The Poet of Tolstoy Park

by Sonny Brewer

“The more you transform your life from the material to the spiritual domain, the less you become afraid of death.” Leo Tolstoy spoke these words, and they became Henry Stuart’s raison d’etre. The Poet of Tolstoy Park is the unforgettable novel based on the true story of Henry Stuart’s life, which was reclaimed from his doctor’s belief that he would not live another year.

Henry responds to the news by slogging home barefoot in the rain. It’s 1925. The place: Canyon County, Idaho. Henry is sixty-seven, a retired professor and a widower who has been told a warmer climate would make the end more tolerable. San Diego would be a good choice.

Instead, Henry chose Fairhope, Alabama, a town with utopian ideals and a haven for strong-minded individualists. Upton Sinclair, Sherwood Anderson, and Clarence Darrow were among its inhabitants. Henry bought his own ten acres of piney woods outside Fairhope. Before dying, underscored by the writings of his beloved Tolstoy, Henry could begin to “perfect the soul awarded him” and rest in the faith that he, and all people, would succeed, “even if it took eons.” Human existence, Henry believed, continues in a perfect circle unmarred by flaws of personality, irrespective of blood and possessions and rank, and separate from organized religion. In Alabama, until his final breath, he would chase these high ideas.

But first, Henry had to answer up for leaving Idaho. Henry’s dearest friend and intellectual sparring partner, Pastor Will Webb, and Henry’s two adult sons, Thomas and Harvey, were baffled and angry that he would abandon them and move to the Deep South, living in a barn there while he built a round house of handmade concrete blocks. His new neighbors were perplexed by his eccentric behavior as well. On the coldest day of winter he was barefoot, a philosopher and poet with ideas and words to share with anyone who would listen. And, mysteriously, his “last few months” became years. He had gone looking for a place to learn lessons in dying, and, studiously advanced to claim a vigorous new life.

The Poet of Tolstoy Park is a moving and irresistible story, a guidebook of the mind and spirit that lays hold of the heart. Henry Stuart points the way through life’s puzzles for all of us, becoming in this timeless tale a character of such dimension that he seems more alive now than ever.


From the Hardcover edition.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Book Club, Southern, Literature, Historical, Audiobook

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Sonny Brewer is the author of four novels, including The Poet of Tolstory Park and The Widow and the Tree. He edited the anthology series Stories from the Blue Moon Café and most recently, Don't Quit Your Day Job - Acclaimed Authors and the Day Jobs they Quit published by MP Publishing in 2010.

Reviews

[PirateSteve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Retired philosophy Professor Henry James Stuart has much to learn and time seems to be in short supply. It's 1925 and at the age of 67 he has been diagnosed with tuberculosis and given maybe 1-year to live. The doctor tells him death would be easier on him if he were in a warmer climate than his Canyon County, Idaho home.
The idea of moving felt right for Henry as he did not wish to have his two grown sons watch him die the way he had watched his wife die just two years earlier. Plus, he felt the time away from all distraction would afford him the opportunity to prefect his soul. As Henry was deciding on what part of Southern California he wanted to move to, information came to him about a little town in South Alabama.

Henry Stuart was very much the fan of writer/philosopher Leo Tolstoy. Henry has read that Tolstoy was very much the fan of economist/philosopher Henry George. Now Mr.Stuart learns that in 1894, followers of Mr.George had set up a "single-tax" colony in Southern Alabama and named their little town, Fairhope. The move there makes sense to Henry Stuart.

What follows is not a story about Henry's dying year.
It's a story about why Henry chose to live out his remaining life barefooted.
It's a story about why Henry spent the next year of his life building a 14 foot round, concrete hut in which to live.
It's a story about the town of Fairhope, of dreams, philosophers, children, schools, osprey, hurricanes and how a retired professor learned a new way of life.


Other books this story sparked my interest in.
1) Black Elk Speaks: Being the Life Story of a Holy Man of the Oglala Sioux (Lakota) as told through John G. Neihardt (1932)
2) Progress and Poverty by Henry George (1879)
3) A Calendar of Wisdom by Leo Tolstoy (1911)

Fairhope remains a beautiful thriving town to this day.
http://piercam.cofairhope.com/view/vi...
Sonny Brewer is quoted as saying, "Fairhope is home to more published authors per capita than any place else in the country. At one point not many years back, three local writers were on the New York Times bestsellers' list at the same time. One author suggested we have a billboard at the edge of town to declare, "Fairhope, Alabama, the home of more writers than readers."

The Fairhope Single Tax Corporation is still in operation with some 1,800 leaseholds covering more than 4,000 acres in and around Fairhope.
Founded in 1907 the Marietta Johnson School of Organic Education still serves some of Fairhope's children ranging from first through eighth grade.

