We Are Still Married: Stories and Letters

Rating:
Summary: Not a Patch on Wobegon
Review: Fans of Garrison Keillor's "Lake Wobegon" tales may well be disappointed by this ragtag collection of essays, poems and stories. It seems that Keillor's bottom drawer has been cleared out and pressed into service by Faber and Faber to provide a stopgap measure until the next bona fide book about the immensely popular Midwest town.

A lot of the entries here are just plain bizarre or pointless. If you manage to get through 'Pieces' and 'The Lake', then admittedly some of the letters and poems are very funny indeed. The closing section - stories - contain some passable (if unsubtle) satires. But there is no obvious theme to the collection, nor any kind of link between pieces. It is the sort of book that is usually rushed out after a writer's death in order to cash in on morbid interest created by his demise. But, as far as I know, Keillor is very much alive.

Barely a quarter of the contents are blessed with the author's dry, acerbic wit, and the reader has to wade through endless baseball stories and punchline-free shaggy dog stories to hit the occasional pot of gold. Faber's motivation in publishing this volume is obvious - to keep the Keillor bandwagon rolling along - but in disappointing loyal fans and alienating new ones, their plan may well backfire.

Mark Campbell (Freelance Writer)

Rating:
Summary: Even more great storytelling!
Review: How disturbing to be "the first" [as my screen now declares] to submit a review. Where are the other lovers of dry, wry, commentary rendered into delightful prose? This special book is a warm, thoughtful compendium: Keilor Mark II. The section/chapter on the art of writing a letter, alone, is a book unto itself: almost mandatory for parents. To say more would spoil the surprise of opening virtually any page and the joy of reading on. C'mon folks, get in touch with your humanity.

Rating:
Summary: Inconsistent, often warm & whimsical without sentimentality
Review: Not really fair to review this now - I'm a bit hazy on it. Because it's an anthology of humorous/whimsical articles and a few daydream stories, I wisely only read it in small doses over a while - the pieces suffer if you read too many in a row, and weren't written for this. Still it means I'm not as up on exactly why it got an A-.
 
Several pieces are definitely not worthy of an A, though few would drop below a B. I recall really relishing 'Who do you think you are?', a reflection on dealing with the assumption of mediocrity. 'The Current Crisis in Remorse' was a clever satire on the much (legitimately) pilloried denial of guilt in the courts. How to write a letter was on the money, and particularly the first of 'Three Marriages' was quite touching and felt authentic.
 
He's in the same category as P.J. O'Rourke, but less biting, and his humour is not so much the clever one-liner as a slow characterisation. He rides on the edge of sentimentality but somehow rarely crosses it, managing warmth and definitive whimsicality.

Rating:
Summary: What a Snore
Review: This book is just about the worst thing I have ever read. One thing though... it talks about the end of the prairie home companion show... was there some break there or what? the show is on every weekend. Purple Monkey Dishwasher.

Rating:
Summary: What a Snore
Review: This book is just about the worst thing I have ever read. One thing though... it talks about the end of the prairie home companion show... was there some break there or what? the show is on every weekend. Purple Monkey Dishwasher.

Rating:
Summary: Not about Lake Wobegon, but still worth a look
Review: This work represents a *hodgepodge* of Garrison Keillor works that would not have fit well published in any of his other books. If you are looking for a book about the life and times of Lake Wobegon, MN, this is not it. Even so, there are a good many short pieces in this book that make it a DEFINITE ASSET to your collection. My favorites include "The Young Lutheran's Guide to the Orchestra" (a hilarious parody on "The Young Musician's Guide to the Orchestra"), the poem "The Old Shower Stall", the essay on sneezing, the essay on letter writing, and Keillor's commentary on being voted one of the sexiest men in America. Though not typical in his established "The News From Lake Wobegon" story form, the poetry and prose in this collection are definitely typical Keillor humor!

Rating:
Summary: Not about Lake Wobegon, but still worth a look
Review: This work represents a *hodgepodge* of Garrison Keillor works that would not have fit well published in any of his other books. If you are looking for a book about the life and times of Lake Wobegon, MN, this is not it. Even so, there are a good many short pieces in this book that make it a DEFINITE ASSET to your collection. My favorites include "The Young Lutheran's Guide to the Orchestra" (a hilarious parody on "The Young Musician's Guide to the Orchestra"), the poem "The Old Shower Stall", the essay on sneezing, the essay on letter writing, and Keillor's commentary on being voted one of the sexiest men in America. Though not typical in his established "The News From Lake Wobegon" story form, the poetry and prose in this collection are definitely typical Keillor humor!