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Love Me
Leaving his wife to pursue an idealized life as a writer, Larry Wyler finds his early successes quickly deteriorating and returns home to write for an advice column, through which he learns unexpected life lessons. 250,000 first printing.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published August 18, 2003
36 people are currently reading
532 people want to read
About the author
Garrison Keillor
281 books846 followersGary 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 174 reviews
July 21, 2013
Garrison Keillor may have fans in many mediums, but if Love Me is the standard, his writing isn’t one of them for me. Get the chainsaw ready.
Given it’s a Garrison Keillor read, the protagonist, Larry Wyler, is a middle-aged, white liberal with literary leanings in somewhat small town Midwest America. His wife, Iris, cares a lot for people, so, of course, Larry will leave her (though not divorce her) to pursue writer dreams in New York City. Along the way, he’ll be a stellar guy who’ll sleep around, have one successful novel, followed by a flop, followed by him taking a gig writing advice columns as Mr. Blue. There are some amusing subplots here, but it highlights something I’ve known for a long time: Humor is not enough for a good read.
Keillor is more witty than funny—kind of like a highbrow Nick Hornby. Instead it’s “The New Yorker,” where Wyler hangs out not writing. Yup, it’s as pretentious and boring as it sounds. There are fictional versions of famous writers and editors, plus a romanticization of the marriage between F. Scott Fitzgerald and his wife, Zelda. There’s just one problem: I know what the F in F. Scott Fitzgerald should stand for, as he basically made his wife bat crap crazy because she got favorable reviews on her books, too. (Of course, that part is skipped here.) There is an interesting mafia subplot late in the read, but Keillor makes it nonsensical and inconsequential so that he can get back to his boring failed writer/jerk married guy shtick. It’s the one plotline in the book that isn’t predictable and Keillor makes it stupid. Thanks, guy.
Outside of that, everything in Love Me is irritatingly predictable. Larry is all about being a tool; Iris is a good woman. You can figure out what will happen. As far as I’m concerned, Keillor can shove his casual misogyny in his monologuing pie hole. Take your 10 Lake Wobegon books with you; I don’t need any more of this lousy formula. One star.
Given it’s a Garrison Keillor read, the protagonist, Larry Wyler, is a middle-aged, white liberal with literary leanings in somewhat small town Midwest America. His wife, Iris, cares a lot for people, so, of course, Larry will leave her (though not divorce her) to pursue writer dreams in New York City. Along the way, he’ll be a stellar guy who’ll sleep around, have one successful novel, followed by a flop, followed by him taking a gig writing advice columns as Mr. Blue. There are some amusing subplots here, but it highlights something I’ve known for a long time: Humor is not enough for a good read.
Keillor is more witty than funny—kind of like a highbrow Nick Hornby. Instead it’s “The New Yorker,” where Wyler hangs out not writing. Yup, it’s as pretentious and boring as it sounds. There are fictional versions of famous writers and editors, plus a romanticization of the marriage between F. Scott Fitzgerald and his wife, Zelda. There’s just one problem: I know what the F in F. Scott Fitzgerald should stand for, as he basically made his wife bat crap crazy because she got favorable reviews on her books, too. (Of course, that part is skipped here.) There is an interesting mafia subplot late in the read, but Keillor makes it nonsensical and inconsequential so that he can get back to his boring failed writer/jerk married guy shtick. It’s the one plotline in the book that isn’t predictable and Keillor makes it stupid. Thanks, guy.
Outside of that, everything in Love Me is irritatingly predictable. Larry is all about being a tool; Iris is a good woman. You can figure out what will happen. As far as I’m concerned, Keillor can shove his casual misogyny in his monologuing pie hole. Take your 10 Lake Wobegon books with you; I don’t need any more of this lousy formula. One star.
August 4, 2019
Keillor captures the spirit and predicament of the struggling writer brilliantly in this spoof that mixes up time, real life characters and fictional ones, and yet delivers a tender love story that stays true to its title.