Henry Stuart's concrete hut, Tolstoy Park, still stands today and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. I recently visited, strolled about the site while barefooted, grounding myself in the spirit of Tolstoy Park. I then went inside, sat by a window and read a good portion of this book.
https://www.goodreads.com/photo/user/...



excerpts are spoiler(ish)

page 5
narration
"Henry walked out of the doctor's office and the drumming rain that had begun to fall went straight through his thin white hair, wetting his head and sending a chill down his back."
"Henry decided, because it was his option to do so, that he would abandon his boots."
"He believed it was Black Elk, or maybe Chief Seattle, who had said that the man who always wears his moccasins thinks the earth is covered with leather."
"He would let his feet know that this piece of earth was covered with mud, and thought perhaps they'ed enjoy knowing that."

page 8
Preacher Will Webb and Henry Stuart
"But do you not fear for your soul now that you'll soon face the Almighty."
"My face has never turned away from God, Nor my ear ever inclined away from his counsel."
"My prayer is that you get a chance to argue your name onto Heaven's roll, for you could argue the horns off a goat."

page 24
Will and Henry
'"If you believe actively imagining your final days can give you strength" - Will's voice was soft . "then let's set to it, Henry. What can I do?"

"Like grain pouring from an open bin, talk between the two men came easily; ideas were planted, extirpated, disagreements never becoming personal even if at times Henry's and Will's voices were raised and their heart rates quickened."

'"I'll travel with only a few possessions ... And I will take the Russian," Henry said, speaking of Leo Tolstoy, "For whither I go" - he smiled at will as he spoke - "thou, Leo, also goest, making my path before me in that great southern wilderness."'
"'Would you stand over there, a bit away from me, Henry? I don't want to be charred when the lightning comes to strike your blasphemous head," said Will"'

page 41
Henry and Will
"'Did you know that the count, in his diary, said that the socialists will never destroy poverty and injustice and the inequality of talents? The most intelligent and the strongest will always make use of the most stupid and the weakest. Justice and the equality of goods, he said, can never be attained by anything less than Christianity, by renouncing the self and recognizing the meaning of one's life to be in the service of others."'
''I did not know Tolstoy said that." Will's expression revealed his genuine surprise, and Henry so enjoyed this small surge of appreciation for Tolstoy ..."'

page 56
Train attendant with Henry
"The attendant asked Henry where he was bound."
"I'll depart the train in Mobile, Alabama," Henry said."
"You going home, sir?"
"In fact, yes, I am going home." He thought of how his friend Will often preached funerals for those gone home . In several seconds he looked back at the attendant. "I've just bought some land there, but it is home that I am going to."

page 77
Henry with his first friend in South Alabama, Kate Anderson
"I'm sorry, I have not seen a paper.' He knew that many people had followed with rabid interest the summer's great sideshow in Tennessee, becoming well known as the Scopes Monkey Trial."
"Kate shook her head and huffed out a big breath. "If Mr.Darrow and Mr.Bryan had not been such grandstanders shamelessly promoting their own reputations in the Tennessee trail," she said, "perhaps some important ground could have been gained ..."
"So have you been teaching long?" Henry asked.
"I've been teaching for almost six years," Kate said, and told Henry all about Marietta Johnson and her now-famous School of Organic Education."

page 91
breakfast with Peter and Leddie Stedman
'Leddie served the men scrambled eggs and fried ham and kept their coffee cups full. When Henry asked about the warm white mush. Leddie became a bit more animated and asked henry if he did not know it was grits. She fixed her gaze on Henry, who said that he had never eaten grits, but that he found them quite good.'

page 115 - 117
narration after Henry's first small hurricane
"Henry awakened in the quiet dark, his back still curved against the wall of the cistern and the boards still leaned in place, concealing the sky above the fallen tree. He lay there for several minutes, not moving, recalling with complete clarity the dream he had had, and understanding its symbolism, Henry became full of certainty and purpose. He would build for himself a cottage, round like a bird's nest, and of concrete like the cistern that had given him shelter from the previous night's storm ... "

"He combed through the dream images. He heard again the phrases of the medicine man and, like a man lost in the deep forest, kept returning to the same place, to this: Their religion is like ours. The religion of the birds is like Black Elk's.'

"So certain was Henry, however, that he had been directed in a dream to do this thing."
"He sat with the idea for a long time, and decided that building a round concrete home was not harmful to anyone, and if the project were dementia-induced, a little craziness should be allowed to a dying man."

page 141
Henry starts work narration
"He had worked with a ditchdigger once who taught him to work at his own pace, that slow digging was not bad digging as long as it was steady. The ditchdigger told Henry to find his rhythm and a hole would happen all by itself. "Man don't dig no hole," the digger said, 'he just move a shovelful of dirt, and another shovelful of dirt, and one more shovelful of dirt, and keep on till the hole say stop."

page 157
Henry with Fairhope's Dr.Anderson
"It's very important, Doctor, that you abandon your mission to tend my health. I accept this illness as a condition of my life, and if it is to be the circumstance of my death, then so be it.'
"I've chosen a path here, Doctor, and I know it's difficult to understand .... But what I most need is my privacy, sir.'
"It's the path I've chosen ... On a journey to a place where I alone can go."

