Willy Remembers

by Irvin Faust

Dust jacket design by Paul Bacon. His second novel and third book.

249 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1971

Reviews

[🐴 🍖]

guy from an immigrant family gets shipped off to wage war on a flimsy pretext, ill-equipped by greedy private contractors. following a bunch of psychological trauma, heads home to mismanage a small business/punch down toward recent-er immigrants/fret over his son's masculinity. as lush as this book is w/ period detail -- aswirl cover to cover w/ hearst headlines, half-remembered margarine slogans, popeye gags of the '30s, etc etc -- the true wonder of it (a bummer of a wonder i guess, but still) is that willy's story could be torn from any US era, before or after this was written. the willy-making machine may not have slowed down any but this at least loosens a few nuts on the conveyor belt

[Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a difficult but worthwhile read. The last 40 pages were almost incomprehensible in containing a mishmash of historic events and cultural details. It reminded me a little of the "Oldest Confederate Widow Explains it All" however this book was written first. Willy Kleinhans is a veteran of the Spanish American War and reviews the entire first half of the 20th Century. Two of my favorite sections of the book don't deal with the war but with the securing of an abortion for a housemaid impregnated by Willy's oldest son and the trials and tribulations of Willy's youngest son in becoming a professional pole vaulter. This author can write well perhaps one day he will be rediscovered.

[Jerry Conners · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great story written from the memories of someone who lived through the late 1800's and into the early 1900's. If you ever allotted time to an older person and listened to their stories, you will appreciate this book.

[William Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vonnegut with a touch of Updike