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Tracy Letts
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August: Osage County (TCG Edition) Paperback – February 1, 2008

by Tracy Letts (Author)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 909 ratings
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Winner of the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the 2008 Tony Award for Best New Play. Now a major motion picture!

"A tremendous achievement in American playwriting: a tragicomic populist portrait of a tough land and a tougher people." —TimeOut New York

"Tracy Letts' August: Osage County is what O'Neill would be writing in 2007. Letts has recaptured the nobility of American drama's mid-century heyday while still creating something entirely original." —New York magazine

“I don’t care if August: Osage County is three-and-a-half hours long. I wanted more.” –Howard Shapiro, Philadelphia Inquirer

"This original and corrosive black comedy deserves a seat at the table with the great American family plays."—Time

One of the most bracing and critically acclaimed plays in recent history, August: Osage County is a portrait of the dysfunctional American family at its finest—and absolute worst. When the patriarch of the Weston clan disappears one hot summer night, the family reunites at the Oklahoma homestead, where long-held secrets are unflinchingly and uproariously revealed. The three-act, three-and-a-half-hour mammoth of a play combines epic tragedy with black comedy, dramatizing three generations of unfulfilled dreams and leaving not one of its thirteen characters unscathed.
August: Osage County has been produced in more than twenty countries worldwide and is now a major motion picture starring Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Chris Cooper, Dermot Mulroney, Sam Shepard, Juliette Lewis, and Ewan McGregor.


Tracy Letts is the author of Killer Joe, Bug, and Man from Nebraska, which was a finalist for the 2004 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. His plays have been performed throughout the country and internationally. A performer as well as a playwright, Letts is a member of the Steppenwolf Theatre Company, where August: Osage County premiered.
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  1. Print length
    152 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Theatre Communications Group
  4. Publication date
    February 1, 2008
  5. Dimensions
    5.4 x 0.5 x 8.5 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    9781559363303
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1559363303
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“This fusion of epic tragedy and black comedy is a bold step for Letts, whose earthy, distinctly contemporary wit flows throughout. His account of a family whose secrets and lies come spilling forth under duress ranks with the best American drama of the past decade.” –Elysa Gardner, USA Today

“In Tracy Letts’s ferociously entertaining play, the American dysfunctional family drama comes roaring into the twenty-first century with eyes blazing, nostrils flaring and fangs bared, laced with corrosive humor so darkly delicious and ghastly that you’re squirming in your seat even as you’re doubled over laughing. A massive meditation on the cruel realities that often belie standard expectations of conjugal and family accord—not to mention on the decline of American integrity itself.” –David Rooney, Variety

“August will cement Letts’s place in theatrical history. He has written a Great American Play. How many of those will we get the chance to discover in our lifetime?” –Melissa Rose Bernardo, Entertainment Weekly

“Packed with unforgettable characters and dozens of quotable lines, August: Osage County is a tensely satisfying comedy, interspersed with remarkable evocations on the cruelties and (occasional) kindnesses of family life. It is as harrowing a new work as Broadway has offered in years and the funniest in even longer.” –Eric Gorde, New York Sun



“This fusion of epic tragedy and black comedy is a bold step for Letts, whose earthy, distinctly contemporary wit flows throughout. His account of a family whose secrets and lies come spilling forth under duress ranks with the best American drama of the past decade.” –Elysa Gardner, USA Today

“In Tracy Letts’s ferociously entertaining play, the American dysfunctional family drama comes roaring into the twenty-first century with eyes blazing, nostrils flaring and fangs bared, laced with corrosive humor so darkly delicious and ghastly that you’re squirming in your seat even as you’re doubled over laughing. A massive meditation on the cruel realities that often belie standard expectations of conjugal and family accord―not to mention on the decline of American integrity itself.” –David Rooney, Variety

“August will cement Letts’s place in theatrical history. He has written a Great American Play. How many of those will we get the chance to discover in our lifetime?” –Melissa Rose Bernardo, Entertainment Weekly

“Packed with unforgettable characters and dozens of quotable lines, August: Osage County is a tensely satisfying comedy, interspersed with remarkable evocations on the cruelties and (occasional) kindnesses of family life. It is as harrowing a new work as Broadway has offered in years and the funniest in even longer.” –Eric Gorde, New York Sun

About the Author

Tracy Letts was awarded the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and Tony Award for Best Play for August: Osage County, which premiered at Steppenwolf Theatre Company in 2007 before playing Broadway, London's National Theatre, and a forty-week US tour. Other plays include Pulitzer Prize finalist Man from Nebraska; Killer Joe, which was adapted into a critically acclaimed film; and Bug, which has played in New York, Chicago, and London and was adapted into a film. Letts is an ensemble member of Steppenwolf Theatre Company and garnered a Tony Award for his performance in the Broadway revival of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 1559363304
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Theatre Communications Group (February 1, 2008)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 152 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9781559363303
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1559363303
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 7.2 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.4 x 0.5 x 8.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 909 ratings

