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Abbeville
Until the dot.com bubble burst, George Bailey never gave much thought to why his grandfather seemed so happy.
But then George’s wealth vanished, rocking his self-confidence, threatening his family’s security and making his adolescent son’s difficult life even more painful. Returning to the little Central Illinois farm town of Abbeville, where his grandfather had prospered and then fallen into ruin, flattened during the Depression, George seeks out the details of this remarkable man’s rise, fall, and spiritual rebirth, hoping he might find a way to recover himself.
Abbeville sweeps through the history of late-19th through early-21st century America—among loggers stripping the North Woods bare, at the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893, with French soldiers at the Battle of Verdun, into the abyss of the Depression, and finally toward the new millennium’s own nightmares. At the same time it examines life at its most intimate. How can one hold onto meaning amidst the brutally indifferent cycles of war and peace, flood and drought, boom and bust, life and death?
In clean, evocative prose that reveals the complexity of people’s moral and spiritual lives, Fuller tells the simple story of a man riding the crests and chasms of the 20th century, struggling through personal grief, war, and material failure to find a place where the spirit may repose. An American story about rediscovering where we’ve been and how we’ve come to be who we are today, Abbeville tells the tale of the world in small, of one man’s pilgrimage to come to terms with himself while learning to embrace the world around him.
But then George’s wealth vanished, rocking his self-confidence, threatening his family’s security and making his adolescent son’s difficult life even more painful. Returning to the little Central Illinois farm town of Abbeville, where his grandfather had prospered and then fallen into ruin, flattened during the Depression, George seeks out the details of this remarkable man’s rise, fall, and spiritual rebirth, hoping he might find a way to recover himself.
Abbeville sweeps through the history of late-19th through early-21st century America—among loggers stripping the North Woods bare, at the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893, with French soldiers at the Battle of Verdun, into the abyss of the Depression, and finally toward the new millennium’s own nightmares. At the same time it examines life at its most intimate. How can one hold onto meaning amidst the brutally indifferent cycles of war and peace, flood and drought, boom and bust, life and death?
In clean, evocative prose that reveals the complexity of people’s moral and spiritual lives, Fuller tells the simple story of a man riding the crests and chasms of the 20th century, struggling through personal grief, war, and material failure to find a place where the spirit may repose. An American story about rediscovering where we’ve been and how we’ve come to be who we are today, Abbeville tells the tale of the world in small, of one man’s pilgrimage to come to terms with himself while learning to embrace the world around him.
- GenresFictionHistorical
272 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2008
4 people are currently reading
36 people want to read
About the author
Jack Fuller
21 books3 followersJack Fuller published six critically acclaimed novels and one book of non-fiction about journalism. He was a legal affairs writer, a war correspondent in Vietnam, a Washington correspondent, and a Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial writer.
Three of his novels have been included in the University of Chicago Press’s distinguished Phoenix Fiction series. In 2005, he retired from a career in newspapers to concentrate on book writing.
He began working in journalism at the age of 16 as a copyboy for the Chicago Tribune. Along the way he has worked for the Washington Post, Chicago Daily News, City News Bureau of Chicago, and Pacific Stars and Stripes. He left journalism for law briefly when U.S. Attorney General Edward Levi asked him to serve as his special assistant in the Department of Justice. At the Chicago Tribune he served as editor of the editorial page, editor, and publisher. When he retired, he was president of Tribune Publishing Co.
A graduate of Northwestern University and Yale Law School, he lived in Chicago with his wife, Debra Moskovits. He had two children, Tim and Kate.
Three of his novels have been included in the University of Chicago Press’s distinguished Phoenix Fiction series. In 2005, he retired from a career in newspapers to concentrate on book writing.
He began working in journalism at the age of 16 as a copyboy for the Chicago Tribune. Along the way he has worked for the Washington Post, Chicago Daily News, City News Bureau of Chicago, and Pacific Stars and Stripes. He left journalism for law briefly when U.S. Attorney General Edward Levi asked him to serve as his special assistant in the Department of Justice. At the Chicago Tribune he served as editor of the editorial page, editor, and publisher. When he retired, he was president of Tribune Publishing Co.
