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That Distant Land
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Initial Impressions: That Distant Land, by Wendell Berry - August 2022
And many more Wendell Berry!
Thicker than Liquor I loved Wheeler Catlett in this. Berry not only gave us a story about the strength of family bonds, but what also stood out was the strain of the 1930’s - he sure hated to depart with every dollar in helping Uncle Peach. And the secret place he bought the whiskey was a nice touch.I also just realized that he has a first name that was his mother’s maiden name. I like that detail. I don’t know if that’s strictly a southern thing to use a woman’s maiden name to name a child. I considered it with my own kids, but wound up not doing it.
Look what came up on my Facebook memories:QOTD:
Telling a story is like reaching into a granary full of wheat and drawing out a handful. There is always more to tell than can be told.
Wendell Berry
Happy birthday, Wendell Berry! The award-winning author of more than 40 works of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry has drawn from his experiences as a Kentucky farmer to explore themes of ecological responsibility in his writing. He has taught at numerous universities, including his alma mater, the University of Kentucky. Port William is a fictitious Kentucky town that has been the backdrop for many of his stories.
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As usual with audio, my mind wanders and I know I'm missing some material even though I backtrack, but whenever Tol & Minnie are at the heart of the story, I'm all ears.Jig-jiggin was a new turn of phrase for me.
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Diane wrote: "Watch With Me was long, but I'm with you Sue. Tol and Minnie are new characters to me and I am loving them."Diane, I'm thrilled to hear that we get to share some new characters with even seasoned Barry fans.
That's funny about your Grandparents, Diane. Mine were the same way in part because my Great Uncle was a Democrat IL State House Senator. Their 6 kids splintered off with 1/3 each on the Left, Right and Center.
Miss Minnie and Tol do not disappoint. Their foray into the city in Nearly to the Fair to get to the state fair is classic for a couple who are so much more comfortable in their buggy than in their new Model A. BTW, I am wondering who the narrator is in these stories with Miss Minnie and Tol. At the end, the narrator says - "that's the story as I heard it many times from Elton Penn."
It's almost as if it's Wendell himself. Any other ideas?
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Nearly to the Fair was fun. I guess those early car salesmen had to be versatile enough to give driving lessons to the buyers. Plus it was delivered!
Any time there is an unidentified narrator who "heard the story", I assume Andy as well. These stories are all so precious. My edition says there are 4 new stories, and I'm assuming these are the Tol/Minnie stories, since none of us remembers coming across them before. I do love Wendell Berry!
Of course, Andy makes perfect sense - so yes, Berry, in a way. Thanks Diane and Sara!
Just finished 'It Wasn't Me' -- really touched my heart. Reminded me of my dad who believed in a handshake and a person's word. Unfortunately, it didn't always work for him either.
In "A Half-Pint of Old Darling" they eat at a place Berry describes this way:they did not bring the meals out on individual plates to little separate tables, but instead the patrons sat together at long tables, and the food was set before them on heaped platters and in large bowls, and pans of hot biscuits and cornbread were passing around almost continuously, and pitchers of sweet milk and buttermilk and pots of coffee were always in reach, and when a person's plate began to look clean there would be waiters coming around with various kinds of pie.
I have eaten many a time at a place exactly like this. The Smith House in Dahlonega, GA was such a place...and you always had such interesting dinner conversation with people who were strangers when you went in and inviting you to visit them by the time you left.
Mod
The Amish restaurants in Pennsylvania also seat tables of strangers together. They also have overflowing bowls of good home cooking!
As do (or used to do) the Basques restaurants of Nevada.I am far behind all of you in the reading of That Distant Land, in particular, and indeed Wendell Berry, in general, but I just finished The Hurt Man and I can already tell that this is going to be a very special author.
Yay Terry! So glad you're loving it so far!The Solemn Boy - my heart breaks for Miss Minnie and Tol. They would have been such wonderful parents. I know they married later in life, but I thought Minnie was still of an age to have children. They are such giving and caring people and really showed their graciousness here. I also love that Tol is such a sociable man. You know he's really interested in learning about the person he's talking with. He's so much more social than most of the men in my family. I'd love for my guys to have a bit of that in them.
A Jonquil for Mary PennThis reminded me a little of Nell in Requiem by Fire except Mary Penn accepts her new life with her new husband. I loved the ending of this one. I kept wondering where the jonquil was going to come into the story.
Lori wrote: "Thicker than Liquor I loved Wheeler Catlett in this. Berry not only gave us a story about the strength of family bonds, but what also stood out was the strain of the 1930’s - he sure hated to depar..."I loved Wheeler Catlett too. Interesting about the naming convention Lori. I'm clad we don't have that because both my mom's maiden name and mine would make horrible first names.
I love the tradition in the Mexican culture where each child has a first and middle name followed by the paternal surname and then the maternal surname. It's a great way to keep both family surnames with the children.
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Diane wrote: "I gave my daughter my grandmother's maiden name as a middle name. I like that connection to older relatives."That was a great idea, Diane. Middle names work well for that.
I think using the family names is a very common Southern tradition. I have an uncle who had two family names. His name was Winslow Dorsey. Several other family names as middle names. Also true in my husband's family. His mother, daughter and my granddaughter have family names as middle names.
'The Boundary' & 'That Distant Land' seem to me like one continuous telling and I didn't understand why they were separated; put together, Matt & Margaret Feltner's story is one of the standouts in the collection. When Burley says: "You can wear 'em Honey, but you can't fill 'em."
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Lori wrote: "Miss Minnie and Tol do not disappoint. Their foray into the city in Nearly to the Fair to get to the state fair is classic for a couple who are so much more comfortable in their buggy than in their..."Agree Minnie and Tol do not disappoint even when they are disappointed. When you're so in love like that, any adventure is a good one.
I knew that there was a huge difference in their size but when their weight was mentioned with miss Minnie at 90lbs and him at about 300 I was a bit shocked.
It occurs to me that whenever we read Berry on the Trail (especially a collection), our discussion thread is like getting together down at Jayber's barbershop to have a good chat about the doings in Port Williams.
LOL. He spreads a sense of community wherever he goes, Cathrine.Just finished "A Jonquil for Mary Penn" and thought that all we really want or need in life is to feel like we are noticed by someone.
Lori wrote: "Yay Terry! So glad you're loving it so far!The Solemn Boy - my heart breaks for Miss Minnie and Tol. They would have been such wonderful parents. I know they married later in life, but I thought ..."
The Solemn Boy was a little heartbreaking, Lori. Still, even though they never had kids they still had a great life together. Tol was so caring and sociable. It was so sweet the way he used his buttermilk trick to make the kid laugh.
Jonquil for Mary PennI was so disgusted with Mary's parents. Too disown your daughter because she married a man who would never have a farm as big as theirs? That is nuts. You could understand it if Elton had been a hardened criminal or something, but the size of the farm?! Even though it would still be wrong, you could even understand it a little better if it were over a deeply held religious differences. They are both better off without people that shallow in their lives, but unfortunately Elton was just as upset from it as Mary was and it was affecting their marriage.
Lori, great point about Mary and Nell from Requiem by Fire.
Sara, so true that being noticed is essential.
Turn Back the Bed This one was so funny. It was like a slapstick comedy. It reminded me a little bit of the film 'A Christmas Story' where the dog eats the turkey. Here it was the cat and then the dog being stuck in the chimney and then running wild spreading soot all over the house, and no one even got too upset. Then the Golden Shower on Old An'tny! That was gross but I couldn't help but laugh. The Proudfoot's seemed like such an easy going family that allowed for good times and memories (the complete opposite of Mary Penn's parents!). I love thinking of Tol laughing about the old stories.
I agree, Sue, and I could just hear Old An'tny saying "Turn back the bed, Ma, these folks wants to go home."
Turn Back the Bed would be a great skit wouldn't it? I loved watching the Carol Burnett Show growing up. She is my FAVORITE comedianne ever! The Gone with the Wind skit is the BEST! I could see this story done with Harvey Korman or Tim Conway playing old An'tny. Of course, Vicki Lawrence and Carol would need a part to play.