page 173
Henry mixes and pours the blocks for his walls
"And Henry scratched into each block a date, using numbers three inches high. On the very first block he marked 11-11-25."

page 195
narration
"... Henry began to think that he might die, not far off on some other page of the calendar, some other date, but on this day. Today, the eighteenth of August, 1926. At this hour of early evening. barefooted, shirtless ... His beard almost a year long and cotton white. In Baldwin County, Alabama, with no next of kin to claim his body, he was dying."
"Even in this maudlin moment of reckoning, Henry knew that this was as good as any day, these circumstances as right and fit as any for a man to lie down and die."

page 219/220
narration
"A long year of masonry toiling was done. Yesterday he had mortared into place the last of the blocks, finishing the three steps down onto the circular dugout stoop in front of his door. The date scratched into the middle and last step was 10-26-26. A work that had begun in earnest on the ninth of November last year had taken Henry three hundred and fifty-one days to finish. And somehow in the digging and lifting and mortaring, a life had been reclaimed."
"It was interesting to Henry in retrospect, how the storm on the one hand had rent the fabric of so many lives, and on the other had helped him to mend his own. A man facing death, Tolstoy had written, if he knows that death is coming in one minute, in that one minute he will wish to console an abused person or help an old person stand up or put a bandage on someone's injury or repair a toy for a child."
"For Henry, the loss of concern for himself was like a summer day's cool drink of water. Not until the hurricane had he fully apprehended the heaviness of keeping his privacy, defending his solitude, looking away from a hand held out in his direction. But now he could see, in an honest look back at the last fifty years, that he had often been stingy with his time and affection."

page 235
Henry and Clarence Darrow
"Chiefly I've wondered why I spent so much time filling my head with things of questionable worth.' Henry said."
"Questionable! You know good and well, Mr.Stuart, it's worthless. What's the difference if we gather all the facts of the universe into our brains for the worms to eat?"
"It has occurred to me," said Henry, "that the more we think we know, the more we tend to think we matter. We become obsessed with our own cleverness."
"You've nailed it, Mr.Stuart," added Clarence, "One can imagine nothing more tiresome and profitless than sitting down and thinking of oneself."

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

On one of my Thursday afternoon local library trips, this book stood out to me. I was intrigued by the older gentleman protagonist. And, as I have shared in other reviews, I have been reading a lot of stories lately that feature older protagonists. Perhaps I am trying to tell myself something. Or maybe I am being a bit revealing about myself through my reading choices. Or maybe I like the idea that at any age we have the opportunity to discover we are capable of anything. No matter what time of life we are in.

Even the author’s dedication says…

“This book is dedicated to four people who prove to me that getting old does not mean winding down.”

Beautiful, right?

The 4 people he chose in his dedication were individuals who were 92, 80, 80+ and 73. Obviously, his point being, that anything is possible at any age – especially advanced ages.

And, so, it is the same with Henry Stuart, his protagonist. Who in 1925, he learns that he is, at age 67, terminally ill with tuberculosis. Instead of lamenting his diagnosis, readers find Henry taking off his boots and walking home barefoot in the rain. Now doesn’t that put a smile on one’s face?

In the style of Tolstoy, his strongest influence, Henry decides to leave everything he knows – his Idaho, his two sons, his friends, and move to what he presumes will be an uncomplicated life in Fairhope, Alabama.

Why not? It will allow him a simple, final exit to his own life. He will build a round cottage for himself, be self-sufficient, find his inner-self, and then die peacefully.

But that isn’t quite what happens. Something more occurs.

And, that is what readers will enjoy most about this story – a touching peace that teaches and inspires us in ways unexpected.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a novel which sticks closely to the true story of a man who has been given a death sentence — his doctor in Idaho has told him his tuberculosis will finish him within a year or so and that moving to a warmer place might make things easier for him. Henry Stuart chooses Fairhope, Alabama. He’s always had a philosophical bent (he’s a retired professor), loves Tolstoy, Thoreau, Black Elk and Pueblo Indians. His two children are independent, he’s a widower and seems to have only one friend, a minister who likes to remind him that he should be paying more attention to church and his immortal soul. He goes his own way in 1925.

He learns Fairhope has had progressive beginnings and an occasional celebrated visitor or two. With thoughts of death in mind he begins to shape a new philosophy of life. He sheds belongings including shoes and begins building a brick igloo-like house with home-made bricks. As another reviewer mentioned, the author does tend to get mired in house building details but the book is leavened with humor throughout.

Henry is very Tolstoyian, as he might have admitted if he was being honest. He is mindful of self improvement and giving when he isn’t downright self absorbed. He was frustrating to those around him and was often frustrating to me. He is often self centered more than self reliant. It is no accident that he thinks so much about Tolstoy. Tolstoy’s last trip as he is dying was made to be solitary and to shed his long suffering family.

