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Oregon
It was 1970 in a defeated Rhode Island fishing town. Vietnam and Nixon dominated the national news. Both the near and distant future looked bleak.
But they were five inseparable high school friends with something incredible in common: an unwavering resolve to look after each other no matter what hell life threw at them. And they were on a mission.
The plan was simple: Go off the grid before they turned 18 to avoid the draft. They’d sell some grass, stack some cash, then head west and start a commune. What could possibly go wrong?
Oregon is an emotionally charged new Audible Original short thriller from Audie Award-winning and internationally bestselling author Don Winslow. Masterfully performed by four-time Academy Award nominee Ed Harris, it delivers an audio experience that will stay with you long after it’s over. Listen now.
But they were five inseparable high school friends with something incredible in common: an unwavering resolve to look after each other no matter what hell life threw at them. And they were on a mission.
The plan was simple: Go off the grid before they turned 18 to avoid the draft. They’d sell some grass, stack some cash, then head west and start a commune. What could possibly go wrong?
Oregon is an emotionally charged new Audible Original short thriller from Audie Award-winning and internationally bestselling author Don Winslow. Masterfully performed by four-time Academy Award nominee Ed Harris, it delivers an audio experience that will stay with you long after it’s over. Listen now.
2 pages, Audible Audio
First published May 23, 2024
17 people are currently reading
112 people want to read
About the author
Don Winslow
112 books7,427 followersDon Winslow is the author of twenty-one acclaimed, award-winning international bestsellers, including the New York Times bestsellers The Force and The Border, the #1 international bestseller The Cartel, The Power of the Dog, Savages, and The Winter of Frankie Machine. Savages was made into a feature film by three-time Oscar-winning writer-director Oliver Stone. The Power of the Dog, The Cartel and The Border sold to FX in a major multimillion-dollar deal to air as a weekly television series beginning in 2020.
A former investigator, antiterrorist trainer and trial consultant, Winslow lives in California and Rhode Island.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
A former investigator, antiterrorist trainer and trial consultant, Winslow lives in California and Rhode Island.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 104 reviews
October 9, 2024
Very quick- semi boring 😝
June 20, 2024
4★
“From now on, it was disillusionment and cynicism. That awful year of 1968. The Tet Offensive, Martin, Bobby.”
Five high school boys, good pals, are pretty much marking time in school, hanging out, stealing liquor from parents who drink and don’t count their bottles. They smoke a little weed, but nothing serious, except for one who’s a heroin user. He says it just comes from a different plant - the poppy.
As they awaken to the new reality of their lives, the war in Vietnam, the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Bobby Kennedy – especially Bobby – they make plans to leave Rhode Island. There’s no future for them there, and they’ll all be facing the draft soon.
Oregon is way across the continent and sounds like a possible spot to go to lie low, hide away without leaving the country, but they need money. They create an Oregon Fund, selling weed very carefully, never spending any money, calling no attention to themselves.
“ ‘We can’t get greedy. We need enough to do Oregon. When we get that, we quit.’ He knew they were in a race. Get the Oregon money and get out before they got caught.”
It was a great plan, going well, and it really should have worked.
I hadn’t read anything by Don Winslow before, but I knew the narrator, award-winning actor Ed Harris, which convinced my to give it a try. At just over an hour, it’s a good, self-contained story that was no doubt enhanced by his narration.
This is an Audible Original short story and a pretty good one at that. Thanks to Goodreads friend ☮Karen for her review which brought it to my attention.
“From now on, it was disillusionment and cynicism. That awful year of 1968. The Tet Offensive, Martin, Bobby.”
Five high school boys, good pals, are pretty much marking time in school, hanging out, stealing liquor from parents who drink and don’t count their bottles. They smoke a little weed, but nothing serious, except for one who’s a heroin user. He says it just comes from a different plant - the poppy.
As they awaken to the new reality of their lives, the war in Vietnam, the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Bobby Kennedy – especially Bobby – they make plans to leave Rhode Island. There’s no future for them there, and they’ll all be facing the draft soon.
Oregon is way across the continent and sounds like a possible spot to go to lie low, hide away without leaving the country, but they need money. They create an Oregon Fund, selling weed very carefully, never spending any money, calling no attention to themselves.
“ ‘We can’t get greedy. We need enough to do Oregon. When we get that, we quit.’ He knew they were in a race. Get the Oregon money and get out before they got caught.”
It was a great plan, going well, and it really should have worked.
