dialogue is peppered with Portuguese, and while the phrases employed are translated or given enough context for understanding, anyone with knowledge of Spanish or similar languages will not need translations. The story itself unfolds as a flashback, and within that the mise en abyme technique comes into play because there are also flashbacks within the main narrative thread.
    • 4/5
      This is a fictional retelling of Roosevelt and his son Kermit’s expedition into the jungles of Brazil. This is not a retelling of history but an embellishment with spooky undertones. I enjoyed this story because the author is so descriptive that you can feel the suffering of the characters as the deal with malaria, capture by a tribe and the hunt for a ghostly beast. But also, the reader delves into the psychosis of the characters; especially Kermit. A remarkable take into the life of Roosevelt.
    • 4/5
      Louis Bayard prefaces Roosevelt’s Beast with Nietzsche’s quote, “Battle not with monsters, lest ye become a monster, and if you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.” This quote informs the entire narrative, casting Roosevelt’s Beast in the same light as Heart of Darkness or Apocalypse Now, though with an historical pseudo-fantasy twist. Perhaps Bayard’s greatest achievement is the manner in which he deftly plays with history, creating a fictitious event that begins so subtly that the reader cannot be sure where the historical influence ends and the pure fiction begins. Furthermore, Bayard’s research shows as he perfectly understands both Theodore and Kermit Roosevelt and portrays them in a realistic manner, free from exaggeration, using flashbacks and Kermit’s introspections to flesh them out and emotionally invest his readers in their fates. The psychological horror elements of the narrative succeed in giving it a delightfully creepy vibe, sure to keep readers up at night. Finally, Bayard weaves his narrative back into history, explaining why his fictional story is omitted from the historical record. The book is sure to entertain both fans of historical fiction as well as fans of horror novels.