mattshervheim's review against another edition
5.0
I have so many thoughts about Wendell Berry, but tonight isn't the night to set them to paper. For now, I'll just say this is a great collection of short stories, and Michael Kramer does a fine job as reader.
gracenowland's review
3.0
3.5/5. I really liked how he added the aspect of morality and faith into his stories without it being preachy or cringey. super strong with character development.
berylbird's review
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
This set of twenty-three short stories takes place in Port William, Kentucky. I met some of the characters when I read my first Berry book, ‘The Memory of Old Jack,’ so it was with a sense of familiarity that I became further entangled in their extraordinary lives. In fact, their lives are ordinary for they are farmers, housewives, everyday people. It is Berry’s focus and skill as a storyteller that carries their majestic moments over the waves and onto the shore of our page.
The stories are arranged in chronological order beginning in 1888 and ending in 1987. They are bound together by the setting of Port William and the distinct bond of the characters to their land for they are fed by it, work on it, and take their pleasure from it.
Has it ever come into your head to take your camera to the mountains or the beach to take beautiful photographs so that you can remember and show your great-grandchildren (if you are blessed to live that long) the magic of our world? I think about it driving on the Blue Ridge Parkway where everything is verdant and lush in the summers. I wonder what will happen with climate change. How long can this beauty hold out? That’s the same sense I get from reading Berry’s writings. But he’s lived it. He’s seen the changes and he’s recorded it so that all may know how it was, how it used to be.
I had many favorites in this collection but ‘A Consent’ was outstanding. In this story, I was introduced to Tol Proudfoot and Miss Minnie. Tol was a large man, stout, and a hard worker. He made a down payment on his ninety-eight acre farm by the time he was twenty-five. He developed feelings for the tiny little schoolteacher, Miss Minnie Quinch. The humor that Berry invokes at the fall festival auction for Miss Minnie’s cake made me laugh. I was in love, too…with these characters, so I was pleased to see them featured in more stories.
My other favorite has to be, ‘Fidelity,’ the longest story in the book. It features Burley Coulter, who was a schoolboy performing a recitation at the fall festival in ‘A Consent.’ He makes a pitiful reciter, forgetting his lines saying, “Well, drot it, folks. I forgot her. But I’ll tell you one I know.” Miss Minnie quickly seats the forgetful schoolboy, perhaps in fear of what he might say next. In ‘Fidelity’ Burley is an old man at the end of his life. During his lifetime, Burley became one who traipses the woods. Now, he’s eighty-two and sick, losing weight. His nephew, Nathan, and son, Danny decide to take him to the doctor where he is hooked up to an IV, machines, and has a catheter. Burley began to speak to the dead, then slips into what the doctor called a coma. It’s only when his loved ones see him hooked up to modern medicine’s answer to the perfectly natural process of dying that they realize this is the last thing Burley, a man of the forest, would have wanted. Danny’s resolution had me shedding a few tears.
There are so many more that I enjoyed . The quality is consistent. There are no duds. This is a collection I could read again and likely will.
beanstew's review
5.0
but this one was easy ;_; 100 out of 5 if i had my way.
wendell berry is one of the planet's treasures.
wendell berry is one of the planet's treasures.
luke6080's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Berry’s diverse short story collection is likely his second best “book” in the Port William anthology. Some of his funniest, warmest, and joyful work sits right alongside some of the most heart wrenching. If you love Berry’s cast of characters, this will provide insight, and if you’re unfamiliar, it provides a great introduction to many of them.
aliciamae's review against another edition
3.0
I'm going to come back later to figure out my very tangled thoughts. Oh Berry.
beanstew's review against another edition
5.0
but this one was easy ;_; 100 out of 5 if i had my way.
wendell berry is one of the planet's treasures.
wendell berry is one of the planet's treasures.
pagesandstitches's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars for this collection as a whole. Some stories 5 stars, some only 2. As with everything I have read by Berry, the stories and characters are compelling even when I dislike them. (Fidelity remains my favorite.)
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