About the author

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Tracy Letts

Tracy Letts

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Tracy Letts was awarded the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Tony Award for Best Play for August: Osage County, which premiered at Steppenwolf Theatre in 2007 and later played on Broadway, at London's National Theatre, and at theatres around the United States and internationally. In 2013, August: Osage County became a feature film starring Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts. Other writing credits include The Minutes, Linda Vista, Mary Page Marlowe, Man from Nebraska, Killer Joe, Bug and Superior Donuts. He has been an ensemble member at Steppenwolf Theatre Company since 2002. As an actor, he was awarded a 2013 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play for his performance in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?. His screen acting credits include a role on Homeland, the film The Lovers, as well as the Oscar-nominated film Lady Bird.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
909 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the play amazing, well-written, and vivid. They also describe the characters as great and the reading pace as fast. However, some customers report issues with the Kindle format. Opinions are mixed on entertainment value, with some finding it interesting and powerful, while others say it's depressing. Readers also disagree on the emotional tone, with others finding it poignant and realistic.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Select to learn more
PlayEntertainment valueReadabilityCharactersReading paceEmotional toneBook valueBook formatting
85 customers mention "Play"77 positive8 negative

Customers find the play amazing, well written, and entertaining. They also say it would make a wonderful performance.

"This play is very well written, with an excellent story and vivid characters. The run time of the show probably runs about three hours in length...." Read more

"...August:Osage County' is so good,so dysfunctionally twisted,that no one gets away unscathed. A masterpiece...." Read more

"There is no doubt that “August: Osage County” is a great American play...." Read more

"...This is a masterpiece from beginning to end, from August to tragic December. The Stern Librarian (I get a lot of reading done in the TKTS booth)." Read more

56 customers mention "Entertainment value"39 positive17 negative

Customers are mixed about the entertainment value of the book. Some mention it's an interesting dark comedy about a disfunctional midwestern family, with jaw-dropping moments and outright hysterical scenes. They also say it'll keep them engaged and never boring. However, some customers say the storyline is depressing, but the comic relief segments keep them moving.

"...Every part is a great part. There are some jaw-dropping moments, some outright hysterical scenes, and some really deeply disturbing emotional..." Read more

"...At times funny,charming and shocking,'August:Osage County'receives the highest of fives from me.I just know I will be reading it again...." Read more

"...The following acts were a huge disappointment to me----I guess I wanted more vision, hope, thinking out of the box in the plot...." Read more

"...I really liked the theme of the play and I will not spoil the story for anyone who is interested, however, I must recommend this book to anyone who..." Read more

52 customers mention "Readability"37 positive15 negative

Customers find the book very well written, with an excellent story and vivid characters. They also say the story hits home with them, has clever lines of dialog, and Tracy Letts writes so personally and develops his characters so they feel connected to them. Readers also mention the relationships are written out smoothly, relevantly, and humorously. They say the text is written in a very simple, direct style that flows easily.

"This play is very well written, with an excellent story and vivid characters. The run time of the show probably runs about three hours in length...." Read more

"...Tracy Letts has written the text in a very simple direct style that flows easily, and the structure of the piece fills out nicely...." Read more

"...The overall theme was depressing, the language was vulgar and the ending was abrupt. That being said, I read it to the end." Read more

"...A good read all in all." Read more

20 customers mention "Characters"17 positive3 negative

Customers like the characters in the book.

"This play is very well written, with an excellent story and vivid characters. The run time of the show probably runs about three hours in length...." Read more

"...Gotta say, the movie, though the acting was great, as well as casting......I didn't "enjoy" it, I didn't feel humor and space in it, as I..." Read more

"...follow-up and information on the horribly, beautifully, sad, compelling characters...." Read more

"...I did secure the role of Karen, which is exciting. The characters are complex and the dynamics are psychologically compelling...." Read more

17 customers mention "Reading pace"14 positive3 negative

Customers find the book fast and pleasurable to read. They also mention that the drama, snide remarks, and love to keep them reading.

"...I have to admit that it is excellent theatre - always engaging and never boring, it is dramatic, funny, and always compelling." Read more

"...Such an pleasurable change of pace...................." Read more

"...this reads very well. Just enough drama, snide remarks and love to keep you reading...." Read more

"...if well done, with two intermissions, it's amazing and goes by quickly for the audience...." Read more

29 customers mention "Emotional tone"19 positive10 negative

Customers are mixed about the emotional tone. Some find the book poignant, powerful, and thoughtful. They say it makes them look at the relationships in their own family. However, other customers find it depressing, boring, and dark.

