News from Lake Wobegon

News from Lake Wobegon

by Garrison Keillor

One of the best-selling spoken audio of all time, this is the original collection of Garrison Keillor monologues. Funny and touching, these 20 stories from original live broadcasts of A Prairie Home Companion follow the seasons in Lake Me and Choir; A Day in the Life of Clarence Bunsen; Letter from Jim; The Living Flag; The Tollefson Boy Goes to College; Tomato Butt; Chamber of Commerce; Dog Days of August; Mrs. Berge and the Schubert Carillon Giant Decoys; Darryl Tollerud's Long Day; Hog Slaughter; Thanksgiving; The Royal Guys on Ice; James Lundeen's Christmas; The Christmas Story Re-told; New Year's from new York; Storm Home

Genres: Humor, Fiction, Audiobook, Short Stories

240 pages, Audio CD

First published October 15, 1987

About the author

Gary Edward "Garrison" Keillor is an American author, singer, humorist, voice actor, and radio personality. He created the Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) show A Prairie Home Companion (called Garrison Keillor's Radio Show in some international syndication), which he hosted from 1974 to 2016. Keillor created the fictional Minnesota town Lake Wobegon, the setting of many of his books, including Lake Wobegon Days and Leaving Home: A Collection of Lake Wobegon Stories. Other creations include Guy Noir, a detective voiced by Keillor who appeared in A Prairie Home Companion comic skits. Keillor is also the creator of the five-minute daily radio/podcast program The Writer's Almanac, which pairs poems of his choice with a script about important literary, historical, and scientific events that coincided with that date in history.
In November 2017, Minnesota Public Radio cut all business ties with Keillor after an allegation of inappropriate behavior with a freelance writer for A Prairie Home Companion. On April 13, 2018, MPR and Keillor announced a settlement that allows archives of A Prairie Home Companion and The Writer's Almanac to be publicly available again, and soon thereafter, Keillor began publishing new episodes of The Writer's Almanac on his website. He also continues to tour a stage version of A Prairie Home Companion, although these shows are not broadcast by MPR or American Public Media.

Reviews

[Brian Eshleman · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book was charming, poignant, even penetrating in places. Hearing Garrison Keillor read it added to the pleasure.

[Mount Prospect Public Library]

We've listened to Garrison Keillor's News from Lake Wobegon with our family on a cross country road trip, and we all loved it! My kids were middle-school age, and it was fun to see them catch the reasons why things were funny that they would have missed when they were younger. - Joyce

No matter what season you are road-tripping, there's a Keillor recording for you. Try one, try them all: Winter, Spring, Summer, or Fall!

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Favorite Quotes
• "That's the news from Lake Wobegon where all the women are strong, all the men are good looking, and all the children are above average."

• It was like I lived half my life waiting for life to begin, thinking it was somewhere off in the future, and now I'm thinking all the time about death.

• It was a moment of brotherhood for a boy, a boy filled with all those fears and doubts, to see that at least in cold weather all men are created equal.

Thoughts
• A few of the stories are hit or miss, but all of them are enjoyable in some capacity. They make me nostalgic for when I listed to A Prairie Home Companion in the car on my way home from church with my father.

• My favorites are Tomato Butt, Dog Days of August, and The Royal Family.

4.5 / 5

[Michael Patton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes I wonder if I'm being too generous with my stars. But I know just how hard it is to put something together. I know the hope, the doubt, the self-congratulation that ends in disappointment. Then looking back to try to see clearly just what was done, and what part was done right and what part was done wrong. I just realized...the process of creation sounds a lot like the process of living a life.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Listening to this as an audiobook was the BEST! Keillor’s stories are always funnier when he is doing the telling. Lake Wobegone is imaginary, and yet it is populated with people we all know and love. The neighbor next door, the kids at the park, the shopkeepers and pastors, teachers and town “characters”. Lots of laughter as you listen!

[Susanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know that Keillor himself is problematic but as a story teller of rural America, he remains unrivaled. I’ve been reading and listening his Lake Wobegone stories as long as I can remember and find they still remind me home.

[Bob · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to Keilor doing his live radio show, and like almost all "short story" collections, this one was uneven. Some very good, poignant stories, some rambling and silly, all about growing up in a small town in the 1950s and 60s. Overall, a good listening book

[Cynthia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listened to this in the car.....lots of opportunities to laugh out loud, & a unique version of the 'Christmas Story'. I probably smiled most of the way thru it.....I'd say....mostly delightful!

[Jon Barr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Where the women are strong, the men are good-looking, and the children are all above average.

[Liz Muehl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Garrison Keillor is quaint as always. Small town, local humor

[Stuart]

Classic stories including tomato toss, pump handle and others.

[Chad · Rating 5 out of 5]

A masterful story teller. Love these stories.

[Peter Nguyen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as Lake Wobegon Days.