Stuart’s round house can still be seen and I think you would be more welcome now than during his life there. He did live past the doctor’s expiration date by almost 20 years.

The author lives in Fairhope and this is a very natural subject for his well written novel.

[Lorna · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Poet of Tolstoy Park was a beautifully written historical fiction novel about the life of Henry James Stuart by author Sonny Brewer. This is a beautiful spiritual journey with a widowed professor in Nampa, Idaho in the early twentieth century who had been diagnosed with the non-contagious form of tuberculosis that is thought to take his life within the year. Henry, leaving the doctor's office and devastated with the news, leaves his boots on the porch as he makes his way home barefooted in touch with the earth and struggling with the reality of his lot. Books had always been a very important part of his life and while he knew that he would miss his beautiful library, he knew it was time to move forward. And so he dispensed all of his possessions among his sons, Harvey and Thomas, as well as his best friend Will.

"It was plain to Henry that he would miss his books a great deal, that he had not yet fully incorporated Black Elk's teaching for he felt no real infusion of power of giving away his belongings. Henry did feel something akin to growing relief last night as this and that of his things were disposed of right down the list. Still the distribution of his books at this moment felt only like a loss.

Researching the many places to spend the remainder of his life, Henry chose Fairhope, Alabama primarily because of the beautiful location and its connection to Leo Tolstoy, one of his favorite authors. Finding a perfect plot of ten acres above Mobile Bay, he departs from Nampa with two satchels, one with his most precious books as he boards a train for Mobile, Alabama. His first night there he weathers a hurricane in a cistern and during that harrowing night, he realizes that he must build a structure to house him that is in that pattern, and thus we have The Poet of Tolstoy Park.

You have noticed that everything an Indian does is in a circle. And that is because the Power of the World always works in a circle, and everything tries to be round. . .

The sky is round and I have heard that the earth is round like a ball. And so are all the stars. The wind in its greatest power whirls.

Birds make their nests in a circle, for theirs is the same religion as ours. . . . The life of man is a circle from childhood to childhood, and so it is in everything where power moves. . . .

--- BLACK ELK, HOLY MAN OF THE OGLALA SIOUX, FROM Black Elk Speaks
by JOHN G. NIEHARDT

This was a beautiful book that I will refer to again and again. Oh, and now Fairhope, Alabama is on my bucket list!

[Diane Barnes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have always been drawn to books about people who left it all behind, just walked away from their lives one day and started fresh, made new friends or none at all, went to another part of the country, or another country altogether. I think it takes a lot of courage to do that.

Henry Stuart did just that, after getting a terminal diagnosis of tuberculosis from his doctor in Idaho. One year to live, a warmer climate might help the end be a little easier. So at the age of 67, he chose Fairhope, Alabama, went there sight unseen, built a hut in the woods, and lived for another 20 years, happier than he had ever been before. His literary hero was Leo Tolstoy, who also left his home and family at the end of his life.

Now don't get me wrong, I don't want to build a hut in the woods. I need electricity, running water, all the creature comforts I have become used to, decent wine, coffee and food, and other people to talk to. My daydream runs along the lines of a month or two completely on my own in a new place, with lots of time to think and read, without the interruptions of daily life. It's possible I would get bored, but still it sounds attractive. I have been to Fairhope, Alabama, and that would be a charming place to spend some time, if I ever get around to "getting away". Then I could visit the actual hut that Henry Stuart built in the woods, and the bookstore that the author of this novel owns, and bask in the Gulf breezes that seemed to cure Henry of his tuberculosis. This book gives the reader a lot to consider about the meaning of life and death, and friendship and family. I enjoyed the journey.

[Lawyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Poet of Tolstoy Park: The Road Less Traveled

I selected this novel by Sonny Brewer as my Moderator's Choice for members of On the Southern Literary Trail for January, 2o18. I first read The Poet of Tolstoy Park: A Novel upon its publication in 2005. Since then I have recommended this book to many readers. It concerns a journey we all must take. Facing our own mortality. Don't be disheartened by the serious nature of the subject matter. It's not the final stop when the train pulls into the station. It's how we chose to live along the way on the trip. Read on.

ACQUAINTED WITH THE NIGHT
BY ROBERT FROST
I have been one acquainted with the night.
I have walked out in rain—and back in rain.
I have outwalked the furthest city light.

I have looked down the saddest city lane.
I have passed by the watchman on his beat
And dropped my eyes, unwilling to explain.

I have stood still and stopped the sound of feet
When far away an interrupted cry
Came over houses from another street,

But not to call me back or say good-bye;
And further still at an unearthly height,
One luminary clock against the sky

Proclaimed the time was neither wrong nor right.
I have been one acquainted with the night.

