Customer Reviews

Enduring

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Welcome to Stay More, Arkansas and the magical world of Latha Bourne, one of the most singularly interesting characters in all of American fiction. This beautiful, expansive novel is one of the most engrossing and fascinating works I have ever read. It follows the life of Latha Bourne, her entire life so far, from cradle to the age of something past 100.

Like all of Harington's books, there is no need to read them in any kind of order or sequence as Mr. Harington writes as a storyteller first, and he does it so artfully that every novel exists as its own creation--I myself have read his novels in different orders and have been rewarded in my own experience. There is no earthly way a reader will get lost in this book, other than in its enchantment and delicious plot. In fact this book itself may be a good place to start if it's your first Harington novel. If you read it you'll see why.

Latha Bourne is one of the most beautiful heroines in all of literature, and she is also one of the most independent and enduring. I loved learning about her family, her troubles, her "exile" and sojourn, and triumphant return to Stay More. Along the way, we meet and admire, perhaps fall in love with, a large cast of major and minor players (Every Dill, Doc Swain, the Duckworths, the Whitters, Dawny, Dan, Sharon, Larry, the Ingledews and Chisms and a few other surprises), all of whom--almost by magic--leave an indelible mark on the mind of the reader, the only place where in fact they exist. The settings vary from Stay More, Jasper, Little Rock, and Tennessee. I can't give away much more because I risk spoiling so many beautiful surprises that are best encountered in your reading.

The book is told as a wonderful story, as if around a campfire or an old fashioned gathering, and I couldn't help myself but want to visit this place sometime, to see if I could sit with Latha on her front porch, or near the dogtrot, and have a glass of lemonade and learn about the history of her mythical, inviting, beckoning hamlet.

Mr. Harington is well-known for his playful wordplay and musical language, and his impeccable comedic timing--all of which are present here. But he is not usually given his due as the master of suspense and plot he is... ENDURING is a testament to those talents. I turned the final page with a great deal of satisfaction and also without a clue where the hours went, the hours I spent happily traveling through Latha Bourne's remarkable life.

I just want to repeat what these other reviewers have said - if you've never read a Donald Harington novel, then you're really missing out on a unique voice in American literature. I'm no expert or anything, but I've read quite a bit of fiction, and I don't think there's anybody like him. As these other reviewers say, he's funny - sometimes hilarious - and the stories are all tremendously compelling.
Read Enduring, or With, or The Architecture of the Arkansas Ozarks, or The Cockroaches of Stay More, or any one of his novels really (I wouldn't recommend Let Us Build Us a City, which is non-fiction, unless you've already read a novel or two of his).
Over the years, I've recommended Harington to probably 6-8 people, and without exception, they say he is one of the best they've ever read. And every one of them has read more. In a moment of, oh, I don't know, perhaps nostalgia, I even sent a copy of With to my ex-wife. She said it was the best novel she'd ever read.
Give him a try - you're in for a treat.

I am cheered to see the growing readership for Harington, but it nonetheless still appears to be a delighted but still relatively small cult, and the man deserves better. I am united with other readers in my estimation of Harington, and Enduring transcends his recent few, hearkening back to the earlier ones. It may finally achieve that critical mass for Harington the reward for which is an incremental increase in sales, and the nomination for the major awards. It is the best novel I have read this year and Toby Press--- if you are listening--- take it from a longtime reader and one with thirty years of experience in book publishing, push this one hard, get some publicity going, and earn this author (kudos for your publication and re-publication of his oeuvre)the vastly wider recognition he merits.
Have any of you recommended Harington to anyone and not gotten fulsome thanks for the favor you have done him/her? Let's help grow that following exponentially. Talk it up.
Stay More, friends.

"The secret of enduring is not to harden oneself against loss, but to soften oneself in acceptance." Latha Bourne's life story shares her youth, her struggles, her loves and losses. This almost odyssey-like tale follows her through one predicament after another, through time in and out of the very small burg of Stay More, AK. Harington has created her vividly enough to convince the reader they've known Latha for years. This book did something few books do - it gave me a sense of childhood - the feeling of a hot summer's day, the way kids create rules for the world around them before they know or accept the rules created by others. It also gave me a great respect for people who must deal with tremendous ordeals in their lives. Many of Latha's experiences are enough to make most people crack under the weight - but she's continued to have a sense of humor and she's learned the secret that helps her endure.

The additional cast of characters becomes known to the reader, and I understand they've been part of Harington's fictional world for 40 years. I especially like Every Dill, a hero if ever there was one.

A note of caution: I think while we talk about this book being a classic, which probably will enhance its readership, one should know that a LOT of sex appears in this book. I know some adults prefer not to read lit that features sexual situations, and some parents like to be aware of content in books read by their children/teens. This book contains quite a lot of discussion about sex as well as many situations of sex. The story's entertaining and compelling, and I appreciate being introduced to an author I'm sorry to say I never knew existed who *definitely can write*, but one should be aware of the frequent reference to sex in this novel.

For those who haven't already heard, Donald Harington passed away on Nov 7th. He will be deeply missed. That "Enduring" is his last novel brings tears to my eyes. It's a beautiful novel, our last visit to Stay More. Rich, vibrant. I will be rereading all of his works over the next few months, recapturing what I first felt upon my first and subsequent visits to Stay More and all the places in between.

I've read all the other books and I can't say what it would be like read ENDURING on its own. But I can say that this is brilliantly hiliarous, touching, imaginative and rare.

For those of you who have read the other books, ENDURING will dip you into each one of them with a fresh perspective. This book is focused on Latha, the woman who triggered the cosmos of all the stories by gripping the heart of a 5 year old boy. That's where it started.

and it doesn't end. I cried and laughed my way through the sweeping last 4 pages.

Another fantastic visit to Stay More. This time we get to stay with Latha. Hearing her entire story from the beginning is a wondrous journey and a joy. This is required reading. Thank you for another wonderful story.

I am a big Harington fan, partly due to my love of the Ozarks, and I have, in fact, read all of his books. I would not rate Enduring among the best, but it is certainly one of the most interesting. It follows the long (and continuing) life of Latha Bourne. What's so interesting about the book is that it contains pieces of virtually all of his other books, except from a different perspective (primarily Latha's), so the reader has an opportunity to read pieces of many interesting and quirky stories about Staymore with different twists. As for someone who has read all his books this was fun, though it might have been cool to have a more unique story for this book. If you are a first time Harington reader, this book may be perfect since it contains part of many great stories, and many wonderful characters. Characters, along with his ability to capture the Ozark culture are what make Harington great - and this book certainly contains all this. By the way, if you ARE a first time Harington reader, you might want to start with the Architecture of the Arkansas Ozarks - clearly a classic.