"...moments, some outright hysterical scenes, and some really deeply disturbing emotional encounters...." Read more

"...three act, three hour exercise in selfishness, greed, and emotional blackmail and abuse - all in the guise of a "comedy" of manners...." Read more

"...And like those plays, it is saturated with anger and bitterness and love, and all those complex emotions that make us human...." Read more

"...It examines the complex relationships within a family...." Read more

6 customers mention "Book value"3 positive3 negative

Customers are mixed about the book value. Some mention that it arrived quickly and was the right price, while others say that it was money wasted.

"...Arrived quickly and was the right price." Read more

"...I did not like the book at all. Actually it was stupid. I would not have bought it if I had know it was written out as a play...." Read more

"...The book shipped fast, the price fit my budget and was perfect for the audition. Fabulous play. Dark comedy...." Read more

"...Read only 25 per cent. Should have been notified in advance. Money wasted. Plan to notify Amazon of displeasure" Read more

6 customers mention "Book formatting"0 positive6 negative

Customers find the book formatting messed up and hate the page layout. They also say the book is displayed as a play.

"...Digital formatting on Kindle was disjointed in several places...." Read more

"The formatting errors in this e book make it almost impossible to read. I am terribly disappointed with the quality of this...." Read more

"Did not like the format or the story line or the conclusion for that matter, if you weren't depressed when you started you were when you finished," Read more

"I hated the format of the page layout which displayed the book as a play. It was tedious beyond belief. A total waste of time and effort." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

T. N. C.
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Story, Great Characters, but lots of Mature Content...
Reviewed in the United States on February 22, 2013
Verified Purchase
This play is very well written, with an excellent story and vivid characters. The run time of the show probably runs about three hours in length. There isn't a character in this show that doesn't have an opportunity to show off their range. Every part is a great part. There are some jaw-dropping moments, some outright hysterical scenes, and some really deeply disturbing emotional encounters. This is a dysfunctional family in almost every sense on the word. Violet is probably the most ferocious character in the script - a strong and disturbed woman who is so "out of it" in some ways, yet so "in-the-know" in other ways. This script is currently in pre-rpoduction in Hollywood for a film version, and it's going to be a real treat to see this story play out on the big screen. Especially with Meryl Streep playing the role of Violet.
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MaryAnn
5.0 out of 5 stars Do You Know Who Your Relatives Are?
Reviewed in the United States on October 14, 2013
Verified Purchase
I purposely chose the play form of Tracy Letts' 'August: Osage County' since there is a screenplay version coming out as a tie in with the movie.Reading a play without a great deal of content is so refreshing.
'August:Osage County' is so good,so dysfunctionally twisted,that no one gets away unscathed. A masterpiece. Mr. Lett's won a Pulitzer Prize for this jewel and deservedly so.
The story is set in Oklahoma,in the home of Beverly and Violet Weston. They are children of the 60's,born into poor families.The Weston's worked hard in youth and for their toils have all the trappings of a good life. But it is not enough. The past's secrets haunt them and have taken too great a toll; Beverly drinks,while Violet is addicted to prescription drugs-again.
Then Beverly Weston comes up missing. Their three daughters gather to support Violet and each other while they wait for news.
This is when the sadness,madness and secrets of every member comes pouring out.
At times funny,charming and shocking,'August:Osage County'receives the highest of fives from me.
I just know I will be reading it again.
Aloud.
4 people found this helpful
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B. Wilfong
4.0 out of 5 stars “Dissipation is actually much worse than cataclysm.” (4.5 stars)
Reviewed in the United States on February 8, 2015
Verified Purchase
There is no doubt that “August: Osage County” is a great American play. Reading it one instantly gets the same feeling you get from the best O’Neil and Williams dramas. And like those plays, it is saturated with anger and bitterness and love, and all those complex emotions that make us human.
Tracy Letts has written the text in a very simple direct style that flows easily, and the structure of the piece fills out nicely. It opens with a prologue that is worth going back and rereading after getting about halfway through, just to see what new resonance it has now that the reader has more information.
Written in three acts, the same structure that many great American plays seem to share, the first act pulls you in with an interesting ensemble and plotlines that hint at more under the surface. The second act features a family dinner for the ages and violently and relentlessly will propel the reader to its conclusion. The third act contains more scenes, seems to have a quicker pace, and really punches the reader in the gut with many moments that come up in quick succession. In the hands of a talented director and cast this play would be a gripping night in the theatre.
A key moment that stood out to me was Act 3:2, when the character of Barbara realizes that she will never really know why her marriage ended. That moment of acknowledging that she will never get the answers she deserves is recognizable, and painful, to anyone who has suffered through a breakup where the communication was less than should be desired. And really, that lack of honest communication is what the play is about in general. Our inability to be honest with others, and ourselves, is a profound recognition that you see in yourself as you read this play. Which brings me to the ending of the piece, a dark warning that to live your life without honesty and kindness will catch up to you at some point.
“August: Osage County” is a play that will be performed and read for generations, and it deserves to be because it is about important human truths, and if we don’t read and go to the theatre every once in a while to have those things pointed out to us…then why are we doing it?
3 people found this helpful
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D. N. Stone
5.0 out of 5 stars Summer and Smoke (and Pills)
Reviewed in the United States on February 11, 2008
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When The Stern Librarian saw this show in New York recently she heard lot of debate at intermission (both of them!) about whether Tracy Letts has a written a classic to stand with the best of Eugene O'Neill and Tennessee Williams, or whether the play is a Carol Burnett spoof of those masters. Anyone who thinks this play is nothing but a bawdy of exchange of insults and swears (and catfights about catfish) should read the published play. On the page it is abundantly clear that the poetry quoted in the lovely opening scene by the doomed husband finds its messy, human correlative in the scenes that follow, with language so memorable it deserves to be printed on t-shirts and sold in the lobby. This is a masterpiece from beginning to end, from August to tragic December. The Stern Librarian (I get a lot of reading done in the TKTS booth).
76 people found this helpful
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The Shadow Warrior
5.0 out of 5 stars Wasn't interested in the book at first...But wow!
Reviewed in the United States on January 16, 2014
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When I first got this book for my Theatre Arts class, I wasn't really interested in the book. Then I started to read the book a bit more and then started to enjoy it.

As mentioned by other reviewers and etc., The play starts off with Beverly Weston, a noted poet and retired professor, interviewing Johnna for the position of housekeeper and the keeper of his wife Violet. Beverly is clearly drunk, and that's where things got more interesting for me to read. It started off slow and weird, but I slowly and slowly began to like the play.

I have read plays before, and have enjoyed them. This one is no exception! It did take me a few pages to slowly get the feel for the book, but when I did, I finished the book within 2 days! I really liked the theme of the play and I will not spoil the story for anyone who is interested, however, I must recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in reading plays or even watching them.

What's keeping you from buying this book? If you like plays and/or enjoying watching/reading them, why not give this book a shot? Never judge a book (well this is a play) by its cover.
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Top reviews from other countries

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LN51
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent rapport qualité prix
Reviewed in France on December 19, 2023
Verified Purchase
Acheté d'occasion pour les études de ma fille. Reçu plus vite que prévu. Bien conditionné. Et surtout en parfait état.
Désolée de ne pas pouvoir vous parler du texte.
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LN51
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent rapport qualité prix
Reviewed in France on December 19, 2023
Acheté d'occasion pour les études de ma fille. Reçu plus vite que prévu. Bien conditionné. Et surtout en parfait état.
Désolée de ne pas pouvoir vous parler du texte.
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Sunny
5.0 out of 5 stars Two Thumbs Up!
Reviewed in Canada on August 25, 2018
Verified Purchase
Book came in great condition and is now being used for my sister's English class. Thank you!
One person found this helpful
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Pili
4.0 out of 5 stars Semi-correcto
Reviewed in Spain on February 2, 2019
Verified Purchase
El contenido es muy bueno pero la encuadernavión muy mala. Se rompe enseguida
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francesca
5.0 out of 5 stars bello, bello, bello !
Reviewed in Italy on July 30, 2014
Verified Purchase
Ottimi tempi di spedizione. Un autore GENIALE. Una storia incredibile nella sua semplicità. Un'edizione fatta veramente bene considerando la fascia di prezzo. Se amate Letters (da leggere assolutamente in lingua originale, se si vuole goderne per bene), dovete avere questo libro. Grande acquisto.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars My first experience of reading a play.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 23, 2014
Verified Purchase
A film with the same name has recently been released, featuring, among others, Meryl Streep. I saw an interview with her on YOUTUBE, in which she expressed her appreciation of the original play, but mentioned that it was very long and had to be cut to make the film.
I decided to buy the play, and as it can do "text to speech" Iistened to it in this way. It took a bit of getting used to, because each character is named before each speech, but after a while one gets used to it, and being a play it is obviously better to hear the dialogue than to read it.
It is a really gripping story and I thoroughly enjoyed it, and can recommend it to anyone who is not shocked by bad language.
One person found this helpful
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