Larry Wyler strikes the big time with his debut novel and then hits the skids with his sophomore effort. In the meantime, success had led to a profligate life of booze and sexual flings, and a job at the New Yorker, where he is paid a handsome $3000 for his first 1500 word story (boy, he doesn’t know how good he had it, based on today’s price for a story, if indeed there is one today!) Time gets crunched and convoluted, for his New Yorker colleagues number Updike and Salinger, who both last worked at the venerable magazine in the 1940’s and 50’s respectively, while this story is happening in the ‘90’s from what I can make of it. The editor is the legendary William Shawn, known for his staffing methods of keeping promising writers on payroll for decades while they produced zip for the magazine. The rag is also being run by the Mafia who claim they killed those innocent people in Kansas so that Capote could write his bestseller, and who run a critiquing racket that nets them $195.49 per critique (that racket still runs today, except that it is not run by the Mafia anymore). Larry falls into the dreaded Writer’s Block at the magazine when Shawn casually declaims that Larry’s writing is too self-conscious and “girlish.” In the meantime, Larry’s long suffering wife Iris, herself a fierce defender of the downtrodden, pursues her various socialist causes back in St. Paul, Minnesota, waiting for Larry to grow up and return home.
In his blocked state, Larry discovers his true calling: working under the pseudonym of Mr. Blue and dolling out advice to troubled souls via an agony column in a St. Paul newspaper, as he hibernates in a New York apartment, drinks, and has sex with strays while waiting for the dreaded Block to clear. Very soon, formers lovers, friends, Iris, and even Larry himself start corresponding with Mr. Blue and receive replies! The correspondence of Mr. Blue comes to dominate the middle section of the novel, and Keillor cuts across middle class, Middle America, upending its neuroses that are usually hidden behind tranquilizers, church, booze and sex, all now revealed via Mr. Blue’s Happiness Quiz. Some people run their love lives with Mr. Blue as the fulcrum. Mr. Blue’s answers to the letters he receives convey the loneliness of the writer who sacrifices home to pursue fame in an impersonal city like New York.
Then of course, we must have the traditional Gunfight at the OK Corral ending, a given in American Literature it seems, and Keillor plays it up for maximum effort: Larry takes on the mob to save the New Yorker from extinction. The last bit of the book however, drags, when Larry “grows up” and returns to St. Paul to win back Iris’ trust. This is a long drawn out affair, for although Larry and Iris go to community events together and even have sex regularly (better the known devil than the unknown one!), they live separately, and Trust Regained takes as long to arrive as Writer’s Block to leave. This is also the most tender part of the book.
The humour however, is the best part, and Keillor flows with it: Larry describes himself alternatively as “Turgenev of the Tundra,” “Prairie Proust” and “Poor Man’s Maupassant”; Larry’s encounters with the nurse in the fertility clinic where he has to leave a “deposit” is hilarious; his verbal skirmishes with Mafia boss Crossandotti makes one squirm; and Larry landing in Alaska with Alana is mind bending. These are just a sampling of the outlandish situations in this book in which the prose brims with sarcastic wit.
I think I will read more of Garrison Keillor.
Larry Wyler strikes the big time with his debut novel and then hits the skids with his sophomore effort. In the meantime, success had led to a profligate life of booze and sexual flings, and a job at the New Yorker, where he is paid a handsome $3000 for his first 1500 word story (boy, he doesn’t know how good he had it, based on today’s price for a story, if indeed there is one today!) Time gets crunched and convoluted, for his New Yorker colleagues number Updike and Salinger, who both last worked at the venerable magazine in the 1940’s and 50’s respectively, while this story is happening in the ‘90’s from what I can make of it. The editor is the legendary William Shawn, known for his staffing methods of keeping promising writers on payroll for decades while they produced zip for the magazine. The rag is also being run by the Mafia who claim they killed those innocent people in Kansas so that Capote could write his bestseller, and who run a critiquing racket that nets them $195.49 per critique (that racket still runs today, except that it is not run by the Mafia anymore). Larry falls into the dreaded Writer’s Block at the magazine when Shawn casually declaims that Larry’s writing is too self-conscious and “girlish.” In the meantime, Larry’s long suffering wife Iris, herself a fierce defender of the downtrodden, pursues her various socialist causes back in St. Paul, Minnesota, waiting for Larry to grow up and return home.
