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    Chasing the Bear: A Young Spenser Novel
    Unavailable
    Chasing the Bear: A Young Spenser Novel
    Unavailable
    Chasing the Bear: A Young Spenser Novel
    Audiobook2 hours

    Chasing the Bear: A Young Spenser Novel

    Written by Robert B. Parker

    Narrated by Daniel Parker

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    Young Spenser is tough. No doubt about it. After all, he's being raised by his father and uncles-three of the toughest men in town. He knows how to fight, and he's had to prove it. But his father taught him something far more valuable: Sometimes the toughest thing a guy can do is walk away from a fight.
                So when Spenser sees his friend Jeannie being taken in a boat downriver by her abusive father, he knows he has a hard decision to make. Should he trust his gut and risk his own life to save Jeannie's? And if so, how can he overcome such a bear of a man?
                Robert B. Parker's bestselling Spenser novels are a worldwide phenomenon. Now, for the first time, he gives us a glimpse into the formative years of his most iconic character. Chasing the Bear is a suspenseful thriller sure to satisfy Parker's growing legion of fans.


    From the Compact Disc edition.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateNov 10, 2009
    ISBN9780307582485
    Unavailable
    Chasing the Bear: A Young Spenser Novel
    Author

    Robert B. Parker

    Robert B Parker was the best-selling author of over 60 books, including Small Vices, Sudden Mischief, Hush Money, Hugger Mugger, Potshot, Widows Walk, Night Passage, Trouble in Paradise, Death in Paradise, Family Honor, Perish Twice, Shrink Rap, Stone Cold, Melancholy Baby, Back Story, Double Play, Bad Business, Cold Service, Sea Change, School Days and Blue Screen. He died in 2010 at the age of 77.

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    Reviews for Chasing the Bear

    3.5/5

    85 ratings10 reviews

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    • 4/5
      This is a fine young adult novel with action and also a discussion of what it means to be an adult. For those adults who like Spenser novels, it is enjoyable to see how Parker conveives of thso eyouthful experiences that shaped the detective.
    • 5/5
      Too short, loved it. Can never, ever get enough Spenser. RIP Robert B. Parker, you are greatly missed.
    • 3/5
      This was OK for what it was--a YA book and peek into the childhood of a famous fictional detective. What it isn't is a Spenser novel, or a detective novel of any sort. Not much happens, and it's all filtered through the adult Spenser, who is telling the story to Susan--so everything gets analyzed as well. It seems more like an experiment than anything else. Check it out of the library if you want to read it.
    • 4/5
      I discovered this book at a recent booksale. While I knew that Robert B Parker had written a YA novel (Edenville Owls)I hadn't known that he'd written one that gave some back-story to Spenser. Enjoyed it thoroughly, and will keep a lookout for his other YA novel, The Boxer and the Spy. It was nice to learn more about Spenser's background, and what made him into the man he became in all those books I've read. I liked how the story was interspersed within a conversation with Susan.
    • 4/5
      Spenser and Susan sit and discuss Spenser's coming of age. Usually his books have something significant to say about life, the universe, and everything. Perhaps because this meant to be a young adult book, there are several somethings. Spenser is raised by three men who read to him from a series of great classics (hence his literary knowledge), teach him to box (hence his boxing career and his ability to solve problems physically when necessary), take turns cooking (hence his interest in food), and treat others with kindness and respect. Golly, he and his non-traditional family are just about perfect.
    • 3/5
      Nothing special but not bad.The book did not leave me hanging wondering what will happen next, it lacked the twists and turns of any good mystery/suspense book. Not a fan of the writing Parker (author), did not enjoy the fact that each chapter was so short...A total of 47 chapter for only 169 pages, I could see young teens appreciating the small chapters but it took away the flow of the book. The story is told by the main character as an account of his younger teenage life, the story takes place when he (Spencer) is 14 years old...he is telling his story to his partner Susan (I am guessing they are in their early 30's). The chapter goes from present day (Susan asking questions about the story to Spencer) to the actual storytelling of Spence when he was 14 years old. The writing style was not anything original, for young adults I could see it being a little confusing following the story from present day back to the story. Spencer a young boy is raised by his father and two uncles, they make sure he knows right from wrong, they raise him up to be a man, a man of his word. Spencer takes it upon himself to help and save this your girl Jeannie. Jeannie has an abusive, drunk of a father...in the process Jeannie becomes drawn to Spencer but nothing develops more than a friend relationship. Also, Spencer takes it up himself to protect a Aurelio, a Mexican class mate. Three StarsThe story was average, only savior was the main character. Spencer is an easy character to like, you want him to succeed, he does what he thinks is for the best and what he thinks is right. The book had some flaws, no twists and turns, no suspense, the book just picked up from no where...it was difficult to understand what and where the direction of the book was going (not knowing that Parker is primarily a Adult-Mystery writer, maybe diving into the Young Adult Mystery genre posed some difficulties).After reading the novel, looking for more information about Parker (author), sad to read he passed away in 2010. I had no idea he was a best selling mystery author who created Spencer, who was the hero and main character in over 40 novels...I could see how fans of Robert Parker, would enjoy this book...a look into the main character Spencer's youth, to gain some understanding of where Spencer came from.I
    • 3/5
      If you read Robert B. Parker's Spenser novels, have you wondered how Spenser developed his code of ethics? How did he become the unusual man he is? Parker answers that question in a novel designed for teens, Chasing the Bear. For teens interested in mysteries, it's an interesting introduction to the entire series. For those of us who have read all of the Spenser books, it answers questions.While sitting in the Boston Public Garden one day, Susan Silverman, Spenser's long-time love, asks him about his youth. He reminds her that his mother died when he was born. He was raised by his father and his mother's two brothers, Cash and Patrick, all carpenters. The three men lived together, with a dog named Pearl. They all took care of each other. The men taught him to box, read to him every night, and, in their quiet ways, taught him, "There's legal, and there's right." And, they always had each other's back, just as Spenser and Hawk would watch out for each other in Spenser's adult life.These three men made Spenser feel important, even as a boy. Those lessons, and Spenser's stories of the year he was fourteen, show the man he would become. At fourteen, Spenser became protective of a classmate, a girl who was dragged off by her brutal, drunken father. Spenser rescued her, and later, stood up for a Mexican friend against bullying kids. Spenser's stories of his youth foreshadow the man he becomes, a man with a code of ethics, who stands up for the underdog, and defends women. And, his anecdotes about the reading his uncles and father did shows why he has an eclectic knowledge of literature. Spenser fans should find this an important novel, one that provides the background for a favorite character. And, Chasing the Bear, is an interesting introduction for teens. It has suspense, quiet lessons about bullying and sticking up for the underdog, and introduces a fascinating knight errant, with a code of conduct. But, most of all, I recommend Chasing the Bear to those of us who are already fans of Spenser. It's one more reason to admire a favorite character.
    • 2/5
      Told from the perspective of an adult looking back on a certain childhood event. Spenser's been raised by his father and two uncles since his mother's death. His best friend is a girl named Jeannie. When he sees her being driven off by her drunk father, he follows them and eventually manages to save her. This is a coming of age story about becoming a man.
    • 4/5
      Written for Young Adult readers, Spenser the detective tells the story of his teenage years and the values he learned from his Father and two uncles. Tackles themes of parental alcoholism , sticking up for friends, dealing with bullies, and school racism.
    • 4/5
      The latest installment of the Spenser stories, this one provides a look at the teen-age Spenser and his rearing by his father and two uncles. Interspersed between some chapters is the usual interplay between Spenser and his love Susan Silverman who plays a lighthearted psychologist and foil to the adult Spenser. Novella is a good addition to the Spenser canon.