I hadn’t read anything by Don Winslow before, but I knew the narrator, award-winning actor Ed Harris, which convinced my to give it a try. At just over an hour, it’s a good, self-contained story that was no doubt enhanced by his narration.
This is an Audible Original short story and a pretty good one at that. Thanks to Goodreads friend ☮Karen for her review which brought it to my attention.
March 3, 2025
A rather grim short story about a group of friends in a small New England town, planning to go to Oregon upon graduation.
That's all I want to say for fear of spoilers.
In typical Winslow fashion, all does not go well.
Ed Harris is a remarkable narrator.
Read 3.2.25, but removing reading dates so as not to count towards my yearly reading goal.
That's all I want to say for fear of spoilers.
In typical Winslow fashion, all does not go well.
Ed Harris is a remarkable narrator.
Read 3.2.25, but removing reading dates so as not to count towards my yearly reading goal.
August 14, 2024
Winslow & Harris are a potent combination for short stories that pack a proverbial & emotional punch. Harris’s gritty narration sets the tone as he helps us visualize Winslow’s story of a high school friends in small town during the late 60’s and early 70’s.
As depressing as it could get, you can relate to the boys making plans to just make it through graduation and they could all head out to Oregon.
“It was just a dream to get them through the nightmare” This sentence is haunting me. Why? Because you could feel the hope trying to breakthrough the despair, the changes in the world, in the town and between themselves.
Sometimes it’s difficult for me to separate Don Winslow & Dennis Lehane. They both paint a vivid picture and how certain changes fractures you and shapes your future.
I have a book hangover after just this short story. It’s much better than the last few & I’ll be thinking about it for awhile.
As depressing as it could get, you can relate to the boys making plans to just make it through graduation and they could all head out to Oregon.
“It was just a dream to get them through the nightmare” This sentence is haunting me. Why? Because you could feel the hope trying to breakthrough the despair, the changes in the world, in the town and between themselves.
Sometimes it’s difficult for me to separate Don Winslow & Dennis Lehane. They both paint a vivid picture and how certain changes fractures you and shapes your future.
I have a book hangover after just this short story. It’s much better than the last few & I’ll be thinking about it for awhile.
November 3, 2024
3.5 stars. Surprisingly solid period and character coming-of-age piece about shared dreams and betrayal that packs a punch just when you're least suspecting. Nicely done.
June 6, 2024
In high school, my friends and I made this plan to leave the Rio Grande Valley, make a break for it and head to Seattle. There were no wars then, at least none that would affect us in any way. The war on terror was still some years away when we drew up these plans. We would save enough money (how I would achieve this was still in question, as my only job was to focus on my studies) and once we graduated, we’d pack up and leave. Except in the two years we had til high school graduation, we all moved in different directions and got lost in the fog. Depressing, yes, but at least our ending isn’t anything like one Don Winslow churned up for his short story, Oregon.
In this coming-of-age story, which is also narrated by Ed Harris, we follow the lives of a group of boys trying to break free from a Rhode Island fishing town. They dream of moving to Oregon because, as they hear, it’s greener there and anywhere is better than their hometown. And with the Vietnam War lurking in the periphery, their best bet to avoid the draft is to go off grid.
Unlike with Deep Hole and Dietrich, it isn’t difficult to relate to the boys in this story, especially if you come from a small town where “nothing happens.” It’s also not as problematic. While the gritty, bleak vibe of the Winslow stories I read, Oregon still has a kernel of hope buried somewhere within. It is my favorite of the three stories; although, I still have two Audible Originals stories by Winslow left, both of which are also narrated by Ed Harris. (Originally posted on Chapin City Blues)
In this coming-of-age story, which is also narrated by Ed Harris, we follow the lives of a group of boys trying to break free from a Rhode Island fishing town. They dream of moving to Oregon because, as they hear, it’s greener there and anywhere is better than their hometown. And with the Vietnam War lurking in the periphery, their best bet to avoid the draft is to go off grid.
Unlike with Deep Hole and Dietrich, it isn’t difficult to relate to the boys in this story, especially if you come from a small town where “nothing happens.” It’s also not as problematic. While the gritty, bleak vibe of the Winslow stories I read, Oregon still has a kernel of hope buried somewhere within. It is my favorite of the three stories; although, I still have two Audible Originals stories by Winslow left, both of which are also narrated by Ed Harris. (Originally posted on Chapin City Blues)
April 14, 2025
Interesting characters, surprise ending.
May 31, 2024
⭐️3.5/4⭐️
August 14, 2024
Dealing in Rhode Island
Review of the Audible Original audiobook narrated by Ed Harris (May 23, 2024).
