The Town

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful historical fiction with an authentic sound.
Review: "The Town" is the final chapter in Conrad Richter's "Awakening Land" triology, and it concludes the saga of Sayward Wheeler and her family as they finish turning the Ohio wilderness into a bustling city. The triumphs and tragedies of the Wheeler family are not any different from those of real families in this or any time. That's what makes this story so special: showing how special ordinary people are. Richter's prose strives for the realistic dialects of the region and time, and that gives this book an additional ring of truth. What I've admired about this book is the character of Sayward Luckett Wheeler, who stands heads and shoulders above any other "strong woman" in American literature, especially including Scarlett O'Hara. Sayward is truly the glue that holds her family and community together and she better than any represents the American pioneer as a person of strength, stoicism and compassion. As the frontier is disappearing around her, Sayward also has the good grace and dignity to accept that. She, like her country, is constantly growing and developing. The first book "The Trees," depicted the struggle to eke out a home in the lonely wilderness, while the "The Fields," followed the development of an isolated pioneer community. "The Town" ties the first two books together while chronicling the next step in a city's development. It's a stunningly simple and beautiful story. I'm not sure if it's possible for anyone to write the "great American novel," but if so, then Mr. Richter has done it three times with this series. You'll want to read this over again just for the poetical simplicty of the language Strongly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: A Truly Masterful Tale
Review: Stunningly well written, Richter does an amazing job of capturing the early American atmosphere in this third book of his Awakening Land trilogy. While the entire book is told from the third person, one thing I really liked was the way he tells different chapters from the perspective of different characters. The way the characters are built, especially Sayward is truly amazing as we get to see their actions from several different perspectives. Make sure to read the review by "A reader from Yokota air base, Japan."

Rating:
Summary: A Truly Masterful Tale
Review: Stunningly well written, Richter does an amazing job of capturing the early American atmosphere in this third book of his Awakening Land trilogy. While the entire book is told from the third person, one thing I really liked was the way he tells different chapters from the perspective of different characters. The way the characters are built, especially Sayward is truly amazing as we get to see their actions from several different perspectives. Make sure to read the review by "A reader from Yokota air base, Japan."