[Rachel Hutcheson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charming, funny, fun, wonderful.

[Alexandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the singing.

[Rita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Filled with short stories about Lake Wobegon. Fun-filled Characters and situations.

[Luke Wiest · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another entertaining anthology of Lake Wobegon stories. Always brings me back to my own small town childhood. I wish there was a writer like this who could capture growing up in the 1970s and 80s.

[Laurel · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much nostalgia related to this - reminds me of riding in the car with my Dad as he listens to NPR - and GK is a superb storyteller - just the right amount of dry humor and wit.

[Stop]

Read the STOP SMILING interview with author Garrison Kiellor

The Midwesterner's Almanac: Garrison Kiellor
By James Hughes


(This interview originally appeared in the STOP SMILING Ode to the Midwest Issue)

Midway through A Prairie Home Companion, Robert Altman’s film adaptation of Garrison Keillor’s variety show that each weekend suspends over four million public radio listeners in the amber of small-town American life, Keillor (who also wrote the screenplay) addresses the full house at the Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul, Minnesota. Broadcasting live from the podium, Keillor announces the Midwest as a place where “it could be worse, and where we’re waiting for it to get worse.” Here, the 64-year-old author, humorist and rhubarb enthusiast continues the discussion on the ups and downs of life in the flatlands.

Stop Smiling: Schoolteachers will always be thankful for Minnesota, which produced the stapler, Scotch tape and F. Scott Fitzgerald. What must your home state do to assure a continued excellence in education and a thriving interest in the humanities?

Garrison Keillor: We are saddled with a charming idiot of a governor and a fleet of assistant idiots in the legislature who are killing education in this state, simply slicing its throat. We are on our way to becoming the Mississippi of the North. A high school teacher told me the other day that 10 years ago, his largest class was 29 students. Now his smallest is 34, of whom 8 have special needs and for whom he must draw up individual lesson plans. The starting pay for a teacher — once you subtract taxes, Social Security and health plan payments — is around $14,000 a year. This is a scandal. The state is in the hands of rednecks who want to bring back capital punishment and kill off public education. If there is excellence in education, it’s no thanks to Republicans.

Read the rest of the interview...

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wouldn't call it hilarious, but amusing enough to help pass the time.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection of stories from Keillor's fictional Minnesota hometown follow the theme of the different seasons. The best "season" CD, handsdown, is "Summer"...all the stories are hysterical, and many deal with Keillor's actual childhood, as well as his fictional neighbors. "Winter" is a close second, with many beautiful holiday stories, also equally funny and touching. "Spring" and "Fall" are good as well, but each have a story or two that focus more on serious topics than humor, and in my opinion, can only be listened to if in the right mood.

While I love the whole collection, even the more "serious" stories, here are my top 10 favorites overall:

10) "Guys on Ice" (Winter)
9) "The Living Flag" (Summer)
8) "Me and Choir" (Spring)
7) "Storm Home" (Winter)
6) "Darryl Tollerude's Long Day" (Fall)
5) "New Years" (Winter)
4) "Giant Decoys" (Fall)
3) "Thanksgiving" (Fall)
2) "James Lundeen's Christmas" (Winter)
1) "Tomato Butt" (Summer)

Great collection; a must for PHC and Garrison Keillor fans, and a great way to celebrate the seasons too!

[Kani · Rating 4 out of 5]

i only gave it a four cause i wanted it to keep going. it was too short; only one year. not only an amazing story teller, and accurate describer of midwest life, he has this way of telling stories like life is; with unfinished moments and little sighs as well as everyday events that have conclusions, or not. a lovely sunday afternoon drive in the country and laugh at our beautiful and oh so american foibles and strengths. ah...brings a tear to the eye~~

[Amy M. Mize · Rating 4 out of 5]

Library audiobook: I didn’t grow up in an NPR household, but I had still somehow heard of Garrison Keillor and his News from Lake Wobegon bits, so I was intrigued when this story collection popped up in my Libby app. I was expecting more comedy than poignancy, so I was surprised by the earnest, nostalgic tone. These stories really put me in mind of Thornton Wilder’s play, Our Town. Some stories were better (to me) than others, but they were all worth listening to.

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

An audiobook on cassette tape from the Library. One of his early compilations of his stories on cassette tapes. Copyright 1983. What a great story teller. Even today he continues to tell us about Lake Wobegon. What a creative guy to be telling stories about mythical people for the past 40 years.

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why have I never listened to Garrison Keillor before?!

[Scott · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not his best. Somehow I just didn't find the humor in most of these stories. Listen to a different compilation from Prairie Home Companion.

[Morgan Sohl · Rating 4 out of 5]

enjoyed listening to the audiobook.

[Aspen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun listen. I remember my dad getting this on cassette tapes and we listened on a road trip. Fun to hear again!