In his blocked state, Larry discovers his true calling: working under the pseudonym of Mr. Blue and dolling out advice to troubled souls via an agony column in a St. Paul newspaper, as he hibernates in a New York apartment, drinks, and has sex with strays while waiting for the dreaded Block to clear. Very soon, formers lovers, friends, Iris, and even Larry himself start corresponding with Mr. Blue and receive replies! The correspondence of Mr. Blue comes to dominate the middle section of the novel, and Keillor cuts across middle class, Middle America, upending its neuroses that are usually hidden behind tranquilizers, church, booze and sex, all now revealed via Mr. Blue’s Happiness Quiz. Some people run their love lives with Mr. Blue as the fulcrum. Mr. Blue’s answers to the letters he receives convey the loneliness of the writer who sacrifices home to pursue fame in an impersonal city like New York.
Then of course, we must have the traditional Gunfight at the OK Corral ending, a given in American Literature it seems, and Keillor plays it up for maximum effort: Larry takes on the mob to save the New Yorker from extinction. The last bit of the book however, drags, when Larry “grows up” and returns to St. Paul to win back Iris’ trust. This is a long drawn out affair, for although Larry and Iris go to community events together and even have sex regularly (better the known devil than the unknown one!), they live separately, and Trust Regained takes as long to arrive as Writer’s Block to leave. This is also the most tender part of the book.
The humour however, is the best part, and Keillor flows with it: Larry describes himself alternatively as “Turgenev of the Tundra,” “Prairie Proust” and “Poor Man’s Maupassant”; Larry’s encounters with the nurse in the fertility clinic where he has to leave a “deposit” is hilarious; his verbal skirmishes with Mafia boss Crossandotti makes one squirm; and Larry landing in Alaska with Alana is mind bending. These are just a sampling of the outlandish situations in this book in which the prose brims with sarcastic wit.
I think I will read more of Garrison Keillor.
June 17, 2007
This is the classic example of a book to which I would love to give 3.5 stars. It's demonstrably superior to so many of my 3-star books, but somehow it lacks the importance, the personal relevance to merit that 4th star.
It is, however, wickedly and wryly funny. If you aren't accustomed to Keiller's sense of humor, it may be difficult to roll with his ironic punches at first; but as you become acclimated, your appreciation for his viciously novel jokes on the contemporary human condition only deepens. That being said, these accolades really only apply to the first and final thirds of the book. The middle drags; more importantly, by the end you feel as though you have been entertained, but nothing especially life-shattering has taken place.
It is, however, wickedly and wryly funny. If you aren't accustomed to Keiller's sense of humor, it may be difficult to roll with his ironic punches at first; but as you become acclimated, your appreciation for his viciously novel jokes on the contemporary human condition only deepens. That being said, these accolades really only apply to the first and final thirds of the book. The middle drags; more importantly, by the end you feel as though you have been entertained, but nothing especially life-shattering has taken place.
April 11, 2022
Read it c. 2007 or '08. Meh.
December 17, 2019
Well, okay, then. GK got that out of his system. Larry’s story is that of a million starry eyed people who go to NYC with stars in their eyes and their feet off the ground. He should have gone back to MN after a week,but he was having too much fun with ordinary, though famous people.
July 9, 2017
I like Garrison Keillor. He's a wonderful storyteller. Unfortunately, I found this to be "wretchedly dull", according to my notes.
August 27, 2011
This was in the "free to a good home" rack at the Drummond Island library, and I brought it to the cabin. It's a witty take on a not-so-nice story of a writer gone goofy with block, life issues, fleeting fame and dumb assedness. Iris is a plum character, and keeps Larry Wyler from being more irritating. Add some famous New Yorker writers flitting in and out of offices toting guns, actresses, and bottles of hootch, and it's a fun weekend read.
February 8, 2018
First, I wouldn't read this book until I were over 50. It would also help to have been married at least once. Second, I wouldn't read it if I were wound too tight, if sex and obscenity disturb me, even if described skillfully.