This is a novel of historical fiction. An exceptional one about an exceptional man. Henry James Stuart, age sixty-seven, lived in Nampa, Canyon County, Idaho. He was widowed. Married to his beloved wife Molly for over thirty years. They had two sons. Harvey and Thomas. Henry had been to Seminary, but didn't put much stock into the institutional church. However, that didn't prevent his best friend being Will Webb, one of the town's local minister's. Henry lived a rather idylic life other than enduring the grievous loss of Molly. He had his home, thirty six acres of woods that surrounded it. And his library. Henry Stuart was an educated man. A man of ideas. A reader of Thoreau, Emerson, the wisdom of Oglala Sioux Black Elk. Most of all, Leo Tolstoy. In Russian.

But how life can change so quickly. In 1925, Henry was diagnosed with Tuberculosis. He might have a year to live. A change of climate might better his odds of having a few more days, weeks, even months. You might say Henry Stuart became one acquainted with the night.

Henry considered San Diego, California. However, his friend Will put a brochure in his hands for Fairhope, Alabama. A unique single tax colony founded on the principles of Henry George, a contemporary of Leo Tolstoy. The colony had been eastblished by George and twenty eight followers in 1894. It would be a Utopia.

Henry pursued the purchase of ten acres of land on the outskirts of Fairhope in the township of Montrose through a resident Philip Stedman. As soon as the transaction was completed, Henry determined to travel by train to Mobile, Alabama, and then by steamer across the Bay where he would meet Stedman who would drive him to his property.

To be continued...

[Tony · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a personal recommendation from Goodreads legend Mike Sullivan, who champions Southern writers, both classic and recent. That's good enough for me - or even decent people - to give it a try.

This book, inspired by a true life, tells the fictionalized story of Henry Stuart, 67 and recently widowed, living in Idaho in 1925 when his doctor informs him he has advanced, but non-contagious tuberculosis, and has about a year to live. Henry is a mystical sort, soon to become eccentric. Distant from his two sons, but friendly with the local preacher, he conducts an inter vivos disposition of his worldly goods and takes a train to Fairhope, Alabama. There he builds a round concrete 'hut' by himself, weaves rugs, and follows the philosophy of Tolstoy. He never wears shoes. He ruminates and discourses in theological matters. Clarence Darrow comes to visit six times.

The story, despite the promise of plot, is rather banal. There's a lot of how-to. How to mix cement. How to dig a foundation. How to ride out a hurricane. I didn't find Stuart very likable. And I found the dialogue stilted. Folks here couldn't have a conversation without one of them putting his hand on the shoulder of the other. They say 'shall' a lot and try and outdo each other quoting poets, philosophers and Indian sages. When Stuart is about to go out into a major hurricane, a little girl tells him, "You are safe...This is a good place for hiding. The storm cannot find you here. I promise."

Here's a sentence which I think will give you a flavor of the writing style:

When Henry wove a rug, he wove it from the depths of his spirit and from the fullness of his heart, and with the careful eye of a focused mind.

Oh. And I don't revere Darrow, which the author clearly does, like just saying his name is enough. There are people who think if the cause is right then any means, even jury tampering, is acceptable. I'm not one of those people.

All that said, this book had many charms. I liked his reflection of the Rilke poem Be ahead of all parting. I liked that Stuart, as a younger man, considered a murder case where the victim, a decent man, was not a churchgoer. The killer wasn't either till he took up the habit in prison. A grammar-schooler, thought Henry, could see something wrong with the killer getting his writ to enter Heaven while a good man had been murdered and tossed to Hell.

I liked that after a one-day read, admittedly underwhelmed, I could reach the final pages, with my feet in the sand, and my eyes puddling up.

[Tom Mathews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes it is great to slow down and read a book that is gentle and philosophical. Sonny Brewer's novel based on the life of Henry Stuart is just such a book. When diagnosed with tuberculosis in 1925, Stuart made the unusual decision to leave his home and go to a place where he could face his impending death in solitude and on his own terms. To that end, he bought ten acres of undeveloped land in Fairhope, Alabama, gave away most of his worldly goods, and climbed aboard the train that would, he assumed, take him to the place of his passing. Fortunately for Henry, and for us, that passing took much longer than expected. For almost twenty years, the hermit of Tolstoy Park, the name he called his new home, became Fairhope's own version of Henry David Thoreau, complete with his own outlook on life, and more importantly, death. I highly recommend this book.

[Camie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Historic fiction loosely based on the true story of Henry Stuart a 67 year old retired professor, widower, and father of two sons who in 1925 decides to leave behind his past life in Nampa, ID and head for the warmer clime of Fairhope, Alabama, after being diagnosed with a terminal illness. Told by his doctor he may fare better in a warmer place, he is still given the prognosis of only a year to live, so Stuart inspired by the words of his favorite poet Tolstoy shucks of his boots and barefooted sets out on what he thinks will be a solitary and soul searching journey. He buys 10 acres of piney woods, sets about making a labor intensive concrete brick round house, and begins communing with nature and a few of the locals who visit him at his settlement which he names Tolstoy Park. There's probably a part of all of us who'd like to leave it all behind, and so Henry's plight is interesting. He's not always a completely endearing character as his decisions at times render him more than a little selfish. The prose filled book is a very thought provoking read. How much of our lives do we owe to our family and friends, and for how long? If you knew you had a year to live, what might your journey be?
Read for On The Literary Trail January 2018 -4 stars

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the words of Dylan Thomas, “Do not go gentle to that good night,/ Old age should burn and rage at close of day;/ Rage, rage against the dying of the light.”

