Grand Opening

Rating:
Summary: Well-written, bet you won't guess the ending
Review: Having recently discovered Mr. Hassler, I am happily making my way through all his works. This book has been my least favorite of the four I have read, but it is very enjoyable and well-written. I just didn't warm to some of the characters as much as in Mr. Hassler's other novels. But all the characters are well-drawn, the story never gets boring, and the ending was certainly a suprise. I like the way he writes and think he deserves to be much more widely known.

Rating:
Summary: Simply Wonderful!
Review: I absolutely loved this book. It started out slow for me, so I ended up putting it down to read a different book. But when I finished my second book I had nothing else to do so I started reading "Grand Opening" again. I could relate to a lot of the characters, and I found myself wondering what I would do if I found myself in this situation. This was my first Jon Hassler book, but you can bet that it won't be my last!

Rating:
Summary: BLOWS RED DRAGON WANG
Review: I would have to say that this is one of my favorite books that I've read the whole year in my Honors AM. Lit. class. My friend Megan says that it reminds her of Charles Dickins. But what I really love about this book is the characters and how they interact together in this tightly knited community. The ending was definitely surprising and I was kind of disappointed by it. However, over all the story has a great plot and I really enjoyed it.

Rating:
Summary: Great Book
Review: If you grew up in a small town in America, you will enjoy this book. The best book that Mr. Hassler has written. Hollywood should make a movie!

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful
Review: Jon Hassler is amazing, and I am amazed more people don't know about him. He has carved out a slice of Minnesota and made it his own as sure as John Cheever owned the New York suburbs and Faulkner staked out rural Mississippi. "Grand Opening" is a most satisfying book, a poignant coming-of-age about a 12-year-old and his family's attempt to make a go of a ramshackle grocery store during the waning days of World War II. Hassler's writing style is graceful, yet economical; his insights into small town life are dead-on. Without giving the plot away, there is more to this Lutheran "Mayberry" than meets the eye! Try it; you won't go away disappointed.

Rating:
Summary: Once in a lifetime story
Review: This book is a wonderful bit of Hassler storytelling. If you like a book that envelopes you in the characters and their lives to the point where you hate to leave, then you will enjoy this Hassler. A heart-wrenching, middle of America, nostalgic book with a wonderful, cohesive story. It has been two years since I read it, and I still think of the characters from time to time. My favorite Hassler (second only to STAGGERFORD)