Keillor is a marvelous writer, and throws off more off-hand wit in a poem or paragraph than you or I could in a lifetime. His parodies of free verse are alone reason to find the book.
I wish Keillor had stopped writing "Love Me" about 20 pages before its ending. The bathos of the hero's medical problem and the slam on President Bush were unnecessary, in my opinion.
That said, no hesitation at all recommending this book.
Keillor is a marvelous writer, and throws off more off-hand wit in a poem or paragraph than you or I could in a lifetime. His parodies of free verse are alone reason to find the book.
I wish Keillor had stopped writing "Love Me" about 20 pages before its ending. The bathos of the hero's medical problem and the slam on President Bush were unnecessary, in my opinion.
That said, no hesitation at all recommending this book.
September 2, 2020
Hilarious tale of love, marriage, alcoholism and infidelity. Hemingway-esque with a bit of Midwest Lutheran. 5/5 would recommend.
November 19, 2022
Two and a half stars rounded up. Uneven. I’m not actually sure what story he was trying to tell. But I finished it.
December 1, 2014
I was once again amazed at how many "sub-stories" was included in the book, the immaculate detail in each of them, and how it all fused in the end. "The character, Larry Whyler, in the book “Love Me” says this about his wife: “I woke every morning in a prayerful state and Iris went off to help people in pee-stained pants who were pushing their shopping carts around, combing the Dumpsters for collectibles. She was their champion. She was bull dog on the phone. She was good at harassment. She stood up to the big cheeses in the blue suits. She fought for the underdog. After someone had been in a fight with Iris, he wasn’t anxious to go again… She took up the recorder and played in the Macalester Groveland Early Music Consort. She read Doris Lessing. We subscribed to the Whole Earth and attended Pete Seeger concerts and joined Common Cause and believed in people of all races and religions working together to make a decent world. We believed that, deep down, people really are good. Or she did. And I believed her.”
Then he becomes successful, moves to New York and his life takes a totally different direction, losing himself in fame, failure and then a renaissance of himself, his marriage and the goodness of what he left behind. His writing of the agony column as Mr.Blue, keeps him (unknowingly) afloat - a job his wife got him before he decided to enjoy his success which she never understood, or so he thought. Garrison Keillor himself is always present in the book though. He is not afraid to discuss his own failures and Achilles hill.
It is an enjoyable read if you appreciate Garrison Keiller's writing style. It's not the middle-of-the-road blockbuster bestseller rhetoric and he is not afraid to remain true to himself as well as the real people of America. There's nothing bogus about himself or his characters.
Then he becomes successful, moves to New York and his life takes a totally different direction, losing himself in fame, failure and then a renaissance of himself, his marriage and the goodness of what he left behind. His writing of the agony column as Mr.Blue, keeps him (unknowingly) afloat - a job his wife got him before he decided to enjoy his success which she never understood, or so he thought. Garrison Keillor himself is always present in the book though. He is not afraid to discuss his own failures and Achilles hill.
It is an enjoyable read if you appreciate Garrison Keiller's writing style. It's not the middle-of-the-road blockbuster bestseller rhetoric and he is not afraid to remain true to himself as well as the real people of America. There's nothing bogus about himself or his characters.
March 16, 2020
I can see why this was $1 at a used bookstore. I never abandon books partway through because I always have a hope that it'll get better. Well, I got to about page 55 and had to stop. The synopsis on the front cover had me interested, but the amount of erotic sexual fantasy content written by a 50 year old man-whose smug smile is on the back cover, frankly disgusted me. Plus, none of that was implied by the synopsis!
The plot itself was all over the place and I honestly found it pretty hard to follow. Time jumped back and forth and all of a sudden, the main character was having an affair with the lady from the sperm bank...
While I was reading, it occurred to me that the author probably ran out of ideas for his next best seller, so he just decided to take a Sex and the City-esque concept and twist it into some nasty porno. The writing wasn't even that good to be honest. Very choppy and pointed, with no place to go.
