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The Way of the Wind
Illustrated novel, first published in 1911.
- GenresClassics
128 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1911
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
April 7, 2021
Free download at Librivox, here: https://librivox.org/the-way-of-the-w...
Yes, I liked this a lot. I must give it four stars.
This is unusual; it has a style all its own. First, you judge it to be a fable. There are magical elements within it. The middle drags somewhat, but the end throws you for a loop. Then you sit back and think and marvel at all that has been said in the novella’s few pages.
A young married couple move out west to the windswept plains of Kansas. Home had been Kentucky—a place of security, friends and a strong sense of belonging to a community. The wife moves west with reluctance. The husband has a deep love for his wife. He has also big dreams. He imagines their love will grow and sustain them through thick and thin. He sees their life together as one of promise.
The writing captures the windswept, sparsely populated areas of the West before it became populated. The wind whips at your clothes and whines in your ears. The total absence of friends and community feels as a desolation that weighs heavily. This is what the reader perceives as the story gets going.
The prose style is one that must be tasted.
Consider how a given environment can feel at home to one and foreign to another. Different perceptions are born into us.
Consider people—some are loving and kind, others are inflexible and cold as steel.
A sense of failure can be oppressive. What a terrible shame this is! The consequences? Missed opportunities!
Please try this book and read it to the very end. Don’t judge it until you have finished it.
Roger Melin narrates the recording at Librivox. At the start I thought the narration sounded flat, unnuanced. His voice is, however, always clear and strong. Melin’s narration deserves three stars. It is good. As he proceeds, it improves.
If you must have a sweet happy ending, skip the book. I like the book so much because it is one of a kind, because the ending throws you off balance, because it leaves you thinking.
Yes, I liked this a lot. I must give it four stars.
This is unusual; it has a style all its own. First, you judge it to be a fable. There are magical elements within it. The middle drags somewhat, but the end throws you for a loop. Then you sit back and think and marvel at all that has been said in the novella’s few pages.
A young married couple move out west to the windswept plains of Kansas. Home had been Kentucky—a place of security, friends and a strong sense of belonging to a community. The wife moves west with reluctance. The husband has a deep love for his wife. He has also big dreams. He imagines their love will grow and sustain them through thick and thin. He sees their life together as one of promise.
The writing captures the windswept, sparsely populated areas of the West before it became populated. The wind whips at your clothes and whines in your ears. The total absence of friends and community feels as a desolation that weighs heavily. This is what the reader perceives as the story gets going.
The prose style is one that must be tasted.
Consider how a given environment can feel at home to one and foreign to another. Different perceptions are born into us.
Consider people—some are loving and kind, others are inflexible and cold as steel.
A sense of failure can be oppressive. What a terrible shame this is! The consequences? Missed opportunities!
Please try this book and read it to the very end. Don’t judge it until you have finished it.
Roger Melin narrates the recording at Librivox. At the start I thought the narration sounded flat, unnuanced. His voice is, however, always clear and strong. Melin’s narration deserves three stars. It is good. As he proceeds, it improves.
If you must have a sweet happy ending, skip the book. I like the book so much because it is one of a kind, because the ending throws you off balance, because it leaves you thinking.
November 6, 2017
This is absolutely one of the most beautiful stories that I have ever read! Sadly, this talented author seems to have slipped into obscurity. I simply have to find another of her books to read!
I listened to a Librivox recording by Roger Melin, one of my favourite volunteer readers, and followed along by times with an EPUB of the original edition, available from Project Gutenberg (complete with illustrations by William Oberhardt). Roger does a superb job of everything he reads — this book is no exception!
I listened to a Librivox recording by Roger Melin, one of my favourite volunteer readers, and followed along by times with an EPUB of the original edition, available from Project Gutenberg (complete with illustrations by William Oberhardt). Roger does a superb job of everything he reads — this book is no exception!
May 19, 2017
I have been contemplating how to approach writing a review that would come close to giving the praise and consideration that this work deserves. I am VERY surprised that I have not heard of this book before, if not in a high school English class, then I should have read it in one of my college literature classes! It is that good.
From the beautiful hills of Kentucky, a scared young bride travels to barren unpopulated Kansas to join her husband, who has been preparing their future home. To her dismay, there is only a dugout for a house and the constant repressive winds.
"The wind seemed to make sport of her, to laugh at her. It treated her as it would a tenderfoot. It tried to frighten her...It shrieked maniacally as if rejoicing in her discomfort. At times it seemed to hoot at her."
Although there was little conversation, it is relatively easy to read. The imagery of the wind, the tall tales of the 'cyclones' in Kansas, the mystery of the wise men from the East, and waiting to see if the young husband would prevail more than kept my attention.
This book inspired quite a conversation between my husband, teenage daughter and me. Is it man vs. himself or man vs. nature? Is there a greater significance to the wind? Who are the wise men from the East who would come a build a magic city there where the rivers meet? I would encourage any teacher to include this marvelous work in their curriculum.
As far as I can tell, Ms. Norris only wrote two other books. She was also a newspaper reporter. I would strongly suggest that you look up her "Interview with Mark Twain's Cat". Very cute!
From the beautiful hills of Kentucky, a scared young bride travels to barren unpopulated Kansas to join her husband, who has been preparing their future home. To her dismay, there is only a dugout for a house and the constant repressive winds.
"The wind seemed to make sport of her, to laugh at her. It treated her as it would a tenderfoot. It tried to frighten her...It shrieked maniacally as if rejoicing in her discomfort. At times it seemed to hoot at her."
Although there was little conversation, it is relatively easy to read. The imagery of the wind, the tall tales of the 'cyclones' in Kansas, the mystery of the wise men from the East, and waiting to see if the young husband would prevail more than kept my attention.
This book inspired quite a conversation between my husband, teenage daughter and me. Is it man vs. himself or man vs. nature? Is there a greater significance to the wind? Who are the wise men from the East who would come a build a magic city there where the rivers meet? I would encourage any teacher to include this marvelous work in their curriculum.
As far as I can tell, Ms. Norris only wrote two other books. She was also a newspaper reporter. I would strongly suggest that you look up her "Interview with Mark Twain's Cat". Very cute!
April 10, 2013
:( a sad book, one with an ending that has no good in it at all. But a good read none the less. All I can say is I'm glad celia's life turned out badly as well
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews