Customer Reviews

A World Lost

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Wendell Berry is a truly great writer. He tells a simple story : how a young boy's life changes forever because of his favorite uncle's sudden death, and more importantly, how one event can shape the remainder of a person's life. In these days of relentless, horrific tragedies which are never fully assimilated or understood, Berry sets a timeless stage in the small town of Port William, Kentucky, where the same events are felt for generations. In his books there is all the time in the world, to feel, to adjust, to accept. He uses just the right words and not too many of them. His language has a clarity and spaciousness that leaves a reader deeply refreshed. I would highly recommend his book of short stories, "Fidelity" ( and that story in particular). As in the best classics of literature, the reader is transported to another world and comes away a better person for it.

Nine-year-old Andy Catlett's sweet and comfortable childhood is turned upside down in the summer of 1944 when his favorite uncle, for whom he is named, is murdered. Determined to learn the truth behind the crime, the now grown-up Andy examines the evidence, which consists mainly of the recollections of his uncle's family and friends in the town of Port William, Kentucky.

The truth proves elusive, but the portrait of Uncle Andrew and the world he inhabited that emerges from this small jewel of a book is beautifully wrought, and the love that exists among family members and among friends is the real truth after all.

A good mystery and deeply emotional.

I ordered this book for a book club, in part because it was one of Berry's shorter novels and easier to read in time for the date of our book club meeting. I LOVED this book. Berry writes so beautifully and so honestly about family, marriage, and fatherhood. He is one of my favorite authors and an excellent choice both for independent reading and group studies. Highly recommended!

It was "A World Lost" that brought me into contact with Wendell Berry, and I will never forget meeting this wonderful writer. There is a compelling wistfulness throughout his fine novel that brought me back to its pages again and again. It is not a controversial book, but it is a piece of art that belongs on American people's bookshelves. Well written, "A World Lost" draws the reader into the life of a small boy whose wonderful uncle, his ideal, is snatched away through an act of murder. Mr. Berry tells the tale with innocent but elegant simplicity. He is a masterful writer.

So our good friend Wendell Berry takes us back among his Kentucky people. The year is 1944 but it ranges through the narrator into the present time. Nine-year-old Andy Catlett weaves the tale of his beloved Uncle Andrew, taken from him by a ruthless act yet with him still in the life he makes for himself in that space which great compassion give. Berry is a master of looking and listening close, and his story is really about not losing but gaining a life ground, but that is the puzzle and secret of this fine tale. I strongly recommend it.

With a heart, a clear sense of life, an artistic ability to craft words from images, and a distinctive knowlege of all things inter-connected, Wendell Berry has presented us with yet another captivating and thoughtful work of fiction. The same artistic creation of thoughts, images, and feelings as earlier works of Memory of Old Jack and Watch With Me. A true gift. The memories of an adult man, reflecting to his life as a ten-year old boy, with love and compassion for an Uncle, a father, grandparents, and small town friends. The memories come from the small boy, but the story touches something basic that lies within all of us.

This is a really simple story, but I enjoyed it a lot and it really drew me in. It has a wistful yet endearing feel of a narrative by an older man talking about his youth.

A World Lost is the first novel I've read that has been written by Wendell Berry. I have mainly read his poetry, which I love. As an author myself, I admire the lyricism of Mr. Berry's narrative; the strong, southern voice; the unforgettable characters and landscape, as well as the masterful storytelling. I can't wait to read more of his novels.

Susan Gabriel
author of Seeking Sara Summers