A graduate of Northwestern University and Yale Law School, he lived in Chicago with his wife, Debra Moskovits. He had two children, Tim and Kate.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
June 20, 2010
From My Blog...
When the Dot-com craze went from boom to bust, George Bailey decided he needed to reevaluate his life, and as his world was crumbling around him, he found himself thinking of his grandfather more often than not, a man who went from a farmer to a very prosperous man until the collapse of the stock market, and yet managed to pick himself up again and carry on. Abbeville by Jack Fuller is the story of Karl Schumpeter and the lessons his grandson George learns from retracing his grandfather's steps, researching his life and through his own memories of his grandfather. Fuller's novel is based rather loosely on his own grandfather and makes for an intriguing look at history and the manner in which history repeats itself. Jack Fuller takes the reader to Abbeville, a small farm town in Illinois, where Karl's life was forever changed.
Karl's father sent him to be an apprentice to his Uncle John Schumpeter who first teaches him to keep ledgers and where he learned the logging trade and a few life lessons that served him well later in life, courtesy of the Dutchman Hoekstra. After his time in Michigan, Karl headed to Chicago where he quickly found himself on the trading floors. Much to his delight, the girl he had been sweet on was also in Chicago that summer apprenticing as a seamstress and Karl and Cristina began to plan a life together. The reader is drawn into the rich history of logging and transitioned easily to the trading floors of Chicago, leading up to the stock market crash of 1929, The Great Depression and WWI. Through it all, the reader grows closer to Karl, a young man who has a tender heart and an eagerness to learn. Fuller takes the reader through the tumultuous times and demonstrates the strength, courage and tenacity to ride the currents of not only the prosperous times, but also the desperate times, of which Karl experiences his fair share.
Abbeville is an astonishingly beautiful novel of subtle lessons passed down through generations and through the memory of George, the reader learns about five generations and the amazing history that accompanies those generations in a rapidly paced novel. The lessons Karl passed down are subtle, yet powerful ones and they are lessons George ultimately recalls and shares with his son Rob. Life is rarely an easy ride and the measure of a person can often be found in how well they deal with the hardest times in their lives. I would not hesitate to recommend Abbeville to any reader, especially those interested in history and multi-generational family relationships. Abbeville is a quick and powerful read and one that would be perfect for a discussion group.
When the Dot-com craze went from boom to bust, George Bailey decided he needed to reevaluate his life, and as his world was crumbling around him, he found himself thinking of his grandfather more often than not, a man who went from a farmer to a very prosperous man until the collapse of the stock market, and yet managed to pick himself up again and carry on. Abbeville by Jack Fuller is the story of Karl Schumpeter and the lessons his grandson George learns from retracing his grandfather's steps, researching his life and through his own memories of his grandfather. Fuller's novel is based rather loosely on his own grandfather and makes for an intriguing look at history and the manner in which history repeats itself. Jack Fuller takes the reader to Abbeville, a small farm town in Illinois, where Karl's life was forever changed.
Karl's father sent him to be an apprentice to his Uncle John Schumpeter who first teaches him to keep ledgers and where he learned the logging trade and a few life lessons that served him well later in life, courtesy of the Dutchman Hoekstra. After his time in Michigan, Karl headed to Chicago where he quickly found himself on the trading floors. Much to his delight, the girl he had been sweet on was also in Chicago that summer apprenticing as a seamstress and Karl and Cristina began to plan a life together. The reader is drawn into the rich history of logging and transitioned easily to the trading floors of Chicago, leading up to the stock market crash of 1929, The Great Depression and WWI. Through it all, the reader grows closer to Karl, a young man who has a tender heart and an eagerness to learn. Fuller takes the reader through the tumultuous times and demonstrates the strength, courage and tenacity to ride the currents of not only the prosperous times, but also the desperate times, of which Karl experiences his fair share.
Abbeville is an astonishingly beautiful novel of subtle lessons passed down through generations and through the memory of George, the reader learns about five generations and the amazing history that accompanies those generations in a rapidly paced novel. The lessons Karl passed down are subtle, yet powerful ones and they are lessons George ultimately recalls and shares with his son Rob. Life is rarely an easy ride and the measure of a person can often be found in how well they deal with the hardest times in their lives. I would not hesitate to recommend Abbeville to any reader, especially those interested in history and multi-generational family relationships. Abbeville is a quick and powerful read and one that would be perfect for a discussion group.
April 9, 2010
I can't recall ever thinking this before, but this author's style and tone reminded me of Wallace Stegner; it has the same directness, sense of place, and quiet depth. Set mostly in a small town in central Illinois, with scenes in Chicago and northern Michigan, it is the story of a man who builds something of a small business empire in this small town that is undone by the Great Depression. This is a truly good man, who has a strong, positive relationship with his good wife, living in a community filled with mostly good people; the only dysfunction is introduced by the protagonist's brother and the local prosecutor, who are relatively minor characters, though both are crucial elements in the plot development. There's also a secondary story about the protagonist's grandson, an investment counselor caught up in the dot com bust in 2001. His name is George Bailey, and the explicit (as well as not-so-explicit) references to A Wonderful Life will be seen as a nice touch by some and a bit heavy-handed by others. Me? I'm not sure.
June 27, 2009
Written by a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, Jack Fuller, Abbeville is an excellent read. I found the novel on the new fiction shelf at the Marina Branch Library and was well rewarded. This is a generational story set in the Illinois farmland south of Chicago. When the dot com bubble bursts, George seeks the comfort of his Grandfather's life journey. By returning to the farm George discovers the theme of his family's life and generational parallels that bring him closer to his own son and offer an optimistic future. Some beautifully written scenes revolving around fly fishing ring very true and provide clarity for both George, his grandfather Karl, and his son Rob.
August 15, 2020
An enjoyable character study of the difference a person can make in the lives around them and in the lives downstream from them in the flow of time if they will only be selfless enough to "keep others afloat." I very much enjoyed this story. More people should be like Karl.
January 10, 2012
From My Blog...[return][return][return]When the Dot-com craze went from boom to bust, George Bailey decided he needed to reevaluate his life, and as his world was crumbling around him, he found himself thinking of his grandfather more often than not, a man who went from a farmer to a very prosperous man until the collapse of the stock market, and yet managed to pick himself up again and carry on. Abbeville by Jack Fuller is the story of Karl Schumpeter and the lessons his grandson George learns from retracing his grandfather's steps, researching his life and through his own memories of his grandfather. Fuller's novel is based rather loosely on his own grandfather and makes for an intriguing look at history and the manner in which history repeats itself. Jack Fuller takes the reader to Abbeville, a small farm town in Illinois, where Karl's life was forever changed.[return]Karl's father sent him to be an apprentice to his Uncle John Schumpeter who first teaches him to keep ledgers and where he learned the logging trade and a few life lessons that served him well later in life, courtesy of the Dutchman Hoekstra. After his time in Michigan, Karl headed to Chicago where he quickly found himself on the trading floors. Much to his delight, the girl he had been sweet on was also in Chicago that summer apprenticing as a seamstress and Karl and Cristina began to plan a life together. The reader is drawn into the rich history of logging and transitioned easily to the trading floors of Chicago, leading up to the stock market crash of 1929, The Great Depression and WWI. Through it all, the reader grows closer to Karl, a young man who has a tender heart and an eagerness to learn. Fuller takes the reader through the tumultuous times and demonstrates the strength, courage and tenacity to ride the currents of not only the prosperous times, but also the desperate times, of which Karl experiences his fair share.[return]Abbeville is an astonishingly beautiful novel of subtle lessons passed down through generations and through the memory of George, the reader learns about five generations and the amazing history that accompanies those generations in a rapidly paced novel. The lessons Karl passed down are subtle, yet powerful ones and they are lessons George ultimately recalls and shares with his son Rob. Life is rarely an easy ride and the measure of a person can often be found in how well they deal with the hardest times in their lives. I would not hesitate to recommend Abbeville to any reader, especially those interested in history and multi-generational family relationships. Abbeville is a quick and powerful read and one that would be perfect for a discussion group.
June 2, 2013
When I first read the back of the cover of Abbeville and saw that the main character's name was George Bailey, I was hooked. It's A Wonderful Life is one of my all-time favorite movies, so I was intrigued to read a story with that name. I also believe I sub-consciously wanted to see if there were any similarities between the two. However, this story isn't really about George, but about his grandfather, Karl.
George Bailey just lost almost everything in the 2000 dot com crash. To deepen his burden, his son Rob doesn't feel that he is worth anything and contemplates suicide. George seeks help in the only place he thinks he may find answers, the small town of Abbeville.
Abbleville is where George's grandfather Karl lived. George's memories take us through most of Karl's life. Karl was a powerful force in Abbeville back in the day until the stock market crashed. As the owner of the town bank, Karl lost big but still managed to pay the farmers what they had in the bank. Because of circumstances, Karl ends up doing jail time and upon his return he shies away from the townsfolk because he doesn't believe he is good enough now. This is the only real similarity I found to the Wonderful Life George Bailey. George's thoughts travel to before this monumental event and after, leading up to his death. Using the legacy his Grandfather left him, George tries to connect with his own son, and find meaning within to surge forward to his own personal survival.
Jack Fuller based Abbeville loosely on the life of his own Grandfather. In parts, Abbeville brought back memories of my own Grandfather. I read Abbeville in one sitting. My surroundings simply faded away as I found myself immersed into the lives of Karl and George. The writing is seamless and poignant. Jack Fuller is a very talented storyteller and Abbeville is a magnificent tale.
George Bailey just lost almost everything in the 2000 dot com crash. To deepen his burden, his son Rob doesn't feel that he is worth anything and contemplates suicide. George seeks help in the only place he thinks he may find answers, the small town of Abbeville.
Abbleville is where George's grandfather Karl lived. George's memories take us through most of Karl's life. Karl was a powerful force in Abbeville back in the day until the stock market crashed. As the owner of the town bank, Karl lost big but still managed to pay the farmers what they had in the bank. Because of circumstances, Karl ends up doing jail time and upon his return he shies away from the townsfolk because he doesn't believe he is good enough now. This is the only real similarity I found to the Wonderful Life George Bailey. George's thoughts travel to before this monumental event and after, leading up to his death. Using the legacy his Grandfather left him, George tries to connect with his own son, and find meaning within to surge forward to his own personal survival.
Jack Fuller based Abbeville loosely on the life of his own Grandfather. In parts, Abbeville brought back memories of my own Grandfather. I read Abbeville in one sitting. My surroundings simply faded away as I found myself immersed into the lives of Karl and George. The writing is seamless and poignant. Jack Fuller is a very talented storyteller and Abbeville is a magnificent tale.
Read
June 14, 2020The premise of this book was not my usual choice of story, sounding a little dull to my ears. However, I decided to take a chance on it, because sometimes judging by the story outline can lead to incorrect conclusions.
Unfortunately, I had to conclude that I’m not the right audience for this book. I wouldn’t consider it a slog, because the prose is far too straight-forward to allow for anyone to get bogged down in it. There are some good descriptions of places and times, such as the Chicago trading pits and Abbeville itself, but I just never connected with the story or the characters.
Perhaps because the story was framed in the grandson’s reflections, the details of the grandfather’s life all felt foregone. I perhaps felt a mild curiosity about the unfolding events, but not an emotional investment. The grandfather and most of the other characters are basically good people. There are a couple of hard-hearted folks, including a childhood rival turned lawyer who is set up as the perpetual antagonist of Karl Schumpeter.
There were two characters that I found interesting that I wished had more time in the narrative: a red-headed street-smart secretary named Luella and Karl’s rich and calculating Uncle John. The two of them look to be main characters at one point, but end up in the periphery instead.
