News from Lake Wobegon [Audiobook] [Audio Cassette]

Garrison Keillor (Author, Performer)

Book Description

Series: Lake Wobegon | Publication Date: October 15, 1987

One of the best-selling spoken audio of all time, this is the original collection of Garrison Keillor monologues. Funny and touching, these 20 stories from original live broadcasts of A Prairie Home Companion follow the seasons in Lake Wobegon.

Contents:
Spring: Me and Choir; A Day in the Life of Clarence Bunsen; Letter from Jim; Fiction
Summer: The Living Flag; The Tollefson Boy Goes to College; Tomato Butt; Chamber of Commerce; Dog Days of August; Mrs. Berge and the Schubert Carillon Piano
Fall: Giant Decoys; Darryl Tollerud's Long Day; Hog Slaughter; Thanksgiving; The Royal Family
Winter: Guys on Ice; James Lundeen's Christmas; The Christmas Story Re-told; New Year's from new York; Storm Home

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

"These stories were made possible by the people who sat and listened to them, and I am very grateful for their patience. From the stage, they appear so calm and handsome and hopeful, I wish I could sit with them and wait for whatever it is they're waiting for. They remind me of the people (including me) who used to sit around and listen to Uncle Lew Powell reel off a few. This batch was done in memory of that dear man and of other greats I've known whom God gave a powerful affection for humankind, and the gift of gab." - Garrison Keillor, 1983

About the Author

GARRISON KEILLOR is America's favorite storyteller. For more than 35 years as the host of A Prairie Home Companion, he has captivated millions of public radio listeners with his weekly "News from Lake Wobegon" monologues. Keillor is also the author of several books and a frequent contributor to national publications including Time, The New Yorker, and National Geographic, in addition to writing his own syndicated column. He has been awarded a National Humanities Medal from the National Endowment of the Humanities.

GARRISON KEILLOR is America's favorite storyteller. For more than 30 years as the host of A Prairie Home Companion, he has captivated millions of public radio listeners with his weekly "News from Lake Wobegon" monologues. Keillor is also the author of several books and a frequent contributor to national publications including Time, The New Yorker, and National Geographic, in addition to writing his own syndicated column. He has been awarded a National Humanities Medal from the National Endowment of the Humanities.

Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: HighBridge Company; Original radio broadcast edition (October 15, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0942110048
• ISBN-13: 978-0942110043
• Product Dimensions: 4.4 x 2.8 x 2.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,273,885 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #83 in Books > Books on Cassette > Humor
  • #85 in Books > Books on Cassette > Radio Shows

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Some of the Best Lake Wobegon monologues - all right here!, March 28, 2001

By 

hermit the frog (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: News from Lake Wobegon (Audio Cassette)

The 4 cassettes are titled "Summer", "Fall", "Winter" and "Spring". All have very funny stories on them and are worth the listen many times over. But the absolute best of the 4 tapes, and the biggest reason anyone should buy this collection, is the "Fall" stories. "Fall" (which I also found listed separately, and have left a review there as well) contains the single funniest Lake Wobegon monologue, "Bruno the Fishing Dog." It also contains a funny take on Minnesota Thanksigivings, and a devastating 24-minute epic called The Royal Family, which I found to be well worth the trip.

To me, Keillor-on-paper vs. Keillor-live is apples and oranges - they should be judged separately. If you do want to hear him, buy this collection--and the collection called "Gospel Birds", also a classic--and you'll be set for some time.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My Favorite Lake Wobegon Set, January 12, 2008

By 

Patricia Weppler (NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: News from Lake Wobegon (Audio CD)

I own 6 of these multi-CD sets of Garrison Keillor's Lake Wobegon stories and this is my favorite. His voice is strong and rich on these recordings. These are live broadcasts so there's a real audience to provide background chuckles that make me feel like I'm sitting around the fire listening with them.

The segments are Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter. (Each one lasting about an hour.) They are comforting little stories that make me smile and relax me as I am drifting off to sleep.

If you are a Lake Wobegon fan, you will enjoy this set very much.

5.0 out of 5 stars There's No Place Like Home!!!, November 27, 2009

By 

Ve Ferry "Ve" (NEW ORLEANS) - See all my reviews

This review is from: News from Lake Wobegon (Audio CD)

Garrison Keillor's tender and often times hilarious tales of small town life are so rich in imagery, you are at once swept up into his world and more than a little sad when it ends. I have listened to all of Keillor's Lake Wobegan stories, and this tops the list as far as I am concerned...why? Because in this, one of his first outings as storyteller, the stories are primarily intended to capture the feel of nostalgia we all long for, rather than to simply amuse as in some of his later stories, particularly those found on Life These Days and some of his later material. While those later stories also have their own appeal, the earlier stories tug at the heart in a way some of the newer ones fail do. Listening to Summer, I could almost hear the whining of that old window fan which our only relief from the hot summer sun, smell those ripe and even overripe tomatoes in mom's garden, hear the soothing sounds of the crickets at day's end as mama's calls "Supper time!" Keillor is a GENIUS at taking us back to the good old days, not just in our heads, but in the very depths of our being...once there, you never want to leave! Winter stirs in us the memory of a cold, clear night, perhaps watching at the window for a glimpse of Santa's sleigh as it streaks across the evening sky, or standing in front of a Main Street department store lit with thousands of tiny lights as animated figures dance and sing for our amusement...childhood captured in all its wonder for us to experience all over again. Spring is filled with humor and pathos, particularly Letter To Jim...in this bittersweet story, we can all relate to the feelings of unrest and longing that come to us all at some mid point in our lives, and in that moment of indecision about which road to follow, we can FEEL the tugging in both directions and are waiting for the ending and hoping it will be the one we KNOW is right. Fall is likewise beautiful, you can smell the burning wood, feel the damp chill, and see the pumpkins in our mind's eye...Thanksgiving is my personal favorite, just a heartwarming telling of family holidays spent with our 'favorite relatives'. These stories make you yearn for that simpler, more tender time..and as far as I'm concerned, the further away we get from it, the more story tellers like Keillor we need with the ability to bring us back whenever we choose to go there! Bravo, Mr. Keillor, long may you reign!