Bird Cloud by Annie Proulx and read by Joan Allen comes very close to being all things to all people. A memoir on a grand scale, Bird Cloud not only serves as a cautionary tale for any who wish to buy and build on Wyoming ranchland, but the book is a partial history of the American West and an environmental love song for the precious flora and fauna of open lands.

Bird Cloud begins with Proulx reading the first autobiographical chapter about her peripatetic childhood and family’s genealogical history. The chapter sets the stage for the author’s intense need to ground herself, finally, in a home that is perfect for her.

Joan Allen’s expressive reading captures the author’s increasing frustration with the building process. Not meaning to make light of the misfortunes of others, it is hard not to laugh as Allen characterizes Proulx’s unrestrained horror when first gazing upon a much-anticipated polished concrete floor. The “what next?” exasperation eventually felt by every homeowner cleverly seeps into Allen’s words and phrasings. Nonetheless, even the beleaguered home builder/author sees the humor in the multiple work shut-downs as all hands are called upon to shoo errant livestock from the construction area.

The foibles of construction take a back seat to the author’s obvious love for Wyoming. Grasses, wildflowers, rocks, and mammals of both land and air are meticulously noted, examined, and then treated to the author’s lyrical prose. Poetic descriptions of the dalliance of resident bald eagles bring the author’s observations into clear view for the enthralled listener.

Bird Cloud Allen assures all those enjoying the audiobook that home construction is not for the faint of heart. The experience has served a worthwhile purpose, though, if it has allowed a gifted author like Annie Proulx an inspiriting window through which to share her obvious love and respect for wide, open spaces. Carole Chouinard