It is a bit of a feel-good novel, with older characters always at the ready with solid advice and understanding for the younger ones. There is inter-generational bonding over fly-fishing. A small town comes together over a crisis. Personally, I would have liked a little more charisma from the characters and a little more daring to the plot, but I wasn’t to get it.
Unfortunately, I had to conclude that I’m not the right audience for this book. I wouldn’t consider it a slog, because the prose is far too straight-forward to allow for anyone to get bogged down in it. There are some good descriptions of places and times, such as the Chicago trading pits and Abbeville itself, but I just never connected with the story or the characters.
Perhaps because the story was framed in the grandson’s reflections, the details of the grandfather’s life all felt foregone. I perhaps felt a mild curiosity about the unfolding events, but not an emotional investment. The grandfather and most of the other characters are basically good people. There are a couple of hard-hearted folks, including a childhood rival turned lawyer who is set up as the perpetual antagonist of Karl Schumpeter.
There were two characters that I found interesting that I wished had more time in the narrative: a red-headed street-smart secretary named Luella and Karl’s rich and calculating Uncle John. The two of them look to be main characters at one point, but end up in the periphery instead.
It is a bit of a feel-good novel, with older characters always at the ready with solid advice and understanding for the younger ones. There is inter-generational bonding over fly-fishing. A small town comes together over a crisis. Personally, I would have liked a little more charisma from the characters and a little more daring to the plot, but I wasn’t to get it.
August 25, 2009
A novel which begins with a return to desolation and poverty by the last of the line of generational characters in the book, develops intrigue to discover what caused this scenario. Abbeville is the story of the men in a family who built a life style and town through four generations. You are brought inside the lives of a patriarchal ascendancy to power, fortune, and destruction. Jack Fuller’s style is easy flowing and moves rapidly through many events with a paucity of words, but at the same time you do not feel resentful because they satisfy your curiosity.
None of the characters are developed explicitly, but that is not the purpose or theme of the book. Fuller uses them as instruments to show the relationship of a town during good times and bad to the family who created it. Actions seem more important than inner feelings and as you experience the wonderful sport of fly fishing, casting technique is far more important than a description of how it felt to catch that first fish and what it meant to the grandchild or grandfather. The act of teaching and who was student was far more important than emotions.
Weaving together all four generations of this family’s men in a style reminiscent of classical portrayers of the past, we are taken through time and to the present in a delightful tale that should make any father happy to receive this book as a present on Father’s Day.
None of the characters are developed explicitly, but that is not the purpose or theme of the book. Fuller uses them as instruments to show the relationship of a town during good times and bad to the family who created it. Actions seem more important than inner feelings and as you experience the wonderful sport of fly fishing, casting technique is far more important than a description of how it felt to catch that first fish and what it meant to the grandchild or grandfather. The act of teaching and who was student was far more important than emotions.
Weaving together all four generations of this family’s men in a style reminiscent of classical portrayers of the past, we are taken through time and to the present in a delightful tale that should make any father happy to receive this book as a present on Father’s Day.
July 3, 2008
Fortunes won and lost by generations of an Illinois family are at the heart of this story. It's the grandfather's tale that really is the focus and the most interesting, encompassing Chicago history, the last turn of the century and a decent, hardworking and happy man. Loved the "It's a Wonderful Life" quality of it. (C'mon, one of the characters is George Bailey!)
August 30, 2014
The story jumps back and forth between a grandfather and grandson, although the vast majority of the book focuses on the grandfather. It was interesting but not compelling. I felt it ended suddenly and I would have liked more detail / closure on the grandson and great grandson.
November 24, 2008
Story traces five generations of an Illinois family; their successes and failures and how they cope.
Read
April 29, 2009Alas, didn't finish this one.
May 17, 2009
A totally meh book. Felt like I was being preached to. I liked the setting and the storyline had such great hope to actually being interesting but it did not live up to the book jacket blurb.
Want to read
June 22, 20101st edition, signed & inscribed by author
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews