This book is about the journey and not the destination. Beautiful prose and deft turn of phrase. Wonderful to listen. Thanks to NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for my honest review

"I Cheerfully Refuse" is a near future dystopian novel that I "read" via an audio version. I keep not reviewing it because I loved it and want to do it justice, but it is a novel that is easy to inadvertently spoil. Generally speaking, there has been some climate related disaster that has resulted in serious food shortages, epidemics/deaths, lack of jobs, health care and a new power structure completely based on wealth. Desperate people have indentured themselves to the wealthy "Astronauts" for six year contracts. Breaking that contract can include the punishment of death. Rainy and Lark, a happily married couple, live along Lake Superior. Rainy is a talented bass player, Lark a bookstore owner in a time when many people no longer read and books are considered evil in and of themselves. She buys up libraries from old estates. Lark and Rainy rent a room to Kellen, a young man with many secrets. He provides Lark with a copy of a book from her favorite author, a book she has searched for called, " I Cheerfully Refuse." Kellen warns Lark and Rainy to watch out for Werrick but gives them no context or details. Meanwhile, we start to hear about a new drug, Willow, that causes death, with whole families and lonely people being found here and there -- gone.

For reasons I will not divulge, except to say this is based on a familiar Greek myth, Rainy must run away. He sets off alone to sail on Lake Superior with an inadequately equipped boat and little sailing experience. His journey takes him to towns that have adapted to the changes in varied ways, some with merchants, some running wild with danger, some with few inhabitants, many with spies that may report you to your pursuers. He has to find fuel and food so over and over he must expose himself to others. Along the way, he takes on a little girl who needs help, Sol. He starts to teach Sol her letters and reads her "the" book. They are constantly in danger, facing hunger, dead bodies that float to the surface, corrupt people and unknown pursuers. Eventually Rainy and Sol land in a very dangerous predicament in a setting where we meet a host of incredible characters.

I'm sure some would find parts of this novel boring. At least on audio, I was mesmerized, with each new venture dragging me into the understanding that lovable Rainy's is always and forever a "good guy" in a world that has far too many "bad guys." He has love to spare even when beaten down and when faced with desperate situations, his ingenuity serves him well. The characters, good and bad are artfully drawn I will reread "I Cheerfully Refuse" just to better understand their reasons for being/how they each serve the story. Of course, because it is not too far in the future, the novel is both eerily scary and abstract. The writing is lyrical and intense. The journey feels longer than it is. The settings are marvelous. Read it if this sounds like it's up your alley because it's definitely a new favorite for me.
The Narrator, David Allen Baker, was excellent.

Huge thank you to netgalley and recorded books (rb) for this gifted ALC!

This book was very surprising in the most cozy way. It's a modern odyssey story that takes place in a near dystopian future that is facing the consequences of global warming and political division. When I say modern odyssey, I mean a Homer-like odyssey where our hero leaves for one purpose-- to find his wife -- and ends up making a lot of interesting discoveries and friends along the way. Come for the cozy vibes and beautiful prose, and stay for the interesting cast of characters! That's what I did at least.

Listening to this on audio really allowed the poetic writing to shine. The narrator did a great job. I highly recommend this -- especially on audio and/or for bookclubs. Lots of interesting ideas and people that would serve for a great discussion.

While I felt that the ending moved a bit fast, I liked the journey that it took to get there. I loved Rainy, the main character, and the waif that wanders along the water with him. I felt hope for him as he embarked on a quest to find his love, even as unlikely as it was that he would do so. I enjoyed the use of story in this book as well, as Rainy tells his charge stories, and reads a book his significant other loved. This was an interesting book, and if the end had made more sense to me I would have loved it.

I picked this one up because it was a bookclub pick for Barnes and Noble. It was a really great choice for that. I haven’t read anything like this.

This story kept me engaged throughout - the characters were well-drawn, the story intriguing with lots of twists. Enger is a master of description, and this story is no exception. I grew attached to the characters - especially Rainy , Lark and Sol - and they kept me invested from beginning to end. The narration of the audiobook was also extremely well done. Highly recommended.

I was so excited when I heard Leif Enger had a new story coming out this year! I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator was perfect! I'm still a bit stunned by the setting of this book, but it was definitely a Leif Enger story. I loved it and want to read a physical copy so I can process it further.

I received this audiobook from NetGalley. Opinions are my own. #netgalley #ICheerfullyRefuse

Thank you so much to NetGalley and RB Media for my copy of I Cheerfully Refuse by Leif Enger Narrated by David Aaron Baker in exchange for an honest review. It published April 2, 2024.
First off, the narration was very well-done, and I appreciated that Mount Rainier was pronounced correctly!
This book was unputdownable, before I even finished it, I implored my book club to make it our next pick, it is! The prose in this book was absolutely gorgeous, and I loved the feel of this book. The "what-if" explorations of the future made this book both feel fresh and familiar in the best possible way. This book gave me similar vibes to Station Eleven, without the pandemic--much appreciated! I loved the clear importance of literacy and how it can affect the future. The regular referencing to several books made my heart sing, and this is just truly a lovely book.

Did Not Finish @33%

There is nothing cheerful about this book. There is no hope [and in doing a little research about this book, it doesn't seem to end with any hope either] and is all sadness, despair, and is filled with casual evil.
The thing is...the writing is really fantastic [I don't remember a lot about Peace Like a River as it was years ago that I read it, but I remember loving the book and the writing and being eager to read more from this author. His excellent writing has not diminished] - you are SUPPOSED to feel all these things along with Rainy as he experiences them and you are supposed to be horrified at the casual evil that is permeating his world [it was just so disturbing to read while these matter-of-fact villains did their evil deeds].
My problem is [and this is why I cannot finish in SPITE of the excellent writing], I suffer from depression/anxiety and unfortunately, currently am not in a very good place in my own life and I realized this book and its overwhelming sadness was just adding to it [and making my already dark thoughts much darker and more dangerous for my well-being] and that I needed to stop immediately.
Maybe someday I can revisit this book, but for now, I must let it go.

David Aaron Baker is one of my favorite narrators and he does an excellent job here - giving voice to Rainy. You will not be sorry if you listen to this audiobook; you can really hear the sadness going on as the narrator reads.

Thank you to NetGalley, Leif Enger, David Aaron Baker - Narrator, and RB Media for providing this audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a great gift this book is! It is a story for the ages. I haven't read a book like this in a long time. It has fanciful characters mixed in with some old lore and a lot of great literary references. You should savor this book!

This felt very "Meh" to me. It was fine but I didn't love it and certainly don't think it will stick with me. I saw this was an anticipated fiction book for the spring, but I wasn't crazy about it.
I found this world really interesting. It was set in the future, but a very different world than the one we know. I liked that it wasn't too far fetched from our modern lives, it was an interesting take on something that we've seen so frequently in fiction. It was dystopian but not as extreme as some other books.
Overall nothing I was crazy about.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy of the book to read and review.

Ever since Enger’s Peace Like a River, I’ve longed for more of his writing, and his latest book delivers in bountiful and provocative prose: a love story in a dystopian near future ravished by climate change and societal lawlessness. Rainy, a bass musician in a bar band who’s compassionate and content on just getting by, is married to the love of his life, Lark. They live in a small town along the North Shore of Lake Superior in a world that’s come apart at its seams with political upheaval, destructive climate change, and only a handful of elite families controlling all the wealth. Lark has created her own modest bookstore, sharing space with the only bread baker in town, at a time when books have mostly become seen as treasonous by a raging uneducated populace. Lark has taught Rainy to read, and immersed him in her favorite novels, including all the works by her favorite cult author. She’s always been on the search for an almost impossible to find advanced reader’s copy with the same name as this novel, which never got formally published.

One day a fugitive from a medical ship in the lake to which he’s been conscripted arrives at Rainy and Lark’s doorstep, who they take in as a lodger and who happens to have a copy of the advanced reader’s copy. They dote on him, until the bad guys searching for him arrive to capture what he stole from the ship, and all havoc and chaos and loss ensues.

But throughout, as Lark escapes on a sailboat in the tumultuous lake, he manages to keep his optimism afloat and refuses to give in to despair. His escapades both wrench and warm the heart, and Lark sustains a flicker of hope in a world run amok.

Thanks to RB Media, Recorded Books and NetGalley for access in order to review this audiobook.

Enger has a beautiful way of writing. I Cheerfully Refuse is set in the future on the Northern shore of Lake Superior. The characters are all fleshed out well and even the lake itself is a character in this book. It is unpredictable - at times violent and other times placid and peaceful with little in between, just like the world that they are living in. This not-so-distant future seems so treacherous and yet Enger finds the magic and beauty in simple things like books and music. This book will break your heart. I wish the "astronauts" and the environment of the world had been explained more because I found myself pretty confused on what was happening in the beginning. It has elements of found family which is one my personal favorite things in a book. I would recommend reading this book, it's truly a beautiful novel.

I absolutely loved this author's book Peace Like a River, so I was very much looking forward to this book. As a Minnesota native, I love that fellow Minnesota native Leif Enger creates a near distant future Duluth and Lake Superior for this epic tale of love, loss, grief, climate change, community (with some in decline and some surviving) and humanity. His words are poetically descriptive and lyrical, surrounding the reader with details and emotion. As Rainy heads out on his adventure on the Great Lake in his ramshackle boat, Flower, he meets many along the way--some become found family and some become foes and some are a bit of both. He is searching for his lost soulmate, but he finds many lost souls along the way and together, they become a little bit less lost. The ending gives a glimpse into more hopeful futures for Rainy and his companions, as well as the environment and humanity as a whole.
I listened to the audiobook and the narrater's soothing, calm voice felt like an old friend telling us stories of his past adventures around a glowing, warm campfire. He was marvelous at being distinctive between characters and gave an overall sense that peace and calm would prevail despite the story's more tumultuous scenes. The absolutely wonderful narration brought the story to life.

