The New Woman: A Staggerford Novel

by Jon Hassler

Since 1977, Jon Hassler’s Staggerford series has entranced readers with its funny and charming depiction of life in small-town America. The New Woman is his latest visit to this Minnesota hamlet. At the age of eighty-eight, Agatha McGee has grudgingly moved out of her house on River Street and into the Sunset Senior Apartments. She’s not happy about giving up her independence, and Sunset Senior’s arts and crafts activities and weekly excursions to the Blue Sky Casino are hardly a consolation. Meanwhile two of her close friends pass away, her nephew Frederick is drifting into depression, and a kidnapped little girl has suddenly appeared on her doorstep. With characteristic poise and dignity, Agatha takes on her problems and finds that the bonds of friendship and family are still the key to happiness at any age. Affectionate and life-affirming, The New Woman is another delightful trip to a town with a soul as real as rural America itself.

Genres: Fiction, Literary Fiction

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Jon Hassler was born in Minneapolis, but spent his formative years in the small Minnesota towns of Staples and Plainview, where he graduated from high school. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in English from St. John's University in 1955. While teaching English at three different Minnesota high schools, he received his Master of Arts degree in English from the University of North Dakota in 1960. He continued to teach at the high school level until 1965, when he began his collegiate teaching career: first at Bemidji State University, then Brainerd Community College (now called Central Lakes College), and finally at Saint John's, where he became the Writer-in-Residence in 1980.

During his high-school teaching years, Hassler married and fathered three children. His first marriage lasted 25 years. He had two more marriages; the last was to Gretchen Kresl Hassler.

In 1994, Hassler was diagnosed with progressive supranuclear palsy, a disease similar to Parkinson's. It caused vision and speech problems, as well as difficulty walking, but he was able to continue writing. He was reported to have finished a novel just days before his death. Hassler died in 2008, at the age of 74, at Methodist Hospital in St. Louis Park, Minnesota.[1]

The Jon Hassler Theater in Plainview, Minnesota, is named for him.

Reviews

[booklady]

This is last book in Hassler's wonderful series. (sniff, sniff) I do not have it, so I may never read it, but then curiosity about Agatha and James may get the better of me... Hmmmmm... There is the library...

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

"The New Woman" is a coming-of-age novel.
The protagonist is Agatha McKee, and the age she has come to is 87. As the book opens, she has just moved from her longtime home into a senior apartment building, and she's not sure she likes it.
Hassler was one of those rare novelists who realized how interesting senior citizens are. We've probably had enough traditional coming-of-age novels to last until eternity, which won't prevent more from being written. But people in their 80s are simply more interesting than people in their teens. They've lived so much more life. I know I'm more interesting at 59 than I was at 19, and I'm sure I'll be more interesting yet at 79, should I live that long.
"The New Woman" isn't great literature, and some of the plot twists seem far-fetched. But the overall feel is genuine, and funny, and poignant.

[Deb · Rating 5 out of 5]

We love you Agatha. Hassler keeps his sense of humor about aging even though he is dealing with Parkinsons. Excellent reading.

[Jan Stanton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a typical Jon Hassler novel with rich, believable characters. Each one has a story to tell. I laughed, felt pity, and cried with some of the stories.

These are all independent people who needed others. It’s a story about faith and courage. We all need to feel that we have worth.
I liked Agatha’s statement at the end of the book “Well, I believe that range of motion applies to our psyches, as well as our bodies, Frederick. If we shut down parts of our thinking, we’ll never get them back….”

[Tisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read in one night. Story about Agatha who is 87 years old. She is a retired school teacher in Minnesota. She decides to move into the Sunset Senior Apartments when she had a scare home alone during a snow storm. I find out after the fact that this is the latest novel about Agatha and/or her neighbors in the town of Staggerford. I definitely want to read the others now. Very enjoyable stuff.

Found out reading these review that this is the authors last novel before he passed.

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book. I recently found out that it existed. I thought I had read all of his writings until I found this one. It is abut a woman of 87 who moves out of her house and into "senior" apartments and her adventures there. I am hoping this book is available in large print as most of the homebound readers I visit in my job will relate to her adjustments. Some funny and touching moments occur just as in real life.

[Claudia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having just finished my favorite Hassler novel, “Rookery Blues”, this book was a disappointment. “The New Woman” is Hassler’s final novel and ties together Staggerford’s loose ends. Agatha McGee is 87 years old and trying to adjust to living in the Sunset Senior Apartments. This plot is as tired as Agatha. Even Agatha’s aiding and abetting (after the fact) a kidnapping, lacks real vigor.

[Taylor Giannullo · Rating 1 out of 5]

Really boring.