In the late stages of the Vietnam War and a possible draft, five Rhode Island teenagers scheme to realize their dreams of moving to a promised land in Oregon. Starting a small time pot dealing operation seems the way to go. But some of them become distracted on the way and others fall into temptation.
Unlike most Don Winslow novels and short stories there is not actually very much crime involved in this story, unless you consider selling marijuana a crime. There is a surprise crime at the very end.
Trivia and Links
Don Winslow has written several short stories for Audible Originals with Ed Harris as the narrator. In addition to this current story, these have been Free Billy (March 22, 2022), Deep Hole (May 26, 2022), Dietrich (March 28, 2024) and Downward Facing Doug (July 11, 2024). Several of the stories deal with surfing culture.
Audible Originals are exclusive audio productions for Audible. The exclusivity may be time-limited. An author may agree to a (e.g.) six-month audio exclusive before they are free to publish the story in eBook or paper formats. To date none of the Don Winslow / Ed Harris short stories have appeared in print, but possibly there will be a future anthology collection. Because there is no print equivalent, the stories have a zero page count and do not add to your Goodreads page count for the year if you read (listen to) them.
Review of the Audible Original audiobook narrated by Ed Harris (May 23, 2024).
In the late stages of the Vietnam War and a possible draft, five Rhode Island teenagers scheme to realize their dreams of moving to a promised land in Oregon. Starting a small time pot dealing operation seems the way to go. But some of them become distracted on the way and others fall into temptation.
Unlike most Don Winslow novels and short stories there is not actually very much crime involved in this story, unless you consider selling marijuana a crime. There is a surprise crime at the very end.
Trivia and Links
Don Winslow has written several short stories for Audible Originals with Ed Harris as the narrator. In addition to this current story, these have been Free Billy (March 22, 2022), Deep Hole (May 26, 2022), Dietrich (March 28, 2024) and Downward Facing Doug (July 11, 2024). Several of the stories deal with surfing culture.
Audible Originals are exclusive audio productions for Audible. The exclusivity may be time-limited. An author may agree to a (e.g.) six-month audio exclusive before they are free to publish the story in eBook or paper formats. To date none of the Don Winslow / Ed Harris short stories have appeared in print, but possibly there will be a future anthology collection. Because there is no print equivalent, the stories have a zero page count and do not add to your Goodreads page count for the year if you read (listen to) them.
October 1, 2024
2024/10/01 Notes:
Currently on Audible Plus
Great narration by Ed Harris.
A short & uncomfortable story about a group of friends, betrayal and fallout. Lots of atmosphere, stark descriptions to cut out setting and fairly unbelievable (to me) events. Unbelievable because I can't imagine such things happening in my life. Not because it was unrealistic within the short story.
Currently on Audible Plus
Great narration by Ed Harris.
A short & uncomfortable story about a group of friends, betrayal and fallout. Lots of atmosphere, stark descriptions to cut out setting and fairly unbelievable (to me) events. Unbelievable because I can't imagine such things happening in my life. Not because it was unrealistic within the short story.
June 14, 2024
⭐️ 3.5 stars ⭐️
August 23, 2024
An Audible original: a short story by Don Winslow, read by Ed Harris. In 1970, four high school buddies in a dying RI fishing town dream of going to Oregon to live off the grid in a commune to escape the draft. One of them is a small time pot dealer. He’s able to grow his business by selling to adults and is saving enough to possibly finance their venture. Then things go horribly wrong.
This is a great short story about the choices that average young men made in those days. Ed Harris does a great job with it too. Well worth an hour of your time.
This is a great short story about the choices that average young men made in those days. Ed Harris does a great job with it too. Well worth an hour of your time.
August 1, 2024
Oregon by Don Winslow
1h 6m narrated by Ed Harris
Genre: Literary Fiction, Short Stories, Historical Fiction
Featuring: Rhode Island, Oregon, Alcohol, College Town, 17-Year-Olds, Child Abuse, Drugs, Port City, Hard Times, Farms, Potatoes, Vietnam Draft, 1960s/1970s
Rating as a movie: R for adult content
Artists for the soundtrack: Charles Lloyd, Joni Mitchell, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Animals
Authors and books mentioned: William Blake, William Wordsworth, John Keats, The Tragedy of Macbeth by William Shakespeare
My rating: ⭐️⭐️½🍸💊🪖
My thoughts: This reminded me of a darker version of The Outsiders. It was odd but not bad, the ending saved it tremendously, but I didn't see the point.
