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42 of 43 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wanderlust and Other Longings, March 5, 2001
Lake Wobegon, U.S.A. is my favorite of all the Prairie Home Companion series. Every performance in this collection was recorded on tour around the country, providing the inevitable reminders of why life outside Lake Wobegon provides more opportunities for instant gratification than one experiences back home. Nowhere has Garrison Keillor more poignantly framed the everyday longings that tug at the secret soul. The four tapes are entitled Fertility, Patience, Youth and Rhubarb. The tales are about many things, including "the luxury of rhubarb pie, the perils of prophecy, a miserable Thanksgiving, Florian and Myrtle's thrifty vacation, [and] the vapor lights of Our Lady of Perpetual Responsibility." My personal favorite is the story called Rhubarb, on the tape of the same name. It deftly weaves together Dorothy's rhubarb pie down at the Chatterbox Cafe and Pastor Inqvist's Christmas Eve sermon. How did Mr. Keillor come up with such a funny and moving story out of the longings of stalwart Lake Wobegon denizens for both Christmas services, and rhubarb pie? It could only happen in the place where "all the women are strong, all the men are good-looking, and all the children are above average." People there always grow up with strong roots, but vaguely (and forever) suspect that they could have done more in life... You have to hear it for yourself to get it. I always start out laughing, and weep at the end. Go figure. I wish I could do something in this world as well as Mr. Keillor tells a story.
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27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Full of Hearty Laughs and Poignant Moments, July 24, 2004
If you're not familliar with Garrison Keillor's stories of small-town, Midwestern life, check to see when his program is aired on your local NPR station. His radio program (called A Prarie Home Companion) is full of esoteric music, old fashioned comic sketches, and amusing interviews, but the real treats are his delightfull and insightfull Lake Wobegon yarns, which is what these tapes are full of. If I could give this 4 tape set 6 stars I would, but 5 will have to do. Included is a story about a Sunday school teacher's husband, who gets roped into managing the Christmas pagent at the last minute and must deal with debates over allowing live animals into the church, children with stage fright, and conspiracies to keep local Lutherans from getting into the Catholic church to watch the spectacle. Another favorite is The Six Labors of Father Wilmer, in which a battle between a priest and a parishoner leads to a cleric, in his pajamas, on a 20 foot ladder, at 3 am, trying to rid the church of the evil" of mecury lighting. Of course there's Sweet Corn, in which we learn about the secret aphrodisiac of the Midwest. Another good story is Blue Devils, in which we witness the progress of an overly competitive, all-girl's basketball team through the eyes of anxious parents, who try to make sense of sweet, blonde, little girls--who kiss mothers before joining the game, but are soon seen elbowing enemies to the floor and uttering words that have never been allowed in the house. All in all, there are 17 monologues and some music between stories...making about 5 hours of good, old-fashioned-but-liberal-minded entertainment. If you're looking for another good (probably better!) Keillor set, go for Life These Days. I guarentee you'll crack up.
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21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Do not drive and listen. . ., February 13, 2005
This review is from: Lake Wobegon U.S.A. (Audio CD)
Made the mistake of listening to this on a drive to New Orleans. Usually takes two hours. However, when you have to pull the car over and laugh, it can take about three or four hours. Taking out the CD and arriving quicker was not an option - as long as there is a drive-through fast food joint close to the highway. The news from Lake Wobegon has become a letter from home over the past years, and, it will erase any damage you have had from your own family!!
I cannot imagine NOT having this in your collection. It is wonderful.
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