Wendell Berry. 1994.
Great title , isn't it.
It was a short novel that made me love the
main two characters: Ptolemy Proudfoot
and his wife Miss Minnie!
Berry has his"belonging to the land and
place" worldview through this book
( so that you want to become a farmer!)
as well as the strong marriage of the huge
"Tol" and the tiny "Miss Minnie."
"Tol was a big man. Clothing him,
said Miss Minnie, was like upholstering
a sofa!"
" To some, it seemed that Ptolemy Proudfoot
didn't 'laugh' like a Christian. He laughed
too loud and too long, and his merriment
seemed just a little too self-sufficient--
as if, had there been enough funny stories
and enough breath to laugh at them with,
he might not 'need' to go to Heaven."
You know when a book makes you laugh
and be part of the community, the author
has done well. And then , if you start to say
to your husband: Listen to this and start
reading it to him and he says READ more,
well, it's a very fine book. This one did that.
2 comments:
another good book recommendation!
Saw a couple of his at the library on Monday, but didn't pick any up to keep. Just thumbed through. I'm afraid I made a mistake in doing that?!??!
Made me want to recall Ted Kooser's name, while I was looking at Berry's work. Couldn't drum it up in my memory, though. My brain is a SIEVE!
Must needs to go back, eh?!?? ;)
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