Recommend to others?: I read this because someone loved it, so you never know.
1h 6m narrated by Ed Harris
Genre: Literary Fiction, Short Stories, Historical Fiction
Featuring: Rhode Island, Oregon, Alcohol, College Town, 17-Year-Olds, Child Abuse, Drugs, Port City, Hard Times, Farms, Potatoes, Vietnam Draft, 1960s/1970s
Rating as a movie: R for adult content
Artists for the soundtrack: Charles Lloyd, Joni Mitchell, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Animals
Authors and books mentioned: William Blake, William Wordsworth, John Keats, The Tragedy of Macbeth by William Shakespeare
My rating: ⭐️⭐️½🍸💊🪖
My thoughts: This reminded me of a darker version of The Outsiders. It was odd but not bad, the ending saved it tremendously, but I didn't see the point.
Recommend to others?: I read this because someone loved it, so you never know.
June 28, 2024
Solid short story by Don Winslow and read by Ed Harris revolving around a Rhode Island town. A group of friends are looking to get out to the West Coast. They decide to sell some weed to get cash to finance their trip. Unfortunately things don’t go as planned. Well worth the hour of your time to listen to.
July 18, 2024
Audible+ short story narrated brilliantly by Ed Harris.
Coming of age story that goes awry in a left behind town, this was really well written and an enjoyable palate cleanser to a lot of longer books I’ve read this year
Coming of age story that goes awry in a left behind town, this was really well written and an enjoyable palate cleanser to a lot of longer books I’ve read this year
July 30, 2024
3.5 stars.
October 24, 2024
Kind of sad, kind of boring. Not that the story itself had to be boring, but the story telling kind of was
June 13, 2024
A coming-of-age story set in the 70’s in a small town. 5 best friends with one shared dream: to go to Oregon where life seems better. Shattering ending. I enjoyed this story immensely.
August 14, 2024
So much going on in this "novella" length audiobook that I wished it went on longer. It was read by Ed Harris which adds another five stars to the rating!
June 26, 2024
This was a very short audiobook read by Ed Harris. I could listen to anything by this man.
The story itself was entertaining and a cute era piece. Definitely a good book to kill and hour or so of your time.
The story itself was entertaining and a cute era piece. Definitely a good book to kill and hour or so of your time.
June 10, 2024
A poignant reminder of the early 1970s
June 6, 2024
Another fine story by a master storyteller of our times. I highly recommend it.
December 31, 2024
2.5. Little over the top, too monotonously gloomy
August 7, 2024
Tightly written story of a group of young men who hatch a plan to break free from a small town in search of something better.
October 25, 2025
I appreciate Audible’s occasional emails suggesting I follow certain authors to stay updated on new releases. Recently, I received an email to follow Don Winslow. I promptly clicked the follow button, which led me to his list of book titles. I quickly noticed that Don had released several short stories in the past couple of years that I had missed. This was an exciting discovery, and I’m thrilled to have some new stories to listen to between longer books.
Set in Rhode Island in 1970, the story of ‘Oregon’ revolves around five close best friends. Their loyalty to each other is immeasurable. These high school friends share a common goal: to escape the Vietnam draft by going off the grid before turning 18. To achieve this, they raise money by selling marijuana and plan to move to Oregon to open a commune.
This was another fantastic short story! I thoroughly enjoyed learning about the dynamics of this group of young men. I was captivated by the characters and happened to glance at the time left on the audiobook. There were only 15 minutes remaining, so I initially thought this story might fall a bit flat for me. I didn’t anticipate a satisfying twist or a tantalizing ending. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the ending! It was unexpected, shocking, and left me in awe.
I particularly appreciate that Ed Harris narrated the audiobook. As an Audible Original, it was excellently produced.
I have photos and additional information that I'm unable to include here. It can all be found on my blog, in the link below.
A Book And A Dog
Set in Rhode Island in 1970, the story of ‘Oregon’ revolves around five close best friends. Their loyalty to each other is immeasurable. These high school friends share a common goal: to escape the Vietnam draft by going off the grid before turning 18. To achieve this, they raise money by selling marijuana and plan to move to Oregon to open a commune.
This was another fantastic short story! I thoroughly enjoyed learning about the dynamics of this group of young men. I was captivated by the characters and happened to glance at the time left on the audiobook. There were only 15 minutes remaining, so I initially thought this story might fall a bit flat for me. I didn’t anticipate a satisfying twist or a tantalizing ending. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the ending! It was unexpected, shocking, and left me in awe.
