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Blueberry Summers: Growing Up at the Lake
"I would begin thinking about summer on our lake as early as Easter. Yes, it was our lake, not just the lake."
In this classic story of a midwestern boyhood, Curtiss Anderson takes readers into the colorful lives of his robust Norwegian family and their wonderfully familiar summerscape in northern Minnesota: the lake place. Sweet childhood reminiscences comprise this coming-of-age memoir set in the poignant summers of the 1930s and '40s. Conversations on the porch with Dear Old Aunt Ingabord, a heavily accented relative from the Old Country. A budding romance and heartbreak with young Sarah, who lived across the lake. Wild blueberry picking behind Turnaround Island. Joyful tales devoted to cherished dogs he had outlived–old Shep and Mickey, Nebby, and feisty Bunny. And fond memories of Clara and Leigh, the loving couple who treated the budding writer as if he was their own child.
Anderson revisits the notes and letters he scripted as a boy, originally recorded on his hand-me-down Underwood typewriter–his first foray into what would become a distinguished publishing career–to offer Blueberry Summers. Here, the nationally recognized magazine editor offers a funny and warm story of experiences that inspire the imagination.
Curtiss Anderson
is a writer and editorial consultant. He has enjoyed an illustrious career with Hearst Magazines and Better Homes and Gardens and as editor in chief of Ladies Home Journal. He lives in Tiburon,
California, with his wife, Anne.
From the Wall Street Journal, Coming of Age at Lakeside,
By ALLAN CARLSON
June 7, 2008
My summers have almost always meant a trip to Minnesota lakes: for my first 15 years, to Leech Lake; for the 40-plus since, to Lake of the Woods or the Boundary Waters canoe country. The landscape is on the edge of the Canadian Shield, defined by rough granite outcrops, birch and pine trees, bogs, and lakes carved deep by the glaciers. Most of the lakes are connected by streams or old Indian portages.
The year-long residents of this area are mostly the descendants of Swedes and Norwegians, with an occasional Dane or Finn providing diversity. The churches are mostly Lutheran. Remnants of the old languages survive in town festivals ("Uff Da Burgers"), cuisine (the formidable lutefisk) and backwoods bars where "Skl!" remains the favored salute.
Returning each summer has been, for me, more than a homecoming. As my own son, standing on our favorite island in Lake of the Woods, put it at age 12: "Here is the place where I come alive."
In "Blueberry Summers," a memoir, Curtiss Anderson also describes "the transformation that occurred when I arrived at the lake." In satisfying detail, he narrates life in and about an old farmhouse on a northeastern Minnesota chain lake during the 1930s and early 1940s. Mr. Anderson, a former magazine editor and writer, has a novelist's flair for framing characters.
There is Leigh Johnson, his father's best friend, who became more than a second father to the permanently towheaded boy. Leigh was a meticulous man who knew the lake country as well as any Indian guide. A skilled fisherman, he remarked that "God doesn't count the hours fishing."
There is Clara, Leigh's wife, mistress of the kitchen, whose love of life took form in her potato salad, exquisite doughnuts and Blue Boy Pie (combining wild blueberries, raspberries and blackberries). Though young Curtiss never saw his own parents touch each other, Clara and Leigh "were quite sexy in a cozy sort of way."
There is Uncle Skoal, blond, handsome and scampish, who sported a wooden leg from a chain-saw accident. Commenting on Skoal's favorite pastimes, Aunt Dora concluded that "women would finish in a dead heat with gin." There is Great Aunt Ingeborg, an ancient Norwegian who became young Curtiss's "constant, endearing, and bewitching companion" as he recuperated from an accident. She talked of her wayfaring husband, Nels, who had been an iron miner and a pilot on Lake Superior ore boats.
And there are the Schumachers, a refugee family with 12 children that had fled the Nazis, settled in a ramshackle farm across the lake and protected a secret. This family "grew, sewed, farmed, fished, trapped, or shot practically everything they ate or owned." Curtiss is drawn to Sarah, the eldest daughter, a horse-loving girl with exotic eyes and "velvety black hair."
This little book is full of diverting tales. During a canoe trip, Curtiss catches a 10-pound walleye, puts it on a stringer in the water and then loses this great prize to ravenous turtles. (My own 9-pound, 6-ounce walleye, hooked at Leech Lake when I was 5, suffered an equally tragic fate.) Curtiss's and Skoal's illegal "catch" of a near-record 60- pound carp leads to white lies and notoriety.