The only thing that kept me reading was the mention of Jane Addams at the beginning of the book (who is my favorite historical heroine), but even that wasn't enough to keep me reading to the end. I can confidently say that I will not pick this book up anytime soon and finish it; it's going straight back to the used bookstore where I got it.
The plot itself was all over the place and I honestly found it pretty hard to follow. Time jumped back and forth and all of a sudden, the main character was having an affair with the lady from the sperm bank...
While I was reading, it occurred to me that the author probably ran out of ideas for his next best seller, so he just decided to take a Sex and the City-esque concept and twist it into some nasty porno. The writing wasn't even that good to be honest. Very choppy and pointed, with no place to go.
The only thing that kept me reading was the mention of Jane Addams at the beginning of the book (who is my favorite historical heroine), but even that wasn't enough to keep me reading to the end. I can confidently say that I will not pick this book up anytime soon and finish it; it's going straight back to the used bookstore where I got it.
May 14, 2008
Funny and unusual novel by the old guy who does Prairie Home Companion on NPR. Keillor tells the (what seems to be semi-autobiographical) story of a Minnesota writer who coughs up one successful novel and leaves his wife to pursue his dream of writing for The New Yorker. Problem is, writer's block sets in as soon as he gets there and he never gets a single piece in the venerable publication. So he starts drinking and his wife-less life in NYC begins to unravel. Eventually, some absurd (and pretty funny) antics involving the Mafia and a vigilante gang of New Yorker writers end up driving him back to the Midwest.
Now, I can almost say I really enjoyed this book. It was amusing, weird, sometimes touching, and well-written to boot. My only complaint was the ridiculous amount of sex. Yuck. Dude. It wasn't explicit or anything, but there was a lot of it. Like, every single time this character copulated, we had to hear about it. And just knowing that this was written by a real philandering old dude just made it yucky. Otherwise, really a very nice book. Beautiful, even. And if you happen to be from Minnesota, you'll enjoy it all the more.
Now, I can almost say I really enjoyed this book. It was amusing, weird, sometimes touching, and well-written to boot. My only complaint was the ridiculous amount of sex. Yuck. Dude. It wasn't explicit or anything, but there was a lot of it. Like, every single time this character copulated, we had to hear about it. And just knowing that this was written by a real philandering old dude just made it yucky. Otherwise, really a very nice book. Beautiful, even. And if you happen to be from Minnesota, you'll enjoy it all the more.
April 4, 2011
In my opinion, Keillor is always a sure bet for some good slapstick humor and I do enjoy a heartfelt belly-laugh when I read his books. This one was no exception. Here, the protagonist publishes a best-selling novel and moves from his small Minnesota home to NYC where he joins other literary greats at The New Yoker magazine. Just as he starts to enjoy his newfound fame and fortune, he sinks deeply into despair because he develops writer's block and cannot write even an article for the magazine much less his second novel for which he already received a hefty advance.
So he is offered a job from his old hometown newspaper to write the advice column anonymously. As "Mr. Blue", he tells the lovelorn when to stay and when to leave their controversial counterparts. The advice column runs throughout the novel as a backdrop for his mid-life crisis, which is the real story here. I suspect it was a bit autobiographical, which made the self-deprecatory humor all the more fun. My only qualm with the book was the epilogue. I can't really decide what function it served and whether it enhanced or detracted from the story.
So he is offered a job from his old hometown newspaper to write the advice column anonymously. As "Mr. Blue", he tells the lovelorn when to stay and when to leave their controversial counterparts. The advice column runs throughout the novel as a backdrop for his mid-life crisis, which is the real story here. I suspect it was a bit autobiographical, which made the self-deprecatory humor all the more fun. My only qualm with the book was the epilogue. I can't really decide what function it served and whether it enhanced or detracted from the story.
May 25, 2007
i was profoundly disappointed by this book. I expect a lot more from garrison keillor. it was like a midlife crisis on paper, which is perhaps what he intended, but it wasn't very effective. the only saving grace was his merciless skewering of the new yorker, one of my favourite magazines, and something that can stand up to the roasting he gave it. I can't tell if his clever insults stemmed from affection, as it is with me, or loathing. either way, this book didn't move me enough to care.
