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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
41 of 43 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A richly interwoven, moving, and thought provoking novel,
By A Customer
This review is from: A Place on Earth (Paperback)
A Place On Earth will constantly make you think about your connections to the land, your community, and to your closest loved ones. The way Wendell Berry poetically weaves together the characters in this novel is beautiful. The themes of belonging, respect, tolerance, and understanding are all elegantly and cleverly written throughout. The ideas of "a sense of place" and of community that come forth from this book are definitely something to strive for. Berry is a master - he makes you think. Definitely a book to savor and delight in. Try it, you'll like it! I also highly, highly recommend Berry's, "The Unsettling of America" for provocative thoughts and facts on community and agriculture.
26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Place of Loss and Hope,
By
This review is from: A Place on Earth: A Novel (Paperback)
"A Place on Earth" is the second novel of the Port William Membership that I have read; the first being "Jayber Crow". Berry proves himself to be yet again a master storyteller with the power to weave prose into beautiful and sometimes elegaic poetry. "A Place on Earth" is an incredible tribute to the power of loss, love, family and community.
Rather than focusing on one character, or one cohesive story, Berry chooses to tell about the daily life of various town members. Readers feel as though they are members of the community as well and have known these characters and their comings and goings for years. There are several main characters, such as the Feltner family, who have received news that their son is missing in action and must come to terms with the fact that he may never come home. Since Port William is a small town, the lives of every townperson is interweaved with that of their neighbors. Everyone knows everyone, and knows their joys and sufferings almost as immediately as they do. A long time fan of Berry's poetry, I have loved the discovery of these two novels, and look forward to reading the rest of the Port William stories. Wendell Berry paints his characters so vividly, and sometimes so heartbreakingly real, that we come away from the story shocked back into reality. Berry knows the true nature of loss, the grief that accompanies it, and the hope that can be found in the most hopeless situations. Through all the trials and tribulations of the town and its members, hope persistently prevades and will, in the end, erase the pain that has been caused.
32 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A poetic treat,
This review is from: A Place on Earth (Paperback)
This is a book to savor slowly. Unlike much of modern fiction - written to be read in a flash - this wonderful novel requires the reader's attention to every sensory detail. To read it in a rush is to deprive oneself of what the book is all about - the passing of generations, the anguish of loss, the reaffirmation of life, and - above all - the love of the land. The characters are wonderful, and certain chapters, to counterbalance the undercurrent of loss, are intentionally hilarious. We have all known some of the people who live in Port William, Kentucky - age does not dimish them. This novel is what American fiction should be - but often isn't. A poet wrote it, which is evident in every line. A memorable treat for the patient reader.
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