Leaving Rollingstone: A Memoir

by Kevin Fenton

In 1959, Kevin Fenton was born on a family farm overlooking Rollingstone, Minnesota—a tight-knit village founded by Luxembourgers and so Catholic that the parish school was the only school in town. The farm, and Kevin's memory, is filled with the closeness of his large family. Dennis, the oldest brother, drives everyone—rather dangerously—to school. His sisters dance to records in the afternoons. At bedtime, knock-knock jokes flow between the siblings' rooms. Kevin has the powerful sense of being born lucky.

Soon, however, the farm is lost; the school closed; the family fractured. The family's move from the farm, while not all bad, leaves Kevin yearning for Rollingstone and the old family home. He begins a sometimes self-destructive search for new ways to define himself—in friendship, in art, in words—that lasts well into adulthood. And while his losses are still grievous, he begins to see new circuits of possibility and rediscover old sources of strength.

Leaving Rollingstone, set in a time of major social change, is a portrait of the inevitability of loss and the power of choice, about how a big-city ad man and novelist reclaimed the enduring values and surprising vitality of his small-town boyhood.

Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction

208 pages, Hardcover

First published August 29, 2013

Reviews

[Jill Crosby · Rating 5 out of 5]

A 200-page memoir that resembles not so much a chronology of events, but of awareness; not so much a collection of stories but a more-poetry-than-prose bittersweet love letter directed to his past, squaring it with his perception of the present. There is peace-making going on in this book--peace between the author and his parents, his siblings, his schools, his hometown(s), and, ultimately, a defining peace between the author & his own faith.
He writes of "Leaving Rollingstone," but it is clear that the images, the lessons, the awakenings, the discoveries of Rollingstone---have never left him.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've looked at the genre of memoir for awhile, read more than a few, and wondered why it is that anyone would read a memoir by someone they didn't know or by someone not 'famous.'  After reading Leaving Rollingstone, I think I found my answer...to learn a little more about one's self.  And when you can do so with words so deliciously put together, such as Fenton's, it makes the self-discovery a joy.

Now I have to admit, despite my preceding paragraph, I do know Kevin, though I definitely learn a little about him (and myself) in this book.

Kevin's ability to get right to the heart of an emotion or evoke a memory through words is unparalleled.  It is savory.  There was a part of me that wanted to flash read the book -- to get through it quickly because I so wanted to read the next portion.  But there was another part of me that only wanted to read a little bit each day, to let his words linger with me because they are so carefully chosen and decidedly well used.  It is poetic, in all the best sense of the word.

The book emcompasses a great deal of Kevin's life...from early days on the farm in Rollingstone, through a period of alcoholism, to his life in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis/St. Paul and working in advertising.  And while there is a great deal of sticking to a chronological timeline, this is not a chronological biography.  He sets this up, showing how early influences act as pillars to what he will become; each moment defines us, and by looking back, we can see how the present has been shaped.

There is a strong sense of nostalga, and Kevin even writes:

I am nostalgic.  I wrote this memoir because I have a crush on the past.  I love the game Twister; streamlined toasters and ottomans with atomic/cocktail motifs; TV shows such as Laugh-In, The Avengers, Get Smart, and Batman; the originals of the movies Charade and Ocean's 11; and the music of Dave Brubeck and Stan Getz.

And this book appeals because Kevin isn't the only one with such a crush.  Those who grew up in the sixties and seventies have all come to a period in their lives when reflection waxes notalgic.  There is a reason so many movies and television shows are sad homages to the past -- those in charge have reached that age of reflection and often look to reliving a glorified past.  But you can't recreate old glory, you can only unintentionally mock it, or you can reflect on it, as Kevin does.

I've known Kevin since our high school days.  He has always been one of my favorite poker-playing friends (our poker days were not so much about playing cards but a means to sit with good friends and talk).  Yet I learned much about him through this memoir.  And, as I mentioned earlier, by learning about Kevin, I've learned some things about myself and my own history.

Leaving Rollingstone is an homage to a gentle past that gave way to a turbulent time in a man's life, and we understand that we all are leaving something, but that leaving something means a coming in to something else.

Looking for a good book?  This is a beautifully written memoir that evokes strong emotions and memories in all of us.

This review originally published in the blog Looking For a Good Book.

[Daryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first read the manuscript of Leaving Rollingstone more than a year ago. I devoured it in one night, in one sitting. I couldn't get enough. After picking up the published hardcover version, I decided to read it at a much slower pace, only a chapter or two a day, taking my time and savoring it. I'm glad I did. It certainly doesn't hurt that I know pretty much everyone who's mentioned in this book (and I myself get no fewer than four mentions - thanks, K), but I think even if I didn't, I would be blown away both by the writing here and the stories K relates of childhood, teenage years, and adulthood. The movie that plays in my head as I read is, in this case, in high definition and widescreen. Kevin's details and descriptions are beyond amazing. Occasionally, a short phrase will be tossed off like it's nothing, but reveals a depth of not only literary mastery, but real life, real world, observation: "Linus's (of Peanuts fame)vigil for the Great Pumpkin was Waiting For Godot for eight-year-olds." In describing a bar visited while a child, Kevin mentions "sand-weighted tartan ashtrays." I remember those, and I can see them now. A simple three-word phrase brings to vivid life something that I would likely have struggled to describe in a couple of sentences. Reading this memoir slowly, I was continually struck by the beauty, the poetry, of the writing -- every phrase is meticulously put together to bring the prose to life. And the story he tells is by turns heart-rending, humorous, touching, and sad. (I found myself smiling a lot as I read, but when I described things in the book to my partner, she thought it sounded "really sad.") I've known Kevin for many years, for three-fourths or more of my life, but I didn't know him in his Rollingstone and Minnesota City days described here. That this book could provide me such insight into someone I know so well speaks to its universality and the power of its prose.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the beginning of this book. Fun observations and remembrances of the 60's and 70's. There is struggle and loss being dealt with but as a child he was somewhat insulated from the harsh realities until he was much older. As he reflects back, he sees events from his parents perspective and realizes the stresses they were dealing with during these blissful times in his memory. He also sees how certain preoccupations during his childhood were glimpses into his future career choice. He deals with the early loss of his father and remembers the men he would later recognize as father figures. He writes, "Thinking back on the influence of these men--who may not have even known I existed--it's daunting and encouraging to realize how a good life can resonate in ways you can't predict with people you may never even meet." One of many insightful observations from this honest and introspective writer. My one complaint would be that his writing gets a little bogged down at the end of the book, less remembrances and more critique of writers and people who influenced him for better or worse. Still a book I would definitely recommend for others.

[John Benson · Rating 4 out of 5]

While it would seem like a memoir of someone who works in advertising would not be that interesting of a read, this one is very good. Kevin Fenton explores the three key almost adjoining towns of his childhood--Rollingstone, Minnesota City, and Winona, MN--and the impact these places had on his life. He writes movingly of his disabled father, his hardworking mother and brother who tried to keep food on the table and the farm near Rollingstone going. The author has many profound insights. I also liked reading it as he is a man very close in age to me (55).

[Lainey · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author mentions reading a book in which (& I'm paraphrasing here") he completely identifies with the author & said author seemed like someone he would have hung out with when he was younger, but by the end of the book he was completely sick of him. Bingo! I felt exactly the same about this book- not sure if that means I liked it or I didn't. I too get nostalgic over the smell of cow shit...sheesh:(

[Deb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fenton is a talented writer and there were parts of the book that I enjoyed, but how full of yourself do you have to be to write your memoirs??? Apparently quite so, and by the end of the book the egotism got downright annoying.

[Nate · Rating 1 out of 5]

Didn't pass the veto test but it was a stylistic veto rather than a content.