September 3, 2015
This book is full of contradictions. It's funny in parts but the protagonist is an unredeemable jerk. There is no arc of growth for this character. He lets one stellar success go to his head and he's suddenly outgrown his life and his wife in Minnesota. But he manages to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory and goes home just in time for his wife to take care of him when he's diagnosed with an illness that will rob him of his livelihood. The writing is on point but the story rambles on and should have ended way before I it did. It's like hearing Christopher Walken read Dr. Seuss...the level of talent far exceeds the material
June 8, 2010
The thing I loved about this book was that I could hear Garrison Keillor's voice in my ear as I read it. It had all the breezy loveliness of the "new from Lake Woebegone" and also some honest-feeling and interesting insights into a decades-long marriage.
The thing I didn't love about this book was how much sex was in it. Now, I'm no prude and the love scenes were all described creatively/poetically as opposed to graphically, but it's just not something Garrison Keillor should be talking about (so much)! Especially when I'm hearing his voice in my ear. I just kept thinking "again?!"
The thing I didn't love about this book was how much sex was in it. Now, I'm no prude and the love scenes were all described creatively/poetically as opposed to graphically, but it's just not something Garrison Keillor should be talking about (so much)! Especially when I'm hearing his voice in my ear. I just kept thinking "again?!"
December 5, 2012
This book kind of bored me. I would have stopped reading it but when I start a journey with a character I like to see it through. The book never got better for me. The main character is so selfish, and only realizes all that he has when his life takes a turn for the worse. I felt no pity for him in the end and was glad when the book read "The End". Ok, maybe I felt a bit sorry for him because no one should have to go out that way, so slowly and knowing that life as you know it will change forever, but still I didn't feel any heartache over the turn of events for him.
August 31, 2013
Worth a read solely for the many clever euphemisms for sex.
But also a snarky and humorous novel with midwestern charm that chronicles the somewhat far-fetched adventures (and sexcapades) of a selfish writer who leaves wholesome MN for glittery NY and mafia-owned The New Yorker, and who realizes along the way that life and love is both bigger - and yet simpler - than he was making it. An enjoyable read -- especially for those of us with roots in Scandinavia, and who speak the language of selfless do-gooders, hot dish, and passive aggression.
But also a snarky and humorous novel with midwestern charm that chronicles the somewhat far-fetched adventures (and sexcapades) of a selfish writer who leaves wholesome MN for glittery NY and mafia-owned The New Yorker, and who realizes along the way that life and love is both bigger - and yet simpler - than he was making it. An enjoyable read -- especially for those of us with roots in Scandinavia, and who speak the language of selfless do-gooders, hot dish, and passive aggression.
May 31, 2008
I read this a couple of years ago and I enjoyed it very much. I think Keillor is like sipping whiskey...I read him slowly and savor his words and phrases. I think I also found this particular one of his to be satisfying because he makes no attempt to mask the fact that he's just another man (or person) stumbling along, trying to figure out what he's supposed to do. Just like the rest of us...
August 17, 2009
Love Me has its moments but I expected far more from my author of News From Lake Wobegon - which I love to hear every Sunday morning. It was shocking to hear him graphically discuss having sex - it's almost like having a parent talk about who did what to whom in the back seat of the Chevy while having dinner.
September 9, 2012
It's not often that I refuse to finish a book. This has the distinction of being one of those times. I found the main character to be totally unappealing. And after hearing an interview where Garrison Keillor said the character was a little autobiographical, I found myself unable to listen to The Prairie Home Companion anymore. Now that's a bad book.
April 29, 2010
I never thought I'd find a Garrison Keillor book I didn't love, until this book. It seemed like a cross between autobiography and wishful thinking; the main character makes all kind of mistakes in life, most of them parallel to the mistakes GK has made, but he gets a miraculous second chance.
July 10, 2015
What a shame- you can't give negative stars. Hours of my life I am never getting back. The description says this book is "hilarious" which is a big fat lie.
