Youth: Stories from the Collection (Lake Wobegon U.S.A.)

Rating:
Summary: Keillor's average is America's excellence
Review: While "Youth" represents work not quite up to the typical magnificence of Garrison Keillor, it does represent quality storytelling that is presently unmatched in this country. The first of five stories in this series is "Blue Devils", chronicling the experiences of the Lake Wobegon High School Women's Basketball team. The second story is "Nostalgia", a somewhat forgettable but pleasant story about the pleasures and heartaches of nostalgia as they relate to one specific family. "O Christmas Tree" is Keillor's take as to the significance of the famed tree all over the world during December. "Pageant" is the story of how Karl Krebsbach was forced into taking over Lake Wobegon Lutheran's annual Christmas Pageant. Finally, "Messy Shoes" is Keillor's personal description of his love for the city of Seattle. While not even close to Keillor's best work, "Youth" still makes it easy to see Keillor's brilliance.