Wendell Berry

“I began to trust the world again, not to give me what I wanted, for I saw that it could not be trusted to do that, but to give unforeseen goods and pleasures that I had not thought to want.”

Oh, how I loved this book. Wendell Berry is truly a national treasure. While I've previously read many of his poems and essays, [b:Hannah Coulter|146198|Hannah Coulter|Wendell Berry|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1442893723s/146198.jpg|1033718] represents my first experience with Berry's fiction.

"Coulter" is one of the last installments of Berry's novels which are set in the fictional town of Port William, KY. This book stands alone, as I imagine the others do. In this narrative, Hannah Coulter, now in her late 70s, looks back on her life, her family, her friends, and the town in which she spent her entire life. This is a "quiet" and reflective book, powerful in its imagery, sense of place, prose, and meaning. Fans of [a:Elizabeth Strout|97313|Elizabeth Strout|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1361387789p2/97313.jpg] and Anna Quindlen's [b:Miller's Valley|26131641|Miller's Valley|Anna Quindlen|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1447962407s/26131641.jpg|46081985] will feel right at home in the pages of Berry's book.

Hannah Coulter is a woman who hasn't had an easy life. She is never defiant, but she certainly has not been defeated by life either. With dignity, she stands as a symbol of the changing American economy -- and culture -- from the 1930s through the 1970s.

While Berry writes of simpler times in Port William, he doesn't stray into cloying sentimentality. It took me a long time to make my first visit to Port William, and I'll be making a return visit soon.


… (more)

These poems are very personal. As in, they are all very specific to Wendell Berry. They are all told from the viewpoint of a man, specifically Wendell Berry. They are very specific to a place, eastern Kentucky. There is very little universality to be found here. And I'm confident that Berry would say that is both all right and somewhat the point.
From an artistic and technical standpoint, there are images and metaphors used many times in different poems. There is just a feeling of sameness across the collection. I cannot recommend it.… (more)