Wobegon Boy

Rating:
Summary: Keillor Triumphs Again (Oya)
Review: Splendid .... Keillor's best work since Lake Wobegon Days by a mile. Wobegon Boy takes us back to "the town that time forgot," but things are different this time -- we get to look at it through the eyes of a troubled expatriate, swooping down by helicopter from the "real world" with John Tollefson at the controls. In doing so we come to love and understand the place better than ever. It's strangely satisfying to watch Keillor charge out into the world holding the banner of Wobegonian ethos and come back victorious -- as a reader, I could only bask in chivalrous satisfaction between the laughs (and oh boy, are there laughs). Tender and sharp and hilarious and wise, Wobegon Boy is a work of dazzling maturity and insight. Putting it aside for even a moment was painful, and I miss it now that it's gone.

Rating:
Summary: Classic Wobegon Humor
Review: The audio version of this book is exceptional because Garrison Keillor does the reading. As a fan of Prairie Home Companion, this was my first Keillor book and I was not disappointed. Things such as his rambling stories about everyday happenings in Wobegon or his lengthy listing of John's girlfriend Alida's idiosyncrasies, most of which are woven back into the story at some point, had me laughing out loud. On the serious side, John's poignant thought process in dealing with a death in the family was heart rending. It's classic Garrison Keillor - clever, humorous, and insightful. The audio version is a must for all Wobegon fans.

Rating:
Summary: Classic Wobegon Humor
Review: The audio version of this book is exceptional because Garrison Keillor does the reading. As a fan of Prairie Home Companion, this was my first Keillor book and I was not disappointed. Things such as his rambling stories about everyday happenings in Wobegon or his lengthy listing of John's girlfriend Alida's idiosyncrasies, most of which are woven back into the story at some point, had me laughing out loud. On the serious side, John's poignant thought process in dealing with a death in the family was heart rending. It's classic Garrison Keillor - clever, humorous, and insightful. The audio version is a must for all Wobegon fans.

Rating:
Summary: Classic Wobegon Humor
Review: The audio version of this book is exceptional because Garrison Keillor is the one reading. As a fan of Prairie Home Companion, this was my first Keillor book and I was not disappointed. His rambling stories about everyday happenings in Wobegon to his lengthy listing of John's girlfriend Alida's idiosyncrasies, most of which are woven back into the story at some point, had me laughing out loud. On the serious side, John's poignant thought process in dealing with a death in the family was heart rending. It's classic Garrison Keillor - clever, humorous, and insightful. The audio version is a must for all Wobegon fans.

Rating:
Summary: A few brilliant passages
Review: The author makes a few brilliant statements that are worth remembering...such as the one on leadership. However, the protagonist defintly does not know much on romancing women. He seemed somewhat cliched and downright worrisome. It seems he got all his moves from bad tv romances. I do love the stories the other chaaracters tell about their journeys through life, though. It is an amusing and enteertaining book and worth reading.

Rating:
Summary: Lutheran humor
Review: This a brilliant comic novel, featuring the adventures of John Tollefson. He has escaped Lutheran Minnesota to live in upstate New York, where he has taken the job of a local radio station manager. In between return visits to the mythical Wobegon, John romances historian Alida Freeman and embarks on a disastrous business venture with a New Age builder. And that's the plot, such as it is. There isn't a strong narrative thread running throughout this book, and I think that this is one of its strengths. Like many people's lives, John Tollefson's doesn't run to order. This might make for a very incoherent novel, but Keillor carries this off exceptionally well. The humour and wit are exceptional, and make 'Wobegon Boy' a huge pleasure to read. I was sorely disappointed that the book actually had to end, since it had easily put me into a very buoyant mood. Exceptional.

Rating:
Summary: garrison keillor at his best
Review: This book provides us with a view of "Lake Wobegon - the Second Generation." If any Keillor fan has ever wondered what happened to the Bunsen children or other young residents when they grew up, now we know. They may have escaped to greener pastures (or at least down to the Cities), but they still can't quite escape the home town in their heart. There really is a chuckle a page in this book. Sometimes the gentle barbs are aimed at institutions like colleges or public radio, but the most clever continue to be aimed at the citizens of Lake Wobegon who really are universal citizens. My favorite is Byron Tollefson, John's dad. A must for Lake Wobegon fans.

Rating:
Summary: Wobegon Boy
Review: This is a mid-life crisis story about a small town boy who doesn't really grow up. He takes his career and relationships for granted and when he does find the girl of his dreams she keeps him at arms length. Keiller incorporates the characters and locations in and around Lake Wobegon into the story line, taking shots at the Lutherins, Unitarians and Catholics along the way. I was amused throughout the book and laughed out loud on at least 6 occasions. I recognized 2 side stories from his radio show, there may have been more.

Rating:
Summary: Wobegon Boy
Review: This is a mid-life crisis story about a small town boy who doesn't really grow up. He takes his career and relationships for granted and when he does find the girl of his dreams she keeps him at arms length. Keiller incorporates the characters and locations in and around Lake Wobegon into the story line, taking shots at the Lutherins, Unitarians and Catholics along the way. I was amused throughout the book and laughed out loud on at least 6 occasions. I recognized 2 side stories from his radio show, there may have been more.

Rating:
Summary: Don't Judge This Book By Its Cover!
Review: This is one cover that is irreedemably ugly. You take one look at the guy and you don't want to read about him. Suppress that urge. This book is best seen as a continuation of "Lake Wobegon Days." It is a story of one of Lake Wobegon's own, out in the big world, trying to make sense of it, trying to choose whether to embrace some of society's newest trends or to declare them hogwash. Other people's advice, usually contradictory, is not much help. John Tollefson makes his choices, lives to regret some, finds that he has rendered himself impotent by others, and celebrates the success of still others. Just like us. The underlying thread of the book seems to be an examination of a society that can produce the modern monster of talk radio, people turning so far into themselves and taking themselves and their group so seriously that they become impossible to deal with. This society is juxtaposed with the timeless society of Lake Wobegon, still thriving, though the old folks are dying off. Yes, there's plenty of Lake Wobegon in this book, and some of it you may have already heard on Saturday afternoon (which may make some readers feel cheated -- not me). My advice: Read this thoroughly entertaining book and, if you wish, take its delicate message to heart. Thirty years from now they'll be calling "Wobegon Boy" a classic.