The spun sugar hole [Loose Leaf]

Jerry Sohl (Author)

Product Details

• Loose Leaf: 318 pages
• Publisher: Simon and Schuster; First Edition edition (1971)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671208748
• ISBN-13: 978-0671208745
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,170,942 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A very Oldie and Goodie, May 10, 2010

By 

avid reader "Alice" (Charlottesville, VA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Spun Sugar Hole (Hardcover)

Hail the bygone days of "hippie-dom" with this rambling tale of Psych Ward inmates who take off on a journey of a lifetime. I first read The Spun Sugar Hole back in the 70's, when, as an employee of the NY State Dept. of Mental Hygiene,(both in-patient and out-patient psychiatric units) I began to suspect that, all too often, the "crazies" were NOT the folks in the wards, but the "keepers of the keys!" Jerry Sohl's mix of odd and endearing characters "break out" of the sanitarium on a joyful feat of self-discovery, a-la Kesey's "Cuckoo's Nest." The timing of this book was/and still is, so perfect, as we of the Kennedy assassination, Viet-Nam, Summer of Peace and Love Generation, often find ourselves mirrored in each of the characters' personae. I will only say, that for all you Boomers, if you loved One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, then, do buy this book and thumb a ride on this zany trip to the Coast. You'll find yourself cheering for this "mixed bag" of inmates who are yearning to find meaning in what was a frightening and discombobulated world. I am writing this review in 2010 - - - a good 30 years after I first read "Sugar Hole," and the plot and characters are as fresh and vital today; perhaps even more so.

5.0 out of 5 stars Contents..., August 31, 2005

By 

Judy Smith "judylynnsbooks" (jamestown, ky United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The spun sugar hole (Loose Leaf)

Dr. Therin Sheckley, psychiatrist at Berylwood, an expensive private sanitarium, knew that there were few locks on the doors but he never dreamed that all four of his most critical charges would one day stroll out of the gate and hit the open road leading west across America. Far less did he dream that they would do it in the company of his delightful, miniskirted hippie mistress, Minnie.

But Minnie, driving along the road and spotting the four stragglers, fell under their spell and they under hers...and small wonder. They formed quite a group.

Charles Le Moyne, their leader, wished to be known as Charlemagne and planned to lead his legions into the Saxon invasion, which had not yet begun.

Andros, whose given name was Scott Kleinschmidt, claimed he was run by a tiny extraterrestrial being that had invaded his bloodstream and lodged in his brain.

Howard Petersen, once a dedicated altar boy, would not even turn if called by that name, but now insisted upon being known as Father Bischoff, working to change the role on celibacy for priests.

And finally there was Peter Hartsook, who retreated in any moment of stress to the outhouse and who might or might not have killed his wife.

Diagnosis on all four, of course, schizophrenia.