Henry James Stuart was such a one. He did not go gently, he went on his own terms. Some would say he beat death at its own game, although he would have been the first to tell you that death is always the winner, eventually.

What we can learn from Henry Stuart is more about life than it ever could be about death. He was an amazingly complex, but unbelievably simple, man. He made difficult decisions, some of which others could barely understand, but he was true to his belief that all men are a part of God and His plan, and cannot be divorced for Him. He took joy in being a cog in a great machine, but recognized that the machine would not run as smoothly without the cog serving its function.

There is a temptation to compare Stuart to Thoreau. If you have read Walton, you cannot avoid the connection. He went into the woods, built his own distinct home, and separated himself from others for a period of time to commune with nature and his own psyche. In doing so, he honed his soul into something that sparkled and twinkled from his head to his very bare feet. But, unlike, Thoreau, his experiment was done only for himself, with no intent to share its outcome with others, for he had been given a terminal diagnosis by a doctor in Idaho. And, unlike Thoreau, he did not set the limits of his exile, he had them set for him by the awakening of his soul and with that the discovery of the meaning of his life.

I found this to be an amazing story. It was no doubt as much fiction as fact, for while Henry did live and build and thrive at Tolstoy Park in Alabama, the fact that he deliberately kept no journal during this time precludes anyone knowing exactly what his thoughts and feelings were. That matters little. His life alone tells us something of him, and Sonny Brewer can be extremely proud of the way he has filled in the missing parts and given this story a depth of both feeling and intellect that is superbly done.

I have seldom wanted to preserve so many quotations from a text. Besides his own astute observances, Mr. Brewer has quoted some of the greatest minds of literature and fit them seamlessly into the tale he has woven. It is as beautiful and as intricate as the handwoven rugs of Henry Stuart, or as the myriad creations of a God of infinite possibilities.

For an example of beauty of language:
Sleep rolled over Henry like a fog over the marshes at the headwaters of Mobile Bay, and his mind was still and quiet as the silver mist under a windless sickle of moon and the arcing of the stars in Leo.

Or of thought:
But now he felt better the intimate connection between all people, and most important, a common mortality. If there was any way at all to feel deep inside some kinship with the strangers who constitute humanity, it would have to be accomplished in the single knowledge that we will all die.
A truth that takes on new meaning the closer and closer we get to the inevitable. And, yes, I speak from experience.

What a wonderful way to finish my year of reading. I hope it bodes well for all the great books I might find in 2018.

[Cece · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had never heard of this book or author before visiting Fairhope recently. We stopped to take a look at the little round hut from recommendations on most interesting points of interest. It was quite fascinating to see and step into this hut Henry Stuart built almost 100 years ago! I loved the story and the central truths of living and dying in this part novel based on a real man ; he learns he has consumption and doesn’t have long to live. He lives in Idaho and his dr suggested maybe living in a warmer climate might help. Then he researches and finds a few places and chooses Fairhope Alabama. I really enjoyed this book learning the story behind the little hobbit round house in the middle of a business parking lot! Readers may be more inclined to read this if ever visited the area and or seen the round house. With that being said the writing was captivating and I’m likely to check out more of this authors other works.

[Nancy Chappell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely, sweet read about an eccentric, thoughtful, kind man. Reminded me of some of the better parts of my ex husband. His love of Tolstoy and questioning of organized religion were appreciated. Based on a true character. Thanks, Sonny Brewer.

[Toni · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book that has you staring out the window savouring an idea or an inspired turn of phrase. I would’ve loved to know Henry James Stuart.

[B. R. Reed · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid 4* book in my view, enjoyed it very much. Spoilers everywhere. I had a few things running around in my head that caused me some confusion while reading this book. (Perhaps my medication?) I kept mixing the personas and views of Henry Stuart (the protagonist), Henry George (the founder of Fair Hope), Sonny Brewer (the author) and Leo Tolstoy. I also kept thinking about singer/songwriter Neil Young (his song "Old Man") and Sweet Home Alabama ("Well, I hope Neil Young will remember, a southern man don't need him around anyhow.") I know it makes little sense but what can I say? The old man is 67 yr old Henry Stuart, a widower from Nampa, ID who decides to travel to Mobile Bay for his health. He has TB. In fact, his Nampa MD has advised him that he may only have a yr to live. He has decided to live his life w/o the benefit of a pair of shoes. I thought the whole "no shoes thing" to be kind of silly but it is part of the true story of Mr Stuart. It is very impt to remember that Sonny Brewer (author) did not have all the biographical facts about Henry S and he admits that a "little of the truth goes a long way" in this story and that 2/3 of the book comes from his imagination. It matters not to me. A good story is a good story. Anyway, Henry arrives at Fair Hope in the fall of 1925 and immediately takes possession of his ten acres and a barn. Soon thereafter he begins work on his round, concrete hut (14' in circumference). He wore one boot while shoveling out his foundation. Whatever. He becomes a bit morbid in his views regarding life and his new friends in AL (a southern man don't need him around anyhow). He pushes everyone away in his quest to go solo in life. Not a good idea for anyone. However, he pretty much has a near-death experience in the summer of '26 during a severe hurricane and he decides he wants to be a part of the community of men in Fair Hope. His health returns, a miracle?, he's not going to dwell on it one way or the other. He does continue life sans footwear but with a healthier outlook.

