Sweet Land: New and Selected Stories

by Will Weaver

In this paperback original, a stable of fresh stories by award-winning writer Will Weaver (Full Service and Barns of Minnesota) are complemented by a hand-picked selection of favorites from his original collection, A Gravestone Made of Wheat, to offer a fresh, vivid portrait of the changing midwestern landscape. New highlights include “Blaze of Glory,” an enchanting tale of an RV road trip and a senior couple’s “last time”; “The Trapper,” the story of a hard split between an old trapper and a younger female environmentalist; and “The Last Farmer,” the capstone story of this elegant collection that examines the discovery by a high-tech farmer of the history of the old houses on his land. Fourteen stories in all portray the bountiful and whimsical and cruel human spirit and the swirling transformation of America’s heartland.

Genres: Short Stories, Book Club, Fiction, Literary Fiction, Adult, Historical Fiction

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

I grew up in the Midwest, and had no idea I'd become a writer one day. However I gradually felt a need to tell my own stories. To explain, in writing, how I saw the world.

Today I'm a full time writer with 13 novels, many short stories, and two movie adaptations. I enjoy visiting schools and libraries, and sharing what I've learned about writing.

My newest novel POWER & LIGHT (Sept 2023) is now out. The first of a two book adult saga, it follows the arc of a Norwegian emigrant family to the Midwest–their hardships and ultimate triumph.

Reviews

[Barb · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up because of the movie Sweet Land. It was interesting to find that the movie is an amalgamation of all the stories in this book. I had fun picking out the pieces of each vignette that were incorporated into the movie.

One of my favorite lines in all of the stories is:
"Sometimes I feel as if there's an explanation to my life that continues to escape me; that I've missed something noble, something sublime; that in some way I have cheated myself..." (p.119, You Are What You Drive)

That is what Will Weaver captures in these tales -- a sense of the sublime in the non-urban world. We glimpse where this midwest that we know today came from, how it was built, how it is being lost.

[Marie Zhuikov · Rating 5 out of 5]

A powerful series of short stories set in northern MN. I especially enjoyed "Flax," "The Haircut," and "Blaze of Glory." The ending of the Flax story is epic, as a grandfather fights to save his grandson's beleaguered crop. In The Haircut, a grandfather introduces his grandson to small-town barber shop culture. An older couple in Blaze of Glory enjoy an intimate encounter in an ice fishing house just a little too much. A must-read for anyone interested in Minnesota literature. The author is from Bemidji.

[Tyna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t really care for short stories, but this was very moving. I grew up on a farm. The stories are poignant and relatable. I would love to give a copy to everyone who experienced farm life. My favorite was “Blaze of Glory.

[Merlin V · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love short-stories and picked up this book especially for A Gravestone Made of Wheat. I cracked the binding on a dinner visit with my parents. Trusting Weaver for a good story I felt safe in picking the shortest one to read aloud to Mom & Dad. Imagine my surprise as I got into Sheetrock, out loud, to my parents! Well, what do you do?? I kept right on reading and made a hasty exit! The next time I stopped to see them, dad asked where the book was, saying he'd like to read more. I handed it over. Then he handed it off to a friend of his. I haven't seen it since! I hope Sweet Land is still making the rounds of my small western MN community. There is a lot for us to recognize in Weaver's tales.

[Jacquelyn J Tarpinian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved some, Not all.

The stories and the people were real and we were left with our own conclusion on most of them…maybe all of them. Some I said ‘….and lived happily ever after’ and a couple I said, were they dreaming? And others I knew what the outcome would be….in time….like “The Haircut”. What an adventure that was for a young boy….it was worth the money….we will all have different opinions so try it.

[Laura Rasmussen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not a fan of short stories, but... I read this book many years ago, and when somebody gave it to me as part of a book club exchange, I thought I'd just pass it on to somebody else, but I started reading the first story again, and I was hooked. I enjoyed most of the stories, but I especially liked Blaze of Glory.

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great short story collection firmly grounded in the Midwest (often MN) and the mid-20th century challenges of modernization and corporate farming vs. family livelihood. There are many ways of telling this story, and there are some that don't adhere to this theme at all, but all capture the values and essence of both the people and the landscape of this part of the country.

[Zelda Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

read this after watching the movie again one of the rare ones where I prefer the movie to the book but the book was good to loads of short storys about agriculture and loved seeing which parts from each story made up the film .

[Therese Dotray-Tulloch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful collection of short stories about the demise of farmers in Minnesota. Beautifully written, poignant plots and familiar characters. I always think I don't like short stories but I loved this book.

[Rob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Echoes of Bill Holm. Sweet, slyly funny and heartbreaking stories that capture, celebrate, and cope with our home in the prairie. I came for “A Gravestone Made of Wheat” but fell for “Blaze of Glory”, “Haircut”, and many others.

[Nancy Holden]

Very good collection of short stories about mainly rural MN. Well written. We went to __ to listen to Weaver speak and had dinner. He was very interesting and personable. We also saw the movie "Sweetland" which was based on one story-- "Gravestone Made of Wheat." Movie was well done.

[Elisabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some really great writing .. enjoyed and passed on ..

[Mark Jurgensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a sucker for fiction set in the midwest. Though some of the stories are better than others, this was a satisfying read.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, maybe because for the last 50 years I have lived the life of a farm wife. I could relate to the first story absolutely. Never count your crop proceeds until it is in the bin!