[Mark Oppenlander · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jon Hassler returns one more time to the small Minnesota town of Staggerford, allowing his readers a last visit with his remarkable creation, Agatha McGee. Even at the age of 87 retired schoolteacher and dyed-in-the-wool spinster Agatha thinks that a retirement home is out of the question. But when an ice storm reveals her helplessness, she moves out of her house to the Sunset Senior center. She quickly learns that living with other senior citizens does not put an end to misadventures. Soon, she is dealing with an spurned lover, an attempted kidnapping, and the need to exhume a body. There's never a dull moment to Hassler's irrepressible heroine.

Hassler's strength as a novelist was always his ability to draw well-rounded but sympathetic portraits of small-town characters. Agatha McGee is probably his most well-known example. From her first appearance in 1977, she has been a difficult person. She sets high standards for her students, has strong opinions and preferences that she is not afraid to share, and judges her fellow citizens somewhat mercilessly. And yet, she is sympathetic. We love her and are rooting for her. I attribute this to Hassler's ability to show us her heart. He reveals to us the forces - of religion, time, loneliness - that have shaped her into what she is, and because of this we forgive some of her harder edges. We also see her self-doubt, a topic which has been explored some in other novels too (e.g. Dear James), and this allows us to take her bravado and forcefulness with a grain of salt.

The comedic episodes in this book are probably as good as any Hassler wrote in his career. This novel served, for me, as a sort of book-end to both Simon's Night, an earlier book about retirement living, and Staggerford, the tale that started it all. If I have any complaints, it may be that the ending of this story feels a bit less realistic than some of Hassler's greatest novels and moves toward the sentimental and cloying. On the other hand, after a dozen novels and 30 years in this town, maybe he has earned his happy ending.

If you've enjoyed the other Staggerford books by Hassler, do yourself a favor and make one last trip to this quirky little town. I don't think you'll regret it.

[Patsy · Rating 1 out of 5]

didn't finish
Since 1977, Jon Hassler's Staggerford series has entranced readers with its funny and charming depiction of life in small-town America. The New Woman is his latest visit to this Minnesota hamlet.At the age of eighty-eight, Agatha McGee has grudgingly moved out of her house on River Street and into the Sunset Senior Apartments. She's not happy about giving up her independence, and Sunset Senior's arts and crafts activities and weekly excursions to the Blue Sky Casino are hardly a consolation. Meanwhile two of her close friends pass away, her nephew Frederick is drifting into depression, and a kidnapped little girl has suddenly appeared on her doorstep. With characteristic poise and dignity, Agatha takes on her problems and finds that the bonds of friendship and family are still the key to happiness at any age. Affectionate and life-affirming, The New Woman is another delightful trip to a town with a soul as real as rural America itself.

[Katelyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. This was a fun, light, quick read. It follows Agatha as she reluctantly moves from her farmhouse to senior living apartments in fictional small town Staggerford, MN. She's instantly set upon by nosy neighbors and quickly moves back to her house, only to accept that she can't live by herself and must give the senior apartments another go.

I look forward to reading more in the Staggerford series. I think they'd be good books to get me out of a reading slump.

[Margaret Hoff · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 - Classic Jon Hassler. You get lulled into everyday life of normal people, but soon you realize there’s a lot going on. For some reason, though, it doesn’t feel like it. Kidnappings, disinterments, stolen cars; a swirl of activity but zero hype. Agatha just goes about correcting grammar and leading support groups. She teaches us that the elderly have a definite and important role in society. No need to become invisible- live out loud! Thank you, Agatha and Mr. Hassler!

[Kristi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first read Staggerford in the 1970's and it has remained one of my all time favorite books for 50 years. Considering the fact that now that I am retired and read more than 600 books a year, my love for Jon Hassler and his books is significant!! His novels and characters have heart and lessons that stay with you / me forever. It was fun to revisit the characters. I you have never read Staggerford, place an on-line order immediately. Kristi & Abby Tabby

[Randall J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet, episodic finish to the Staggerford series and Hassler's writing career. Trying to figure out the continuity of Hassler's stories will give you a headache, but if you don't let that worry you, this is a nice little book. I still wonder whatever happened to "Jay O'Malley", the book Hassler was said to have completed right before his death.

[Tessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I first met Agatha McGee over 25 years ago when I read my first Jon Hassler novel, A Green Journey. While The New Woman novel is not as rich as Hassler's earlier novels, including A Green Journey, I am still glad to have spent time again with Agatha McGee, even if in a simpler story.