Why is this book good? I liked it for the story (again, a mixture of fact and fiction) and all the "philosophy of life" contained within the story. I liked that a 67 yr old man ("I'm a lot like you are") has the courage to pull up stakes, travel a long distance and begin a new life. He settles in his new home, returns to being a weaver of rugs and lives a good life (19 more yrs). Brewer works in some of the ideas of Socrates, St Francis, Whitman, Black Elk, Chief Seattle, Henry George, Rilkie, Dickinson, Oscar Wilde, Thoreau, Sherwood Anderson, Emerson, Wittenstein, Wallace Stevens, Frost, Tennyson and, of course, Mr Tolstoy. Henry named his 10 acres Tolstoy Park and his hut still stands and can be visited today. I don't get the hat and coat photo on the cover of the book. Very unlike Henry Stuart to to wear a hat (he gave his away in the book), however, not sure if he bothered with a coat. Looks kind of heavy for south Alabama.

I liked the popular Emily Dickinson quote, "Because I could not stop for Death ---- He kindly stopped for me." I also liked the Rilkie idea (from a poem) of "getting ahead of all parting." Sound advice that I have used myself. I did not know that Black Elk converted to catholicism. Interesting. I don't know much about Count Leo Tolstoy. I found a picture of him with no shoes. Umm. However, all this stuff about Count Tolstoy (born into big money) departing his home/estate/wife/family under the cover of darkness to become a "walkabout" seems to me a bit overblown. Heck, he was 82 yrs old and died less than two weeks after "running away from home." I'm afraid I've pretty much confined my reading to American authors, probably a mistake but it's kind of like not wearing shoes. It's just what I do. I hope to visit Mobile Bay, Fair Hope, Tolstoy Park and the Under the Transom Book Store at my first opportunity. Good job Mr. Brewer. I trust you wear shoes. The place is full of moccasins.

[Debbie Floyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful story about a man who left his home and sons behind in Idaho to move to the warmer climate of Fairhope Alabama. Henry's doctor told him he had a terminal case of tuberculosis and had only a year to live. That year could be easier living in a warmer climate. Henry a retired professor, and lover of the writings of Tolstoy decided to do just that, he bought 10 acres of land and moved to AL to begin what he believed to be the last year of his life. As such stories go many unexpected things happened along the way and Henry took it all in his stride. The author writes in a very lyrical way that gives the reader pause to consider what they would do if they were faced with similar circumstances, including the twist in this man's story. A wonderful book and one that can be savored by reading again and again.

[James Mitchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book tremendously. Thanks for the suggestion.

[The Lexington Bookie · Rating 2 out of 5]

My coworker friend who recommended "Neither Wolf Nor Dog" simultaneously recommended the book "The Poet of Tolstoy Park". She brought both in to work with her, and as I stated, I devoured NWND, but I've been really struggling with the TPOTP. Not only has my mind be sidetracked by the spring temperatures, house projects, and other prior engagements, but I've also opened this book a dozen times, read a few pages, and then decided to put it away. As of right now, I've only made it to chapter three out of thirty seven.

It's a very intellectual book, and written eloquently...but I believe this to be the hang up for me. I get bogged down in those words, the complex and eloquence make it hard for my mind to wander into the imaginary world that the author is trying to create. Maybe my intelligence isn't high enough to grasp what Brewer is trying to create for the reader...maybe I haven't read far enough into the story to be grasped. Either way, I'm setting this one on hold, in hopes that at some point, I'll pick it up again and be able to lavish this novel as my coworker does- she's read it a dozen times.

[Vida · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sonny Brewer' first writing attempt was really hard for me to read. I found that the way he wrote the character, Henry Stuart, to be selfish and arrogant. Sort of like this line from the book, "We become obsessed with our own cleverness." Sonny Brewer is obsessed with his own cleverness and transposed that onto his protagonist. That he left his sons, I found unfathomable, that he didn't want live with them, a testament to his failure as a father. That he preferred the company of stranger, I found unforgivable. The author should have done a better job explaining this.

