The Wizard of Loneliness

by John Nichols

"John Nichols has remarkable insight into life's crazy blend of comedy and tragedy. . . . Pure pleasure to read." ― New York Times Book Review It's World War II, and young Wendall Oler has been sent to stay will his father's family in rural Stebbinsville, Vermont. Using this opportunity to act out his resentment for the death of his mother and his father's leaving to fight in the war he does all he can to tyrannize his new family. Yet, thrown into the warmth of this country family, Wendall finds his resolve softening.

Genres: Fiction, Coming Of Age, Historical Fiction

324 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1960

About the author

John Nichols is the author of the New Mexico trilogy, a series about the complex relationship between history, race and ethnicity, and land and water rights in the fictional Chamisaville County, New Mexico. The trilogy consists of The Milagro Beanfield War (which was adapted into the film The Milagro Beanfield War directed by Robert Redford), The Magic Journey, and The Nirvana Blues.

Two of his other novels have been made into films. The Wizard of Loneliness was published in 1966 and the film version with Lukas Haas was made in 1988. Another successful movie adaptation was of The Sterile Cuckoo, which was published in 1965 and was filmed by Alan J. Pakula in 1969.

Nichols has also written non-fiction, including the trilogy If Mountains Die, The Last Beautiful Days of Autumn and On the Mesa. John Nichols has lived in Taos, New Mexico for many years.

Reviews

[David Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a beautifully written, heartfelt story of a young boy near the end of WW2, living with his grandparents in small-town Vermont. Lyrical and poetic descriptions of the external weather, as well as the interior storms of its characters, I felt drawn in to the wonderful development of each of the characters, major and minor. I am used to a more cynical writing style from John Nichols, but little is present in this novel in which each of its characters is a protagonist, searching to make sense of life and their own decisions.

I enjoy Nichols' writing very much, but this (his second) may be my favorite of his novels.

I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys good writing and who desires to take a closer look at their own humanity.

[Mark Franklin · Rating 2 out of 5]

There was some wonderful writing in this book. However, I am getting sick of reading folksy, white American literature that totally omits the fact that there are black people living in America. Being set in Vermont, I know there wouldn't have been many black characters to draw from especially in the 1940s but there was not a single mention of anyone other than lily white Americans, even though the 2nd world war was on involving so many nationalities.

[Michele · Rating 5 out of 5]

A glimpse into American life in the Northeastern U.S. during World War II. The writing is so descriptive. I can't believe the author was only 25 when he wrote it....

[John Benson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Most of John Nichols's books take place in New Mexico where he moved in 1968, but this one was written before that move when he was only 26. The story takes place in a small Vermont town during World War II. Wendell has been living with his mother in New York City while his father is fighting in Europe. Wendell's mother dies and he is sent as a 10-year old to go live with his father's parents and a mishmash of different family members. He feels like a misfit and he gets to know the other misfits in town. Soon, however, the book brings out the loneliness of all the characters from Wendell''s jovial grandfather and the saddest characters. I found the book hard at first but then moved into liking the realistic way he brought out all the different people in the family and town, but I felt like the story arc fell apart some in the end.

[Sally Andrews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wendell loses his mother to death and his dad goes off to war. He rides a train to live with grandparents, and meets a stranger on the train who will become part of the story. Wendell arrives with a chip on his shoulder and a desire to be lonely and unhappy. Slowly, the crazy ways of the family he has inherited wins him over, and he realizes that home is not necessarily the four walls where you live, but the people who live in your heart.

Great read!

[Bill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Childhood’s mysteries revealed

The war transformed lives and for a pre-teen child, it was a time of shifting emotions. Worry over family members overseas in the fight often put a youngster in trouble when an inappropriate word dropped like bomb amid adults who were on edge. This novel captures those immature feelings very well but the adults here too often are thin and blend into the background as “characters” rather than real folks.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slightly odd combo of nostalgic tale of a young boy’s small town life during WWII with an edge of depression, PTSD, and family dysfunction. That edge made this folksy tale more interesting and modern (it was as written in the late ‘60s), as did the bittersweet ending. I would have given this 4 stars with a few less dream sequences…by the end, I was like “enough with the dreams already!”

