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In a rural Kentucky river town, "Old Jack" Beechum, a retired farmer, sees his life again through the shades of one burnished day in September 1952.
Bringing the earthiness of America's past to mind,The Memory of Old Jack conveys the truth and integrity of the land and the people who live it. Through the eyes of one man can be seen the values of Americans strived to recapture as we arrived at the next century.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
48 of 51 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Memory of Old Jack,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Memory of Old Jack (Port William) (Paperback)
Berry' s novel, The Memory of Old Jack, is about belonging to a specific place, over generations, being part of the place, part of its history. The Memory of Old Jack takes place on a single day in 1952, when Jack Beechum, then 92 years old, replays his life like a movie in his head. He is the last of his generation, and his generation was the last to farm in the pre-industrial way, with mules, for example, instead of tractors. This book always gets to me. I wish I knew that man. I wish that man were still alive today. (Then I remember it's supposed to be fiction and that man probably never existed. Not really. But some like him, and not that long ago.) I think what mostly makes me grieve when I read this book, is that the world it describes seems lost to us now. But I keep hoping, somehow, parts of that way of life survive. The first book of Wendell Berry's I read was The Long-legged House, a collection of essays which for the first time in my life made me appreciate being a Kentuckian. All my life, probably because of the time I was living in, it seemed to me that anything worth doing or seeing or being was somewhere else. I was made to see, through the simple eloquent essays in Berry's book, the value of the natural world, what we in Kentucky have that people in places more developed, or more economically viable, or more entertaining, do not have. Read lots of Wendell Berry, it's good for thee.
24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good for the soul,
By
This review is from: The Memory of Old Jack (Port William) (Paperback)
This book is a treasure and one that I have felt the need to re-read twice in the past five years. What Berry has to say, so quietly and convincingly, about our warped sense of what is important in life is a powerful lesson. This book touches on so many issues about the land, the elderly, our families and our heritage and how we, especially as Americans, miss the importance, beauty and wisdom our past and our earth has to offer us. Berry is a heavy writer. His books are poetic and slow-going, but in the end, you come away with volumes that your soul cries out for you to consider.
14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful, book, full of substance and health,
By Josey Wales (Tennessee) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Memory of Old Jack (Port William) (Paperback)
A wonderfull book, subtle and true. Berry's writing reflectsthe land that he writes of - not ostentatious, but brimming with life.You will not find cheap sentiment or flashy colors but you will findrealness in Memory of Old Jack. I highly recommend.
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