Thankfully I borrowed it from the library- I am tempted to leave a note in the first page to warn future readers.
Thankfully I borrowed it from the library- I am tempted to leave a note in the first page to warn future readers.
May 3, 2012
Too funny. Very different for Keillor but, excellent none-the-less
May 31, 2019
Keillor Details a Writer's Life
Not everybody is a fan of Garrison Keillor. But nobody can deny that there is charm and sentimentality to his writing. If you are only familiar with his radio work you will find that, on the written page, he isn't much different. Well, perhaps he is a little more risque but still in a tame way.
This is the story of a person who marries young, soon has success as a writer and moves from a small town in Minnesota to New York City while his wife remains behind. To say it is a rags to riches to rags (to riches) story would be accurate but would completely miss the point. It is actually more like The Wonderful Wizard of Oz - a story that slowly reveals that everything the protagonist wishes for was at home in Minnesota.
Even if I were to include every single plot point this story would not be spoiled. You don't read Keillor for plot; you read him for the gentle humor, the nostalgia of his style and the poetry of his language.
I enjoyed this work immensely. My guess is that if you are approaching 50 years of age or are older you will love it too. And if you are younger you should give it a try. If it doesn't suit your taste put it away and come back to it in ten years. You will be amazed at how much better it got while sitting on the shelf!
Not everybody is a fan of Garrison Keillor. But nobody can deny that there is charm and sentimentality to his writing. If you are only familiar with his radio work you will find that, on the written page, he isn't much different. Well, perhaps he is a little more risque but still in a tame way.
This is the story of a person who marries young, soon has success as a writer and moves from a small town in Minnesota to New York City while his wife remains behind. To say it is a rags to riches to rags (to riches) story would be accurate but would completely miss the point. It is actually more like The Wonderful Wizard of Oz - a story that slowly reveals that everything the protagonist wishes for was at home in Minnesota.
Even if I were to include every single plot point this story would not be spoiled. You don't read Keillor for plot; you read him for the gentle humor, the nostalgia of his style and the poetry of his language.
I enjoyed this work immensely. My guess is that if you are approaching 50 years of age or are older you will love it too. And if you are younger you should give it a try. If it doesn't suit your taste put it away and come back to it in ten years. You will be amazed at how much better it got while sitting on the shelf!
November 12, 2018
Oh, how did I miss this one? A Minnesota writer, Larry Wyler, publishes a top-of-the-line novel and bursts into the hallowed halls of the great New Yorker Magazine. He is in heaven, the dream come true, and scurries off to the Big Apple, leaving his beloved wife, who is perfectly happy back in St. Paul. Writer's Block rears up like the Berlin Wall, and a wild adventure begins. For those who have loved this magazine as long, or longer, than we loved the tales from Lake Wobegon, hop on board this jolly satire, with twists and turns and advice from Larry's paying job, that of Mr. Blue, the Dear Abby of St. Paul. Sometimes you may want to give him a good shake, but it will be between the satirical laughs and outrageous little intrigues.
June 24, 2025
Picked this up for $1 at our local library's "throw-away" counter. I recognized the author, not the title. Although the sub-title read "A Novel", I kept wondering if the lost, sex-crazed wanderer was penning an autobiography. More important to the reader was the question whether these rambling reflections were going anywhere. I thought not. Two-thirds into the chit-chat, I gave up and ran to the Epilogue in the hope that some comment might justify the time spent on Larry Wyler's playground. Not a chance. Lots of cleverly written commentary, weird humor, attempts at poetry, and occasional wise insights. Even Mr. Blue couldn't help Larry become a writer. Done.
January 21, 2019
I'm torn on what rating to give this novel. GK is one of my favorite authors, but this novel feels like half inside joke and half convention. Sure, there is some lovely writing in here, but it's buried amidst a lot of what feels like bullshit. Keillor has always done a fine job straddling the fence as both an "aw, shucks" salt-of-the-earth Minnesotan and an effete New York literary snob ... but I think we see a bit more of the latter in this offering, which is not what draws me to his writing.
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