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice old-fashioned read - I could have done with fewer fantasy scenes from the main character - but the story of family and fitting in could be enjoyed by anyone.

[Maaike · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF: 30%

[Hatseflats · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a beautiful story! This one made me cry.

[Kristopher Tardy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very, very well written. Insane the author was 25 at the time.

[Suzy · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my all-time favorites. I reread it every few years. 10-year-old Wendall Oler is a strange and unhappy child. When his mother dies and his father goes to fight in WWII, Wendall is shipped off to Stebbinsville, Vermont to live with his father's family -- his wisecracking generous grandfather, penny-pinching no-nonsense grandmother, an aunt and uncle, his young cousin Tomas, and a cast of the kind of Characters (with a capital c) who always inhabit small towns. During the year and a half that he lives in Stebbinsville, Wendall learns what it means to be loved and how to love in return. Throughout the book there is also a parallel story of Stebbinville's golden boy, Duffey Kahler, who went off to war, was shot down and presumed dead, but returns to town at the very same time that Wendall arrives. On the surface The Wizard of Loneliness is sunny and nostalgic, but it also probes deeper into the Oler family who, despite their shortcomings and sometimes utter dysfunction, in the end give Wendall exactly what he needs to be whole. This is a really lovely book. At the time it was published (1966) critics predicted that it would be a classic, like Catcher In the Rye. It never made it to that status. There was a disappointing movie adaptation in 1988 that it might be best to avoid. Enjoy the book.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

How do you rate a book that is so well written that it makes you feel the depth of despair & futility of life in a small Vermont town during the end of WWII? I can't honestly say I liked the book, but I have to give it credit for being so believable. It seems that everyone is isolated, filled with anguish & melancholy. Now I feel that way, too. People are "fragile, barely hanging on." "No matter where you went, death in one form or another was the answer." Lord love a duck, as Frederick would say. How do I get rid of the depressed funk the book leaves me in?

Cast of characters:
Frederick (grandfather) is jovial, easy-going - to a fault.
Cornelia (grandmother) is strict, always worried, constantly complaining
Tom (cousin) looks up to Wendall
John T. (uncle) regrets not being able to serve
Sybil (aunt) Tom's mom, mourning loss of her husband
Bernie Aja (gardener & handyman)
Duffy Kahler (John's friend) not really killed in the war, but may as well have been
Marty Haldenstein (sickly hummingbird photographer) Utterly alone

[Mark · Rating 2 out of 5]

some people described this book as pure joy to read. I wouldn't say this was a pure joy--- it was more like a chore.

It might be a more interesting read to someone who didn't grow up in America wanting a taste of life during WWII in rural Vermont.

He has some interesting insights into the human condition but that happens way at the end of the book.
I was so glad to be finished with this book. Would I recommend it? yeah probably. I mean it wasn't bad.
I wonder how the movie is. ..?.

[Timi Carter · Rating 4 out of 5]

John is my cousin and this book is very personal for me so the rating is probably skewed, but still a good book.

[Joyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was chosen for a book club I participated in and what a great read. Something I would not have picked out. I would recommend it to others!

[Jo Ann Fishburn]

I'm having trouble gettiing started, so I was hoping someone else had read it. I get many book ideas from the Daedalus catalog, so maybe that's where I found this one.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

After the New Mexico trilogy, which I loved, I started reading Nichols' other books. Most have been disappointing. This is a great one, if somewhat melencholy ...

[Tam Dyer]

not in library - wonder books abebooks

[Leah Gramajo · Rating 5 out of 5]

It may seem slow at times but it is such a wonderful story.

[Jenny Dohner · Rating 2 out of 5]

very well-written, deep, thought-provoking, insightful.. but SO depressing. Maybe some would appreciate it more...