I particularly appreciate that Ed Harris narrated the audiobook. As an Audible Original, it was excellently produced.
I have photos and additional information that I'm unable to include here. It can all be found on my blog, in the link below.
A Book And A Dog
July 1, 2024
I grew up in the 70s so there is part of this story that resonates with me.
With not many options for teenagers living in struggling households in the early 70s, this story does convey the essence of the situation for each teen. It is a short story but definitely not a happy one. The story starts slow and doesn’t have any real action throughout the story. It feels like Winslow found a diary from the 70s and wrote a quick novella based on the contents. Since it was free, I didn't lose anything by reading it except for a little time.
Ed Harris gave a good performance in conveying the teens attitudes.
With not many options for teenagers living in struggling households in the early 70s, this story does convey the essence of the situation for each teen. It is a short story but definitely not a happy one. The story starts slow and doesn’t have any real action throughout the story. It feels like Winslow found a diary from the 70s and wrote a quick novella based on the contents. Since it was free, I didn't lose anything by reading it except for a little time.
Ed Harris gave a good performance in conveying the teens attitudes.
October 1, 2024
3 stars. Listened to this on Audible as performed by Ed Harris 🎧
This short story was enjoyable, though I’m not particularly drawn to vignettes or "slice of life" narratives at the moment. It offered a semi-interesting snapshot of several male friends in the '60’s/70’s who sell weed and liquor to try and move to Oregon, but it didn’t delve too deeply into their stories. There was no major twist or hook, just the (sometimes) inevitable tragedies of life. It ended kind of abruptly, as short stories usually do unfortunately. However, the real standout was Ed Harris as the narrator—his performance elevated the experience. I’d love to hear more stories narrated by him!
This short story was enjoyable, though I’m not particularly drawn to vignettes or "slice of life" narratives at the moment. It offered a semi-interesting snapshot of several male friends in the '60’s/70’s who sell weed and liquor to try and move to Oregon, but it didn’t delve too deeply into their stories. There was no major twist or hook, just the (sometimes) inevitable tragedies of life. It ended kind of abruptly, as short stories usually do unfortunately. However, the real standout was Ed Harris as the narrator—his performance elevated the experience. I’d love to hear more stories narrated by him!
May 4, 2025
Another of Don Winslow's short stories from the Audible Plus catalog, all of them narrated by the actor Ed Harris. In this one, harkening back to Winslow's youth in Rhode Island, a group of high school kids enter into a pact to get out of their dead end town and move to Oregon.
To finance their relocation, they begin dealing weed. Of course things go sideways and their dreams are dashed, or worse. I feel like I read this story before, by which I mean another Winslow story that seems similar. I've experienced that before with Downward Facing Doug and The Stork.
But those were good stories, worth reading in multiple permutations. This one, not so much.
To finance their relocation, they begin dealing weed. Of course things go sideways and their dreams are dashed, or worse. I feel like I read this story before, by which I mean another Winslow story that seems similar. I've experienced that before with Downward Facing Doug and The Stork.
But those were good stories, worth reading in multiple permutations. This one, not so much.
July 11, 2024
Wow. That's all I can say. I have been on a novella kick, and this is the second book I've listened to from Mr. Winsolw, and it does not disappoint. Winslow has done a wonderful job caputuring the spirit and essence of that tummonlus time of the late 1960s. I felt I was there with the boys, experiencing what they were experiencing. The climax and ending was something I did not expect; I finished it not too long ago, and I am still thinking about it. Also, Ed Harris as narrator is just a chef's kiss.
August 28, 2024
🌟 Audible audio 🌟
This was an okay short story. The "twist" at the end wasn't a surprise for me... suspected it earlier than the others did and the ending wasn't shocking for me either (maybe because I watch alot of true crime and whatnot)... there was one thing that was a surprise and had me wanting to drop kick the person involved.
If it interests you. Go for it 👍🏼 It was a decent one that I wouldn't read again (but would listen to Ed Harris narrate something else he was pretty good). #
Will I read more by this author 🤔? Not sure yet. We shall see.
This was an okay short story. The "twist" at the end wasn't a surprise for me... suspected it earlier than the others did and the ending wasn't shocking for me either (maybe because I watch alot of true crime and whatnot)... there was one thing that was a surprise and had me wanting to drop kick the person involved.
If it interests you. Go for it 👍🏼 It was a decent one that I wouldn't read again (but would listen to Ed Harris narrate something else he was pretty good). #
Will I read more by this author 🤔? Not sure yet. We shall see.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 104 reviews