"Blueberry Summers" has a dark side. Mr. Anderson explores his troubled relationship wi...
In this classic story of a midwestern boyhood, Curtiss Anderson takes readers into the colorful lives of his robust Norwegian family and their wonderfully familiar summerscape in northern Minnesota: the lake place. Sweet childhood reminiscences comprise this coming-of-age memoir set in the poignant summers of the 1930s and '40s. Conversations on the porch with Dear Old Aunt Ingabord, a heavily accented relative from the Old Country. A budding romance and heartbreak with young Sarah, who lived across the lake. Wild blueberry picking behind Turnaround Island. Joyful tales devoted to cherished dogs he had outlived–old Shep and Mickey, Nebby, and feisty Bunny. And fond memories of Clara and Leigh, the loving couple who treated the budding writer as if he was their own child.
Anderson revisits the notes and letters he scripted as a boy, originally recorded on his hand-me-down Underwood typewriter–his first foray into what would become a distinguished publishing career–to offer Blueberry Summers. Here, the nationally recognized magazine editor offers a funny and warm story of experiences that inspire the imagination.
Curtiss Anderson
is a writer and editorial consultant. He has enjoyed an illustrious career with Hearst Magazines and Better Homes and Gardens and as editor in chief of Ladies Home Journal. He lives in Tiburon,
California, with his wife, Anne.
From the Wall Street Journal, Coming of Age at Lakeside,
By ALLAN CARLSON
June 7, 2008
My summers have almost always meant a trip to Minnesota lakes: for my first 15 years, to Leech Lake; for the 40-plus since, to Lake of the Woods or the Boundary Waters canoe country. The landscape is on the edge of the Canadian Shield, defined by rough granite outcrops, birch and pine trees, bogs, and lakes carved deep by the glaciers. Most of the lakes are connected by streams or old Indian portages.
The year-long residents of this area are mostly the descendants of Swedes and Norwegians, with an occasional Dane or Finn providing diversity. The churches are mostly Lutheran. Remnants of the old languages survive in town festivals ("Uff Da Burgers"), cuisine (the formidable lutefisk) and backwoods bars where "Skl!" remains the favored salute.
Returning each summer has been, for me, more than a homecoming. As my own son, standing on our favorite island in Lake of the Woods, put it at age 12: "Here is the place where I come alive."
In "Blueberry Summers," a memoir, Curtiss Anderson also describes "the transformation that occurred when I arrived at the lake." In satisfying detail, he narrates life in and about an old farmhouse on a northeastern Minnesota chain lake during the 1930s and early 1940s. Mr. Anderson, a former magazine editor and writer, has a novelist's flair for framing characters.
There is Leigh Johnson, his father's best friend, who became more than a second father to the permanently towheaded boy. Leigh was a meticulous man who knew the lake country as well as any Indian guide. A skilled fisherman, he remarked that "God doesn't count the hours fishing."
There is Clara, Leigh's wife, mistress of the kitchen, whose love of life took form in her potato salad, exquisite doughnuts and Blue Boy Pie (combining wild blueberries, raspberries and blackberries). Though young Curtiss never saw his own parents touch each other, Clara and Leigh "were quite sexy in a cozy sort of way."
There is Uncle Skoal, blond, handsome and scampish, who sported a wooden leg from a chain-saw accident. Commenting on Skoal's favorite pastimes, Aunt Dora concluded that "women would finish in a dead heat with gin." There is Great Aunt Ingeborg, an ancient Norwegian who became young Curtiss's "constant, endearing, and bewitching companion" as he recuperated from an accident. She talked of her wayfaring husband, Nels, who had been an iron miner and a pilot on Lake Superior ore boats.
And there are the Schumachers, a refugee family with 12 children that had fled the Nazis, settled in a ramshackle farm across the lake and protected a secret. This family "grew, sewed, farmed, fished, trapped, or shot practically everything they ate or owned." Curtiss is drawn to Sarah, the eldest daughter, a horse-loving girl with exotic eyes and "velvety black hair."
This little book is full of diverting tales. During a canoe trip, Curtiss catches a 10-pound walleye, puts it on a stringer in the water and then loses this great prize to ravenous turtles. (My own 9-pound, 6-ounce walleye, hooked at Leech Lake when I was 5, suffered an equally tragic fate.) Curtiss's and Skoal's illegal "catch" of a near-record 60- pound carp leads to white lies and notoriety.
"Blueberry Summers" has a dark side. Mr. Anderson explores his troubled relationship wi...
- GenresNonfiction
200 pages, Hardcover
First published May 15, 2008
4 people are currently reading
25 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
September 11, 2012
Blueberry Summers: Growing up at the Lake is a charming book that just about everyone can relate to on some level if you grew up in Minnesota. Since there are lakes in abundance practically everyone spends time at a lake with family and friends at one time or another. Curtiss Anderson shares his coming of age experiences with us through his stories about his Norwegian family as they spend their summers at the lake in a primitive farmhouse; no electricity or indoor plumbing. The stories are laugh out loud funny at times and deeply emotional at other times. One reviewer stated that the book isn´t a page turner, but I have to respectfully disagree because so many of the carefully crafted characters reminded me of people I knew when I was growing up and brought back happy memories for me. If you are looking for a book about life in simpler times I think you would enjoy reading this book as much as I did.
August 28, 2016
When summer nostalgia hits you grab a nostalgic summer memoir, lean back with an iced tea and enjoy. A few of the entries were especially fun. Being a Minnesota transplant from across the border, I found the chapter regaling the wonderfulness of the white buffet.....lutefisk, lefse, and myriad offerings bleached and served up on Sunday family gatherings particularly amusing-----reminiscent of Garrison Keillor's folksy Scandinavian/Lutheran community hijinks in Minnesota we loved listening to on Sunday evenings. Walton-esque family dynamics images emerged as well.
A favorite: "At the lake, I always wore a bathing suit under my pants even when I went to Sunday School. In Minnesota you never know when you might go swimming." The lakes are always beckoning.....
A favorite: "At the lake, I always wore a bathing suit under my pants even when I went to Sunday School. In Minnesota you never know when you might go swimming." The lakes are always beckoning.....
November 16, 2019
I didn’t expect the ending. Maybe because I write novels and stories I think that gives me the right to guess endings without looking or reading book reviews? Sometimes it’s intriguing to try and figure out an ending. I won’t spoil the ending for anyone who wants to read the book because it is definitely worth the time. I enjoyed how the relationships enriched his life and experiences. I don’t know if this book would make me long for “the good old days” because then we wouldn’t be where we are today but there is always value in looking back and seeing where we came from and where we are and reflecting on the memories. Nice read.
November 26, 2020
If you are Norwegian and spent summers in northern Minnesota, this book is for you. If you were young in the 1940’s, then it is even more nostalgic and enjoyable. It certainly brought back some great memories.
August 11, 2009
This book was given to me by John for my 70th birthday. It was very special because I loved to pick blueberries most summers in MN with my father when I was a child. They are precious wonderful memories. I also loved the authors memories of his early years spending summers at their lake place. Oh how I loved vacations at resorts with the family. Blueberries also are significant to me in that when my father died of a heart attack while mowing the lawn I phoned a friend who I met at a church my last year of seminary. My supervisor minister at the Glencoe Union Church introduced my to him. Matt was a healer and I phoned him when dad died. He prayed and connected with him. After the funeral I spoke to Matt and he said he had said the Lord's Prayer with dad as he was making his transition to the next world. What Matt got from the connection was BLUEBERRIES. And I knew he had connected because there is no way he knew anything about dad. BUT dad knew this message would tell me he was in Spirit and on his way to heave.
August 8, 2012
This book is very special to me because I experienced many very similar adventures and life stories as a child spending summers with grandparents at their cabin on lake in Atkin Co. Mn. although not exact, many of the stories and circumstances written were very similar to many of my own and bring so many great childhood memories of summers at the cabin. Thanks for the Great read Curtiss !! It was one of those can't put it down books for me...
July 8, 2008
At first I felt frustrated reading it. I wished the author had given more details and completed stories instead of subdued descriptions. Of course, this is part of the Scandanavian culture. But by the end of the book, his reminiscies and stories fell into place for an emotional nonsappy conclusion.
June 24, 2018
This short collection of stories from a Lake cabin in the north woods brought back some of my favorite memories of my own summers spent with my family at our lake property in Wisconsin. It was fun to read for the nostalgia aspect. However, it was quite bland and the short stories were mostly separate and incohesive to one another, so I didn’t enjoy the writing too much.
July 3, 2008
Enjoyable tales of long-ago summers. It wasn't a "can't put it down" book, but it made for nice lunchtime reading.
July 31, 2009
Summers in Minnesota! He does an excellent job of capturing his 8-yr old self and makes the reader nostalgic for a less-complicated time.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews