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Pilgrims: A Wobegon Romance
Wobegon goes abroad in this rousing and moving story of a group trip to Rome
Margie Krebsbach dreams up the idea of a trip to Rome, hoping to get her husband Carl to make love to her-he's been sleeping across the hall and she has no idea why. She finds a patriotic purpose for the journey. A Lake Wobegon boy, Gussy Norlander, died in the liberation of Rome, 1944, and his gra...more
Margie Krebsbach dreams up the idea of a trip to Rome, hoping to get her husband Carl to make love to her-he's been sleeping across the hall and she has no idea why. She finds a patriotic purpose for the journey. A Lake Wobegon boy, Gussy Norlander, died in the liberation of Rome, 1944, and his gra...more
Hardcover, 256 pages
Published
September 22nd 2009
by Viking Adult
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After being thoroughly disappointed by Keillor's last Lake Wobegon offering, I was hoping for something different with his latest installment. And while "Pilgrims" isn't nearly as cynical and jaded as "Liberty," it's still not same Keillor I liked so much in "Lake Wobegon Days" and "Leaving Home."
"Pilgrims" tells the story of a dozen Lake Wobegonians journey to Italy for a tour and so Marjorie Krebsbach can honor the grave of a falle...more
"Pilgrims" tells the story of a dozen Lake Wobegonians journey to Italy for a tour and so Marjorie Krebsbach can honor the grave of a falle...more
Most reviews of this book will start the same way I start this one: I love "A Prairie Home Companion", and count myself a faithful listener. Garrison's monologues are an American treasure. I so looked forward to reading this book.
Unfortunately Garrison's books don't work so well for me. I liked "Pontoon" OK. It was silly, but I liked the way it worked its way up to a crescendo of inanity. Still, I didn't plan to read another Keillor book, and I wouldn't have picke...more
Unfortunately Garrison's books don't work so well for me. I liked "Pontoon" OK. It was silly, but I liked the way it worked its way up to a crescendo of inanity. Still, I didn't plan to read another Keillor book, and I wouldn't have picke...more
This book was more entertaining than I expected. Garrison Keillor really understands how people talk in groups. He captures the random stories that come up when people have lots of time together. It was one of these stories, towards the end of the book, that was laugh out loud funny. Of course, this had to happen when I was in public. While reading quietly on a flight home, I started laughing out loud. The woman sitting next to me started to laugh because I was laughing and asked what book...more
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Ron Arden
added it
This was a great antidote to the late winter, early spring weather and blahs. Garrison Keillor takes us on a trip with some of the Lake Wobegon characters to Rome.
Margie Krebsbach winds up meeting the brother (Norbert) of a man (Gussie) from Lake Wobegon who was killed in Italy during WW2. Norbert promised his late mother that he would go to Italy and put a plaque on Gussie's grave. The mother had been saving for years and Norbert gives Margie the money to do this deed for him; he's old and d...more
Margie Krebsbach winds up meeting the brother (Norbert) of a man (Gussie) from Lake Wobegon who was killed in Italy during WW2. Norbert promised his late mother that he would go to Italy and put a plaque on Gussie's grave. The mother had been saving for years and Norbert gives Margie the money to do this deed for him; he's old and d...more
In Pilgrims, Garrison Keillor takes a dozen residents of Lake Wobegon, including himself, to Rome for a week of tourism and self-discovery. Although 12 characters figure in the journey, the focus (and the self-discovery) falls primarily on Majorie, who initiated and organized the trip in the hope that it would rekindle the flames of romance in her marriage.
Pilgrims follows a typical hero's journey, where the main character leaves the comforts of home to an unfamiliar place and the...more
Pilgrims follows a typical hero's journey, where the main character leaves the comforts of home to an unfamiliar place and the...more
this is another wonderful story about our beloved lake woebegoners, twelve of whom find themselves on a plane to rome to honor a deceased town war hero, whose story is not quite what they have believed all their lives. they are accompanied by the author himself, who has, to his amazement, offered to pay for the trip! having garrison with them adds to the fun, especially since most of them are not fans, and are not shy about telling him how he could improve. each of the grouph has their story ...more
Mr Keillor's familiar Lake Wobegonians return in print, but with a twist. Pilgrims is his take on Chaucer's Canterbury Tales with a dash of Twain's Innocent's Abroad added to the mix. High school English teacher Margie Krebsbach leads a party of pilgrims to Rome, ostensibly to honour a local boy who died in World War II, but in reality in an attempt to perk-up her flagging 35-year marriage to Carl. Keillor's unfailing narrative style, his cat-like ear for dialogue and well-hewn charactersation m...more
I remembered why I liked Keillor, thank you very much this book. He has equal affection for a liason dangereuse as he does for dull sweet lasting married love. He skewers the ugly American as well as those who eschew their Wobegonian place in the world. Yes, we have to dream to stay alive, sometimes dreaming bigger than we can manage in any sustainable way, but, as he says, even the Pope has to go home and eat cheese sandwiches. And even the shy, obedient Minnesota attitude that one may long to ...more
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A group of Lake Wobegonites journey to Rome and then obligingly fade into the background so that Margie Krebsbach can take centre stage.... And that's about as much as I can say without revealing the plot which has some nice twists but really is just an amiable ramble through the usual Lake Wobegon folksiness. None of which I mean to denigrate, and featuring himself as a character in the book was quite a neat trick, but this is small beer really. Perfectly entertaining, of course - Keillor could...more
For years I'd heard Margie Krebsbach's name but had never really formed any opinion. As she is the center of this bit of metafiction, I will never forget her and her adventures in Rome; and what adventures...oh, my, Margie!!! And I enjoyed "Gary Keillor" as part of the story, too...taking notes as the "pilgrims" are enjoying their visit to Rome (or not). The book isn't for everyone, but I enjoyed the fast-reading diversion. It wasn't as goofy as "Pontoon" (which jus...more
Haven't listened to Keillor much nor read any of his other books so felt a bit lost in this one, trying to figure out the characters. There were a few funny moments & some that just dragged on for too long; also thought the insertion of the author as a character in the book didn't "flow" well. Last chapter of the book though was excellent; I read it twice, it pulled everything together and was a good, thoughtful "happy ending" to the story. Maybe I'll read another of Keillo...more
I did enjoy this book, although I agree with another reviewer that the premise of the book leads one to think this could have been funnier. It had a strong start, but goes off in a different direction that sort of left me feeling a bit befuddled. The concept of the citizens of a small, cozy, steadfast in their ways town, touring Rome seems to open up opportunities, but instead the book goes in an odd direction.
Overall, I liked the book, but it left me feeling like something was miss...more
Overall, I liked the book, but it left me feeling like something was miss...more
Not one of G.K.'s better efforts. In fact, one of his worst. Instead of mundane incidents made unforgettable by Keillor's dry humor and sense of irony; here we have what should be an adventure made dull by the lack of humor and the apparent attempt to cover the lack by writing sleaze.By the middle, it wasn't hard to predict the main plot. Although there was a bit of a surprise at the end, it wasn't enough to redeem this rather embarrassing effort.
This story was a fun, quick read. The characters are full of funny quirks that are familiar to anyone who listens to Keillor's Prairie Home Companion radio show. I didn't like how Gary Keillor was a character himself; I found the self-effacing humor that he directed at himself annoying. The premise of taking the characters out of Lake Woebegone and moving them to Italy provided a fun escape and juxtaposition to the normal Keillor storyline.
I must be a true fan because I liked this book more than many of its reviewers have. A group of folks from Lake Wobegon travel to Rome to put a photograph on their local, supposed WWII war hero, Gussy Norlander's grave. As one can imagine, some mild hilarity ensues when the group of Norwegians reach Rome.
The group leader, Margie Krebsbach, has some of Gussie's letters home to his brother, and these add weight to the book. I suspect the letters reflect Garrison Keillor's own view o...more
The group leader, Margie Krebsbach, has some of Gussie's letters home to his brother, and these add weight to the book. I suspect the letters reflect Garrison Keillor's own view o...more
I began this book with the notion that it was supposed to be funny. I guess it could be if you were a Minnesotan who could relate to the characters in this book. Keillor's definition of plot must be very different from mine. This book was all over the place. There were times I had to go back and re-read portions to try to figure out what I missed only to find I didn't miss a thing - the story is what was lacking. I'm sure this story is to Minnesotans what The Great Gatsby was to the 1920s, ...more
Enjoyed this farce by Keeler. He has such command of our language and people's foibles. Twelve Wobegonians travel to Rome to place a picture on grave of WWII 'hero' who turns out to not be; one gets taken by daughter of same, but doesn't really; Gary Keeler goes along, too, and really puts himself donwn as a character. These are such relaxing reading; just fun.
A dozen citizens (personal stories and baggage included) of Lake Woebegon undertake a pilgrimage to Rome to fulfill a mother's dying wish of embellishing the gravestone of her son, a local hero of WWII. You may expect this to be all feel-good folksy but it does have some punch, although it's never really mean or disrespectful to the alarmingly and comically conformist Minnesotans.
All she wants is for her husband to notice her.... but her efforts to get him to notice her takes her to Rome with half the people of Lake Wobegone...and Garrison Keilor with her. I didn't expect that little dalliance on the way! Use this book as a breath of fresh air betwen some more serious works....or when you have the flu and are confined to the sofa.
A wonderful yarn about a group of Lake Wobegon residents who take a trip to Rome to honour one of their compatriots who died in the war there. It is warm, funny and sardonic with such believable characters that I spent most of the time wondering whether it was real or made up. The storyline is fairly basic but that is irrelevant with the characters reminiscing and interacting with each other. A great book by a man who really knows his subject.
As I was reading, I kept thinking that this was a silly, little book that managed to hold my attention.
However, the ending was almost solemn and much more thought-provoking.
As I thought about this situation, I realized that this is how I often feel when I listen to his weekly radio broadcast, Prairie Home Companion.
However, the ending was almost solemn and much more thought-provoking.
As I thought about this situation, I realized that this is how I often feel when I listen to his weekly radio broadcast, Prairie Home Companion.
I had high hopes/ This was good 1/2 through then even the addition of some sex scenes didn't help. Norwegians in Rome...should have been funnier. Local WWII hero was focus of the plot with the Woebegoners needing to put his picture on his grave stone. Keillor raking himself over the coals was fun but I had hoped for more.
Garrison Keillor is the closest author we have to the spot on humor of Mark Twain. Keillor can spin a sentence or observation that can make one gasp because it is so true and authentic. His novels are too big or the story overreaches and I can't relate to the story arc. The bites are still excellent though.
Carol
added it
If you love the News from Lake Wobegon on Prairie Home Companion, you'll love this little novel. Garrison Keillor inserts himself, undisguised, as a character who joins other familiar people from Lake Wobegon on a trip to Rome. His third person comments about himself are particularly amusing. A good summer read for Garrison Keillor fans.
I really enjoyed Keillor's self-deprecating humor, and, as always, his descriptions of Minnesotans, both stereotypical and not. The plot was, well, a bit silly, but it was a pleasurable read, with a happy ending. And sometimes, that's just what a girl needs.
In the fashion of Garrison Keillor, the story often goes off in tangents. However, the main story is funny and touching as a married couple going through a mid-life crisis while on holiday in Rome. Its a good time, and a fast read.
A bit of a twist on a Wobegon book, with some townsfolk traveling to Rome with Mr. Keillor himself, and not happily. The subject matter, fleeting love, is certainly one that has been touched on before in the Wobegon tales, but that doesn't matter. It's an enjoyable ride with a great ending.
I enjoyed this book. It was more novel and less monolog than most of Keillor's works. I also enjoyed the self deprecating manor in which Keillor inserted himself into the story. The book plods along in a steady and enjoyable way until the zinger ending.
I enjoy the occasional Prairie Home Companion show, enjoyed the movie, and I've been to Italy with a group, so I thought this would be a good choice. I did enjoy it -- quick read -- but not hilarious.
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Garrison Keillor (born Gary Edward Keillor on August 7, 1942 in Anoka, Minnesota) is an American author, storyteller, humorist, columnist, musician, satirist, and radio personality.
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