[E G Melby · Rating 4 out of 5]

The movie of this same name is based on one of the stories in this great collection.

[Bella · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 ⭐️

[Longfellow · Rating 3 out of 5]

Had never heard of the book, the author, or the publisher, but I picked this sweet little copy of short stories up for $1. The title, Sweet Land, and some of the story titles (various references to farming) suggested Weaver might write in the spirit of Wendell Berry, and I hoped this would prove true.

While Weaver's style is less polished than Berry's and his characters not always beneficiaries of equal grace, effective style and generous grace are not absent, and I have no doubt that Weaver's bookshelves have a section reserved for a number of Berry's books. Rural life, farm communities, and the changing culture of life in the northern plains are central topics in most of these stories.

The characters feel real, and it is their humanity that endears them to readers; their interactions with one another are by turns humorous and heartbreaking. Family loyalty, innocence, desire, nostalgia, and aging are a few of the themes Weaver explores.

Here are my favorite selections: Flax, Dispersal, A Gravestone Made of Wheat, Blaze of Glory, and Haircut.

The cover proclaims that this collection is "Now a Feature Film." Having never heard of the book or the movie prior to finding it on a clearance shelf, I confess I'm curious to see how this 2006 publication is depicted on film.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favourite story was a gravestone made of wheat. Great book about agriculture in america and the changes over time.

[Laura (booksnob) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Will Weaver is a talented short story writer and this collection is awesome. I loved that all the stories take place in Minnesota and they are very reminiscent of my farm life growing up. Some of these stories really made me miss the country life, small towns and my grandparents. I grieve for the loss of farm life that keeps dwindling as I write. I miss the cows and chickens, the smells and the sound of the wind blowing the trees. Weaver writes powerful protrayals of the human spirit. This book will visualize for the average reader what life is like in the small farm towns in Minnesota. It made me very nostalgic for the past.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was a little underwhelmed by this book because of my love for the film, Sweet Land. The story upon which the movie is based is one of the better stories in this collection, although it differs remarkably from the film version. Most of the stories are incredibly bleak, and seem to move with the kind of abruptness I would not have expected from an author with so much nostalgia for the past -- the prose felt downright post-modern to me, riddled with irony... and, a fair dose of tragedy, too. There are a few really good stories, though, like "You Are What You Drive," "Blaze of Glory," and "The Last Farmer."

[Terry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I purchased this collection after viewing the movie of the same name. The movie was actually based on the short story, “A Gravestone Made of Wheat,” which was nothing like the movie, so glad I saw the movie first as really enjoyed it. I like Mr. Weaver’s style and his subject matter, especially having had the Minnesota farm experience. He’s from a different part of the state, but some of the issues he writes about (aging, grandparents, hunting) sure hit home. He’s a very accessible writer and tells a good tale.

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven't read this book but watched an adaptation of one of his stories that was made into a movie.

DVD- Sweet Land
The movie focuses on Olaf and Inge. Inge is a mail order bride who comes to rural Minnesota to meet and marry her husband. The town pastor is against the marriage and refuses to marry them because she does not speak English. Olaf and Inge fall in love despite the towns disapproval

Wonderful and funny love story, as well as great acting, too.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

It all started with the movie Sweet Land, which I saw before I read the story, since I didn't know about it yet. It's a movie based on Weavers story A Gravestone Made of Wheat, which is a beautiful story on its own. Inga and Olaf, merging cultures and lives, working, living and dying on the farm, in a beautiful way. I love Weavers writing, he gives you just enough to put together the story and lets you imagine the rest.

Read the story, then watch the movie.

[Joshua · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like so many others people, I was let to this book after watching the movie SweetLand. I liked the movie (a lot) but this book has rocked me. I'm a sucker for nostalgia and characters of deep conviction. I love getting lost in good fiction, and short story after short story I keep wanting to stay, linger, and live with these down-home characters a while longer. A Steinbeck-eque love of land and a deep passion for the character lines makes this a new favorite.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had seen the movie by this name, which I thoroughy enjoyed and so wanted to read the book. The book is actually short stories and the movie is based on one of the stories, not called Sweet Land. This book gives a picture of what life is and has been like in a rural farming area of northern MN. Not being from the area, I enjoyed meeting the characters and getting to know them.

[karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Almost finished with this one. True to form, these short stories have that depressing element so necessary in a published short story. A few of them are light, though. Some interesting language, but not life-changing. Interesting story of an RV adventure through a nudist colony. I can't really review a whole book of short stories without discussing each one individually.

[Kayla Montgomery · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this collection of short stories. Chose it because I wanted to read the inspiration behind the movie "Sweetland." Per usual, the short story was very different. I like the movie version better - but, don't short change the original short story. It's still great. I recommend the whole collection.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my favorite books of short stories, Sweet Land portrays a unique area of the United States, the Fargo ND/Minnesota region of the upper midwest that the author obviously knows very well. Even though I read this book several years ago, many of the stories have stayed with me. Atmospheric, at times sad, at times hilarious, this is worth reading.

[Becca · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the story "A gravestone made of wheat", which was the inspiration for the movie "Sweet Land". It was a beautiful movie, which I would recommend to anyone! I quickly lost interest in many of the other stories, though.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting collection of short stories that take place in the Midwest (where I live). I like how it portrays people that I wouldn't get to know in my own circle. The movie of the same title is also excellent, but an extrapolation.