I could hear it too, Sara!I agree, Lori. Carol Burnett was my favorite show growing up too. There's not enough good natured comedy anymore. Everything has to be edgy and biting instead of just appealing to everyone with the physicality. Carol Burnet and Lucile Ball (even though it was reruns) were my favorite.
I hadn't even seen or read Gone with the Wind and I loved that skit too! I saw the film for the first time maybe 7 or 8 years a go and I'm hoping to get to the book this year still.
Yes! Tim Conway as Old An'tny and Lyle as Lester. Carol could be Bessie.
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Sara (taking a break) wrote: "Yes! Tim Conway as Old An'tny and Lyle as Lester. Carol could be Bessie."Perfect casting, Sara!
Diane wrote: "I just finished Discovery of Kentucky. Burley and Jayber Crow in one story!"I just finished The Discovery of Kentucky. This is one of my favorites so far. I loved the banter between these characters (especially John T and Jayber Crow). It was such a feel good story and had me chuckling several times. John T. had mostly selfish motives, but it was heartwarming the way brought Burley's dormant patriotism back to life and they all had a great time.
I definitely need to read the Port William novels for some more of these characters.
Oh, you do, Sue! Jayber and Burley are two of my favorites and Jayber Crow is still my favorite of all Berry's novels. Of course that just makes it a diamond among rubies...all precious stones.
Sara (taking a break) wrote: "Oh, you do, Sue! Jayber and Burley are two of my favorites and Jayber Crow is still my favorite of all Berry's novels. Of course that just makes it a diamond among rubies...all precious stones."Did you guys read them in order when you read them, Sara?
Sue, you will love any of them that you decide to read. I started with Jayber Crow - my favorite - and then read Hannah Coulter after that. You don't need to read them in any order at all. I've still got to read Nathan Coulter - which was the first one. Whatever you decide, you will fall in love!
Lori wrote: "Sue, you will love any of them that you decide to read. I started with Jayber Crow - my favorite - and then read Hannah Coulter after that. You don't need to read them in any order at all. I've sti..."That's great to know Lori. I was just checking my library and they only have audio versions which is disappointing.
Read 'The Wild Birds' today and that one joins my list of favorites from this collection.Sue our system only has audios as well but they do come up as Kindle specials every now and then. I've still got 3 on my Paperwhite I haven't gotten to thanks to Trail members ever alert to specials!
Lori is right, Sue, you can read them in any order. I have also taken advantage of Kindle deals, Cathrine. If I ever reach the end, I intend to start over. :o)
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Most of these stories, except the ones with Tol and Minnie, are re-reads for me, as well. I don't mind at all. I think the joy of reading Berry is just as powerful the second or third time around.
Oh, I am so conventional in some things! I always read in order. I figure an author had a say about the order and so there is something to the order. Maybe I am wrong, though. Maybe the publisher just puts the story names in a hat and draws them at random just to gufoozle me!
That's great Catherine. I hope you guys keep mentioning when they come up on Kindle sales. I'm glad to see that there is consensus about not needing to read them in order.
Terry, I posted before I saw your message about the timeline consensus. I was looking at the time line in This book and the chronological one here differs from the publication dates. I tend to want to read publication order too, but when I do the other Lonesome Dove novels I want to go chronologically by time period. With these I'm craving more of Jaber Crow and Burley so I may jump to ones that focus on them.
If these stories constituted any kind of chronological order, that would beg to read them in order written, but Berry has a unique writing style that bounces back and forth in time and won't easily be put into any kind of story-telling order. I think it is because he is following the life of an entire community and a history told often through memory. Sometimes it is as if you are attending a family reunion and the stories of the previous generation pour out, not in order, but in the order in which they are remembered. Often you are dealing with Andy's NOW and in the course of that Wheeler's THEN.
On the Southern Literary Trail
Books mentioned in this topic
The Memory of Old Jack: A Novel (other topics)Requiem by Fire (other topics)
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Angle of Repose (other topics)
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Half- Pint of Old Darling was a joy. I'm going to love every story that has Tol and Minnie in it. They are such an adorable couple. The last thing I expected was for Minnie to get hammered. That would be way too much for me to drink and I'm much taller than Minnie.