Lake Wobegon Family Reunion: Selected Stories

by Garrison Keillor

Garrison Keillor has been delighting audiences for four decades now with heartfelt, moving, and downright hilarious tales from the shores of Lake Wobegon. Here, for the first time ever, "News from Lake Wobegon" monologues from the entire history of "the little town on the edge of the prairie" are presented in one collection. From early fan favorites "Bruno the Fishing Dog" and "A Trip to Grand Rapids" to more recent highlights such as "The Hochstetter House" and "The Arrival of Liz," "Lake Wobegon Family Reunion "brings together the friends, neighbors, and family members that listeners have embraced as their own.

Genres: Humor, Audiobook

300 pages, Audio CD

First published October 22, 2013

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

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Man, could he spin a tale. So sad to see him step down from Prairie Home Companion. His voice was a great part of my childhood and I'll miss him so.
"all the women are strong, all the men are good-looking and all the children are above average."

[Carla Hostetter · Rating 5 out of 5]

No one does a depiction of small town life better than Keillor. As he pokes gentle fun at the citizens of Lake Wobegon and their many peccadilloes, the listener can't but smile and laugh and nod at some of the characters that resemble those you know. My favorites:Bruno the Fishing Dog and The Lake Superior Canyon Project. Enjoy this wonderful recording.

[Jon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes I know he's been ostracized as of late, and I can't speak of the circumstances surrounding his being taken off the radio. What I will say is that he's a hell of a storyteller. He seems to be able to stir any response he wants to be it laughter, tears or that warm nostalgic feeling you get when looking at a simpler, slower way of life.

[Jeff J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun collection of monologues from Prairie Home Companion.

[Stuart]

It was great to hear the Bruno the dog story again, and the other monologues from the 80s and 90s.

[Pelican Rapids · Rating 3 out of 5]

well written--wasn't in the mood for this sense of humor

[Adrian · Rating 3 out of 5]

A set of short stories based on a series of radio programs set in a made-up town in the state of Minnesota. I had no idea this radio program existed or that Lake Wobegon was a made-up place yet I had so much fun listening to the speaker tell the stories of this little quirky town and the happenings that occur there. I did like the ending part most of all "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."

Out of all the stories compiled in this volume, the Human Flag was my favorite. In many ways, this is likely a predecessor to podcast like "Welcome to Nightvale"