[Lauren Woolery · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a sweet book about love, family, and forgiveness no matter the obstacles the characters face while it is death, frost bite or difficult relationships all make for a an enjoyable and sweet story set in Minnesota.

[Kendra Chubbuck · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good Book. I just don't want to get old! Agatha was a wonderful teacher in this book. The characters were certainly unique. A quick read.

[Linda Kenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pulled this book off of a bookshelf and fell in love with the cast of characters in this nursing home. I hope my old age is as full of friends.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I hadn’t read Hassler in years and had forgotten what a kind author he is to his characters.

[Debbie Swier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another wonderful story in the life of Staggerford and Agatha Mc Gee. Even as she ages, Hassler keeps Miss Mc Gee's character true.

[LisaZAnderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute!

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lynn's pick

[Joan M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Miss Agatha McGee at the age of 87 must reinvent herself so she feels she has a purpose in her life. She finds an interesting cast of characters at the Sunset Senior Apartments.

[C. · Rating 3 out of 5]

"The New Woman"
by Jon Hassler
(A Staggerford Novel)

Jon Hassler was born in Minnesota on March 30, 1933. Most of his writing was about small towns and of people in his home state. He was a teacher for many years before and while he wrote. His writing career lasted for over twenty years. He passed away on March 20th, 2008 of Parkinson disease.

Agatha McGee, an eighty-eight year old retired teacher, finds herself overwhelmed with the upkeep of her home and is hesitantly considering to move into a senior's residency in town. She had lately been feeling lonely and separated from the world, so she decides to make the move. Events like the sudden death of two of her most dear friends, her grand-nephew's state of mind and her unwilling involvement in a girl's kidnapping complicate her life; but at the same time, give her a sense of being alive and an awareness she felt she was losing. Ms McGee starts a small depression support group to help his nephew; but will it really work?
The story develops smoothly. You fall in love with this character and her many acquaintances, their lives and relationships and you will be gratified with the development of the plot.
An uplifting story about the elder, and friends. It may help us to better understand life in general.

[Ronna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jon Hassler has written a whole series of book about the mythical, middle-America, town of Staggerford. Agatha McGee first appeared as a staid , strict, but beloved sixth grade teacher. She never marries, and her "kids" where those children who passed through her classroom for more than 40 years. In this book, she is 87 years old, and is moving into the Sunset Senior Home.

At first, her lack of privacy and control makes her life uncomfortable, so she decides to move back into her old home. But a fall, without anyone around to help her, finds her deciding that the Sunset Senior Center is actually better for her. Through a series of interesting events, she ends up running a support group for a small group of people. More and more of her old students and new friends begin attending, and her new type of "teaching" reinvigorates her, even while it saps her strength and reserves. But, her spirit and soul are energized and she finds new joy in living.

Nice read. I enjoy these old books once in a while, though the old age aspect of this book was a bit depressing. Glad I read it though!

[Janet Leszl · Rating 5 out of 5]

When is the last time you read a novel whose main character is 87 years old? Opinionated retired schoolteacher, Agatha McGee, reluctantly becomes "the new woman" at a residential facility for senior citizens. Immediately the author draws you into caring for this diverse cast of characters. The plot is set in motion by a missing brooch which leads some residents to stow some "valuables" in a community shoebox. Later their lives are complicated by a debate over whether to disinter a body; at another point, what to do about a kidnapped child. The story in turns is touching, but many times is so funny you have to bite your lip to keep from laughing out loud.

[Joy H.]

Added 5/9/11.

I finished reading this book around July 2011. I enjoyed the story and the characters. The main character, Agatha McGee (87 years old), was drawn well. The book is an easy, pleasant read. It kept my interest but wasn't compelling. I read it at my leisure.

My only criticism is that the story names too many characters. They're easy to keep track of but I found it annoying having to keep track of so many minor characters.

The author, Jon Hassler, uses words well. He keeps them simple but they're a pleasure to read.

[Joan Horkey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, but nothing much happens.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you enjoyed the Mitford series you will surely enjoy the Staggerford series--by the gentle writer Jon Hassler of Minnesota the setting for this wonderful book.
Agatha, now retired, from a lifetime of teaching and being a principal, has moved into the Senior Sunset Assisted Living Home. It doesn't take long for her to decide that this is a mistake or is it.
Miss Agatha has always been a very influential person in Staggerford--
Are her days of importance over?
Enjoy.

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another charming novel by Hassler. Did not expect to care for it...life in a retirment home...how interesting is that? But it certainly kept my interest. The main character, Agatha McGee, seems like an old friend, since she has been in several other of Hassler's books. I love it that there are connections to events in previous stories. Agatha is a colorful character! Hope there are some like her when I go that kind of place!