I think there was more to Henry Stuart that Brewer was unable to communicate. The literary allusions seemed designed to let the reader how smart the author is and well as let the reader know how stupid and uneducated they are. Stuart's dialog was stilted and unreal, I kept asking myself, "Who talks like that?"

I am sorry. I tried to like this book. The author just kept digging a deeper 14 foot wide hole for himself.

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I felt as if I were reading a true story of Henry, his family and his friends. Sonny Brewer did a wonderful job bringing Henry alive again. I visited the little round hut Henry made and I could almost see him working to build it. I so appreciate that it has been kept and made open to the public, but also a shame that it is surrounded by buildings. It would have been nice if the preservationists could have saved some of the land to go with the hut. After visiting the little round building I was so curious to read the book that Mr Brewer had written. I hope I have a chance in the future to read more of his books.
If anyone is ever in the Fairhope, AL area you should visit the little hut and then go into Fairhope to the bookstore and buy the book by Sonny Brewer.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're into Southern literature or maybe just appreciate beautiful writing, give this novel a read. My in-laws loaned it to me and I'm so glad they did. Reading The Poet of Tolstoy Park has firmed up my desire to someday live in Fairhope! It is also a book that makes readers consider our life decisions. Finally, I love a book based on real life and I was so happy to learn about Henry Stuart and his time in Fairhope through Sonny Brewer's fictionalized account.

[Bbainbridge · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite books ever. I first heard it being read by Rick Bragg. At first I thought ...

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this charming book, selected by Lawyer, a moderator of the group, On the Southern Literary trail. Sonny Brewer's writing is beautiful and I will definitely be reading more of his works. This is the true story of a man in the early 20th century who was given a year to live with tuberculosis. He decided to move from Idaho to Fairhope, Alabama as he heard the weather was good for his condition. They also lived by a single tax law in the community. He was an avid reader and fan of Tolstoy. Throughout the book he references poets, writers, scripture and quotes that give him meaning. He wishes to build a single room hut for his remaining time, and insists on building it without any help. He becomes a lovable, fixture in their small town. I enjoyed reading about all the people that came in and out of his life. But most of all, I enjoyed meeting him.

[Geekfork · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the book way more than I expected to - certainly more than when I first started reading it - but didn't love it. It has some really fascinating psychological and philosophical insights, but the last hour or so of the audiobook felt like the longest in my life. The characters, particularly Henry, also sometimes felt more like conduits for nuggets of philosophy and ideas rather than 3-dimensional people.

I do confess that this being based on a true story is what made me want to read the book and kept me interested. now I want to make a pilgrimage to Tolstoy Park ;)

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is based on the true life of Henry Stuart. Listening to this audio book was the best way to "read" this as the reader sounds just like I imagined Henry to sound.
Well written.

[Laurel Hicks · Rating 4 out of 5]

An intriguing and satisfying biographical novel about Henry Stuart, who moved from Idaho to beautiful little Fairhope, Alabama, to face his impending death alone, with the words of philosophy as his guide.

[SK · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot tell you if this is a great book or if I merely identified with the characters, the setting, the language and the conflicts. Since the library had only an audio version, the sound by Rick Bragg's perfect-fit reading voice didn't hurt a speck. It is set in the early 1900's, beginning in Idaho and soon moving to Fair Hope, Alabama. The intentional reputation of the town as as being progressive, philosophical, community-oriented, detached from the nearby cities, in a lovely unspoiled sub-tropical region, comprises a parallel and essential backdrop for the story. The main character, Henry, recons openly but not morosely with his lessening control over all things, especially his mortality--a topic of more interest to readers of a certain age than to others.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'll rewrite the review once I re-read this book. However, I find Sonny Brewer, new on the author scene, to be totally engrossing. His descriptions are so natural and wonderful that you feel like you lived the book rather than just read it. I picked this book to read together with a friend this summer. Although she ended up hating it, it's another illustration of how different authors reach peaople in different ways. I liked this book so much, I put an order in for his second book "A Sound Like Thunder" before it was released. I've told my friend she picks the next book we read together. Life is good! I'm still savoring this book the second time through, enjoying it even more.

[Baldwin_tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really loved this book! This is a novel written about a man who actually lived. I especially loved the reflections of the poet as he is contemplating how to live the last year the doctor has given him. I especially loved the quotes from poets, Tolstoy, other authors and the reprinting of the poems of the man himself. It is a book I have added to my permanent collection because I will read it over and over.

[Tupelodan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful story beautifully told. … Just finished reading a second time. Might have been a bit better this time around.

[Joann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Henry Stuart, like many of us, ponders relentlessly the questions of life, how to be the best person possible. He depends greatly on Tolstoy for guidance and often quotes Tolstoy or gives examples from his life. Both Henry and Tolstoy are driven by their insatiable questioning. Brewer writes very well and it is obvious he is heavily invested in Henry’s story as well as Tolstoy’s. Ultimately the story made me ask just how far will we go to maintain our position or to realize a dream?