Customer Reviews

Staggerford

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I first read Staggerford because I had friends who were students of Mr. Hassler at St. John's University in Collegeville, Minnesota. They said such wonderful things about him, that I decided to take a look at his first novel. By the time I finished it Staggerford had affected me so profoundly that I couldn't read another book for weeks. Only once before had I been so exhilrated (and disturbed at the same time) by a story: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Why is Staggerford so affecting? Because the characters are not small-town hicks living in an isolated, backwards community. They have real ambitions, real quirks, and real drama in their lives. What is so remarkable about them is that while they are not ordinary people, they are also just like us, which is a refreshing paradox to find in fiction.

Mr. Hassler's genuine affection for his characters is not sappy or syrupy, but is amusingly tempered by a small-town practicality that allows him to "tell it like it is."

If you are looking for other Hassler books to dig into, I'd like to recommend something other than A Grand Journey and Dear James. Although I greatly enjoyed those two books, I'd like to suggest Rookery Blues and The Dean's List as examples of Mr. Hassler's incredible ability to build an amusing, unusual, and utterly real small town community.

I feel compelled to add another review of this book, since the only one available to Amazon viewers is such a negative one. I started reading this book while house-sitting for friends years ago. I barely got into it when we had to leave and, over time, I forgot the title and spent the next seven years wondering about the characters and how everything turned out. Eventually, I ran across another book by Jon Hassler and recognized the writing style. It was a delight to find and reread "Staggerford" and I feel its story applies to today's society as well as it did in 1974. If you are looking for a book with nuclear submarines, car crashes and exploding helicopters, skip "Staggerford," but if you enjoy a great read about slightly eccentric characters living in a small town soup, then I recommend it.

Jon Hassler's books are deceptively simple, containing wonderful writing about everyday people in small-town Minnesota. I say that the writing is deceptive, because in spite of the settings and protagonists, the books have none of the hallmarks of, well, hallmark. The humor is abundant, but not folksy, the subject matter is life and sometimes death, without being melodramatic or contrived. Staggerford, his first novel, is a great place to start. I've given Staggerford to at least 30 people as part of a birthday or wedding or Christmas gift, and all of the recipients -- of many different reading preferences -- have thoroughly enjoyed it and most have gone on to read more Hassler. While it may not change your life, it's a perfect book for a summer's day on the porch with an iced-tea or a winter's night with hot chocolate.

I must have bought a copy of this book 13 years ago, and it has sat on my shelf waiting to be picked up as I finally did on my way into the bath in need of a book I could get wet. I found myself engaged before I had finished the first five pages, and I spent what little free time I have over the period of three or four days, savoring the absolutely delightful characters, the very subtle writing, and the heart-warming and humorous text.

I found myself laughing out loud while reading some parts of this book, and even referring to earlier ambitions I had in my youth to be an "ack-comedian" while chatting to one of my colleagues on the phone today. It felt like a wonderful secret joke between me and the author.

I can't believe the review that was on the bottom of the page for "Staggerford"--by the person who didn't care about the characters--that was exactly the opposite of my reaction to this book! I cared so much about them and was so moved by them, and by the patient and tolerant love that Miles Pruitt had for all of them. I finished the book in the commuter train home, tears in my eyes, not of maudlin joy, but of loss.

Do not miss this book--it's such easy reading and so deceptively simple, that you will not even notice until afterwards, the abundant kindness and love with which it has been written.

Reading this book is like settling into an old chair. Staggerford is a caricature of every rural Midwestern town. You recognize the characters, but Hassler knows them intimately.

This novel starts with the pretense of chronicling ordinary days in one seemingly average man's life. It trails along with the lulling, monotonous pace of routine. As it progresses, the reader is drawn deeper into the disappointments, regrets, and aspirations of a handful of quirky but endearing characters, all tied to the main character, Miles Pruitt.

The serene landscape and lives of Staggerford are spontaneously rocked by life's inevitable truths. Lies quickly unravel and havoc takes hold. The whole of the book's slow portrait serves to heighten the intensity of one moment. Then, just as quickly, the town settles again into the quiet passing of uneventful days.

I now live in Minneapolis, Minnesota and I have finally had the privilege of meeting Mr. Hassler. A friend of mine and a former student of Hassler's introduced me after a reading from Hassler's latest book, "An Underground Christmas". "Staggerford" is a great book, but it is only the tip of the iceberg of wonderful volumes by Hassler. The beauty of his work is that all the novels intertwine without being interdependant. Agatha only appears briefly in this book, but two later books are devoted to her. After reading "A Green Journey" and "Dear James", rereading "Staggerford" is that much more interesting, because you have a greater insight. You'll love "Staggerford", but don't stop there... As a lifelong small-town Minnesota native, I know the rest of his books are just as accurate as Staggerford. In fact, I think I used to live there.

Jon Hassler is a supremely talented author. "Staggerford," his debut novel (originally printed in 1974), takes an altogether uninspiring plot and manages to craft the truly compelling story of Miles Pruitt, high school teacher. Hassler deftly walks the very thin line between small town caricatures and three dimensional characters with quirks and mannerisms that we are all familiar with. His narrative never falters, his pacing is impeccable, his book is a week worth remembering.

As a librarian I'm asked daily for recommendations for "a good read." STAGGERFORD is one of the very few books that immediately pop into my mind for almost any age or ethnic group. I tend to judge fiction by how long I remember its characters. Agatha has become real to me. I would know her in an instant if I saw her walking down the street. Go on to read A GREEN JOURNEY and DEAR JAMES. When you've finished the Hassler books, pick up Kathleen Taylor's Tori Bauer series.

After reading Jon Hassler's Grand Opening, I decided to give another one of his novels a try. This time I chose his first novel, Staggerford. Despite preferring the 1940's setting of Grand Opening, I loved Staggerford much, much more. The novel centers around Miles Pruitt, a thirty-five year-old high school teacher in the small town of Staggerford, MN.
I absolutely fell in love with the character of Miles, which is why I was so distraught at the ending of the novel. Now that I've started A Green Journey, the sequel to Staggerford, I am preparing myself for more heartbreak towards the end of the book. The characters and events are so real in Jon Hassler's works that I have a hard time not becoming emotionally attached in some very odd sense. I have respected the work of many authors, but none have ever captivated me quite so much as Jon Hassler.

I started reading the book because a friend told me that I was similar to the character Miles in the book. This book had been assigned for a college English class. I found it difficult to put down the book once I started reading it.

The book is about the lives of people living in a small town in Minnesota. The main character of the book, Miles, is a teacher and also a person who seems to have wisdom. The story also seems to have an underlying theme about the hero's journey (as it relates to Joseph Campbell's hero myth.) Therefore, you can get a lot more out of this book if you look deeper.

I liked the book because the characters seem to live in me long after I had finished reading it. It is also inspiring because it gives me a fresh persepective about life.