The Memory of Old Jack [Paperback]

Wendell Berry (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1975

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.

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Poet, essayist and fiction writer Wendell Berry has established himself as the consummate writer's writer. His grounding in agrarian themes—both sociologically insightful and intimately personal—harks back to the rich tradition of Faulkner. Over the past four decades, Berry has built an impressive body of novels and short stories devoted to the fictional rural hamlet of Port William, located in his home state of Kentucky. First published in 1974, The Memory of Old Jack recounts the last days in the life of 92-year-old farmer Jack Beechum in the fall of 1952, as the self-sufficient man of the soil contemplates both his heartaches and triumphs. Veteran narrator Paul Michael brings Jack's meandering journey between the present and past into crystal-clear focus. His portrayal of the emotionally and sexually barren terrain of Jack's relationship with his wife, Ruth, evokes especially powerful angst concerning the disconnect between dutiful obligation and romantic passion. This audiobook release offers an excellent venue for new audiences to discover Berry, a seminal literary figure whose gifted storytelling challenges, provokes, inspires and affirms. A Counterpoint Press paperback. (May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Review

""The rarest (and highest) of literary classes consists of that small group of authors who are absolutely inimitable...One of the half-dozen living American authors who belong in this class is Wendell Berry." -- Los Angeles Times Book Review

"Berry draws upon his enormous poetic talent to develp the theme of man's deep attachment to the land....The account of Jack's courtship of his wife is a beautiful piece of writing...and worthy of a place among the best pieces of prose written by American writers of this century." -- Library Journal --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 223 pages
• Publisher: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich (September 1975)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0156586703
• ISBN-13: 978-0156586702
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 4.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,158,643 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

48 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Memory of Old Jack, May 3, 2000

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, August 23, 2003

By 

E. Moses (London, Kentucky) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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, November 25, 2000

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.