This is a dystopian novel, not my usual genre. But I have enjoyed Enger's writing in Peace Like a River, so I thought I would give it a try. I did find the book enjoyable, although there are some fairly hard parts to get through. The ending is redemptive and hopeful and that is what I need to find a book worthwhile. The story can get a bit slow at times, but it kind of makes up for the very intense moments.
I listened to the audio and found the narrator to do a good job and easy to listen to.
If you like Enger's writing in other books, this one is worth a try. Recommended.
Thanks to NetGalley and Recorded Books for this ARC. My opinion is my own.

I CHEERFULLY REFUSE by Leif Enger centers on Rainy (the narrator) and his wife Lark who live on Lake Superior in a post-apocalyptic society compared by another reviewer to The Road or Station Eleven. Enger deftly explores grief, loneliness, and the restorative power of kindness and nature's beauty. His writing is so amazing: "The lake was dark and flat. It was a blackboard to the end of sight, and any story might be written on its surface." The audiobook, narrated by David Aaron Baker, is well worth the 12-hour time investment. Baker's voice is surprisingly soothing, and he makes a complicated story come to life. I CHEERFULLY REFUSE received a starred review from Publishers Weekly ("This captivating narrative brims with hope.").
4.5 stars for audiobook version

Experiencing a very midwest apocalypse through our main character, Rainy, was...delightful, which feels weird to say about a post-apocalyptic novel, but the point stands.

I Cheerfully Refuse starts off with us meeting Rainy and his wife, Lark, and following them through their lives as we learn about how the world has changed after a pandemic and other atrocities, including the villainization of reading. Lark has partnered up with a bread baker and sells books to the people of Icebridge, a small town right next to Lake Superior. Things take a turn when Lark brings in a skellite, Kellen, who disappears during her 36th birthday. The adventure that ensues does an incredible job of exploring grief, found family, and some of the most irritating bureaucratic nonsense (the bridge scene made me INCREDIBLY irritated) you could ever hope to find in an apocalyptic story.

Inanimate objects have a way of becoming characters of their own in this story. I really appreciated the centering around Lake Superior and how mercurial the lake is - and if this piques your interest, I highly recommend checking out Geo Rutherford's many stories on Lake Superior. In the same vein, Flower becomes a character in its own right, and I became so attached to the vessel as the novel continued. Rainy is a wonderful narrator and guide through this world that Leif Enger has so artfully created.

I highly recommend this book. Thank you so much to NetGalley and Recorded Books for the copy.

Our protagonist and narrator, Rainy, is struggling with this wife’s death and sets sail to an area where he believes he will, see her. When he stops to refuel, seek refuge from a storm or look for food he finds an ever increasing dysfunctional population made up of illiterate and desperate people. Corrupt billionaires are ruling the world. At one stop a young girl stows away on his boat. She is searching for her grandfather and Rainy agrees to help her. It is not safe for anyone to be out alone.

They experience many incidents together, from inclement weather to dead bodies floating in the lake. They occasionally meet other people, good and bad, along the way. Rainey’s optimism carries them a long way and the intelligence and interest of his new companion make them good company. The dangers of their dystopian world struggle to keep a hold on these two hopeful, indomitable forces of nature. The book is set on Lake Superior, in Minnesota, in the near future.

I hadn't heard of author Leif Enger prior to this NetGalley Advanced Copy. I intend to read many more of his books. Enger is an eloquent and enchanting storyteller whose beautiful prose is filled with hope. You will not want to put it down.⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Special thanks to Leif Enger, NetGalley, Grove Press and Recorded Books for an ARC of this audiobook. Publication date: 4-2-24

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The characters in this book, Rainy, Lark and later a young girl Sol, drew me right into this story. Which I found to be a very good thing as there was so much I was confused about. It’s set n the future, but how far into the future is not stated. Not too far, I think. Then it appears that are government is no more and we are being ruled by a group called the Astronauts, but who they are is also unknown, just that they and those associated with them are not very nice people. Also, people don’t read anymore, no new books written but Lark goes from place to place gathering left books for her bookstore. Yes, she opens a bookstore for those who want to read.

Then tragedy strikes and Rainy finds himself alone. Heartbroken, alone, adrift in life he decides to take his boat and travel to the place that he and Lark had previously traveled. It is where the once found the spirit of Molly Thorne who wrote the book, I cheerfully refuse. This journey is the nexus of the story, what he finds and who he meets, will set him on a new course.

Despite some of the confusion Angela and I both felt at times, I’ve come to believe that the reader being adrift is meant to mimic both Rainey’s feelings and his journey. Or so I believe, hope I’ve gotten that right. Anyway, a very different book from this author but one I very much enjoyed.

Narration was terrific.

No doubt about it, <i>I Cheerfully Refuse</i> is beautifully crafted, with poignant writing. I loved the title and its gorgeous cover! While I'd like to say that I loved the story itself to the same degree, I just never quite felt myself resonating with this story, and I suspect I'm not the target reader.

Rainy is a great bear of a man living with his wife on the edge of Lake Superior during a future era where society is crumbling and lawlessness is on the rise. Following a tragedy, Rainy embarks on an epic voyage across the lake in search of answers and a new path forward.

This novel will be a great choice for those who like literary fiction, especially in the dystopian scifi genre. It's a slow and meandering character study that explores love, loss, and the search for identity under the duress of changing times.