Customer Reviews

North of Hope

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you enjoy books with strongly-developed characters, then "North of Hope" is for you. It begins with Frank Healy, a young man with an aspiration to the priesthood and living in Minnesota. He falls in love with Libby Girard, a beautiful local girl. Unfortunately, Libby marries a local bully, Vernon, the guy who got her pregnant. Frank, upon learning that his mother's dying words were "I want Frank to be a priest," decides to enter the seminary. A couple of years into his formation, Libby visits Frank and wants him to leave the seminary and marry her. Frank refuses, and as Libby sadly drives away, Frank pleads to God to keep her out of his life.

Twenty years later, when the school Frank had been teaching at since his ordination closes down, Frank experiences a vocational crisis. He requests a transfer to his hometown parish, which is granted. With a twist of divine fate, Frank encounters Libby once again in the local Objiway Reservation's medical facility. The remainder of the book consists of Frank struggling to find a relationship with Libby that is loving yet not romantic, and helping Libby's troubled daughter Verna. Along the way we encounter characters such as Libby's drug-dealing husband, the sleazy Judge Bigelow, and the overprotective Eunice Pfeiffer.

North of Hope is one of those rare novels that stays with you long after you've finished it. The final resolution is effective, though probably not what many readers will want. Hassler could have used the book to uncritically praise or rant against priestly celibacy, but he doesn't; he trusts the readers to make their own decisions. Highly recommended.

I read this book several years ago when it was first published and have not been able to get it out of my mind. It is one of the most heartbreakingly beautiful books I have ever read; one comes away with the sad realization that the characters are, indeed, north of hope. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading of the human condition; the book is quite melancholy, but not depressing. Mr. Hassler has a rare gift.

Jon Hassler is a writer of serious fiction, whose narratives are nonetheless plainspoken and straightforward. He does a masterful job of capturing the melancholy of a midwestern winter, of lives permanently mired in the permafrost. He sets a tone similar to Annie Proulx, difficult yet absorbing. Not to be read at the beach on a hot summer day, but curled up under a comforter on a bleak December night.

I've read all of Hassler's novels, and I consider this his best. He captures the search for one's soul as well as any author I've read. Frank Healey's character is a great example of delving into one's innermost soul-searching; and his conclusion (realistically) is ambiguous. It leaves the reader pondering this for weeks after putting the book down. A lover of great fiction should not miss this one.

This is my favorite of the four Jon Hassler novels I have read so far. As is usual with Mr. Hassler's novels, the characters are well-drawn, believable, and you get involved with them. The dialogue is realistic and the setting is well-developed. And the book was really hard to put down as I kept wanting to know what would happen next. But the thing that impressed me most was the way at author deals with the problems faced by the characters. There is no sugar-coating here, just lots of reality. I wouldn't say that the book is depressing. There is optimism throughout. I can also recommend other books by Mr. Hassler: The Love Hunter, Simon's Night, and Grand Opening, in that order.

This is a wonderful book. The writing is beautiful, the characters are memorable, the themes are universal. I discovered Hassler while browsing ... about a year ago, and I'm glad I did! I loved his recent novels set in academia ("Rookery Blues" and "The Dean's List"). His earlier "North of Hope" is more serious and melancholy than those, but in many ways better. As one of the reviewers quoted on the cover says, his writing appears effortless. I will never tire of reading this author's work.

Had never heard of Jon Hassler before, but found this book and couldn't put it down. Reminds me alot of Anne Tyler and Pat Conroy -style writing, very descriptive with wonderful character development. And they all write about, well, everyday life and regular people. Though I hope to never have to live through a Minnesota winter, I will be looking forward to reading another of Mr. Hassler's novels. I highly recommend this book.

jon hassler writes great old-fashioned novels, as if the form of the novel itself is still a thing to cherish instead of something to bend out of shape. he creates complex characters with depth and a skilled artist's insight, and he makes it all look so easy. great storytelling in the great tradition of the novel. a sort of balzac of minnesota. i highly recommend this fantastic book.

I grew up in northern Minnesota and a friend sent me this book to remind me of my "growing up years" (I have lived in LA for the past 30 years). It does capture much of no. Minn. life...and while it is depressing at times, the characters and the descriptive environment and climate were very real for me. It's my first Hassler book but I am inspired to read more!

Jon Hassler is a highly talented, deeply engrossing novelist, sensitive and understanding. But to say this book is a downer is putting it mildly. Hassler's "Simon's Night" and "A Green Journey" tie for my favorite Hassler novels, with his first novel, "Staggerford," coming in at a close second. I just wish he'd lighten up a bit, and give a little more warmth and coziness -- in the hands of a skilled writer such as Hassler, those qualities don't always mean "saccharine" and "lightweight."

But I can't stress enough that Hassler is, indeed, a VERY skilled storyteller, and certainly worth your time.