JAYBER CROW

[Randy]

This is Wendell Berry's longest and most important novel. Essentially it is the memoir of the town barber of Port William, the fictional town Wendell Berry created based on his own hometown in Kentucky, Port Royal. The book reflects Wendell's (the author prefers to be referred to as "Wendell," not "Berry." He told me this himself.) concern for the environment, for small town America, for farming, for ethical values, and for the general health of our society. It also reflects Wendell's opposition to war. Wendell Berry one of the most important authors in America and JAYBER CROW, along with his COLLECTED STORIES, are his most important works. Everything Wendell has written is highly readable, in addition to being profound. By the way, his characters are highly believeable because they are based on people of Wendell's childhood.

[Bill]

I'm shocked that nobody has chimed in on this discussion. I just finished Jayber Crow, my first taste of Wendell's work. What Randy said about Wendell's importance in American literature is not exaggerated, I believe. The theme of Jayber Crow hits the central nervous system, not just in modernism in American agriculture, but in the soul of modernity in the West. I found the read to be at first slow, then methodically so as I began to buy into the architecture of the narrative, a structure that reflects the substance of the novel itself.

This book was recommended to me by some of my more thoughtful friends, people for whom the spiritual is deeply important, young men and old whose souls have been shaped by some of the religious convictions Wendell critiques in this book, but who are open to see the way religion, especially Protestantism, has found itself misshapen by its attempt to accommodate Reformation convictions on the American "frontier," then later in the grip of populism. These concerns are my own reflections that perhaps are too narrow for the main concern of the book or the observations of other readers.

Beyond religion (pun intended) the story of Jayber Crow calls us all to consider our tense relationships with the modern world, with nature and with others who are part of both. Anybody want to jump in here?

[Karissa]

I concur with the above two comments. It was also my first experience with Wendell Berry. I loved this book not only for all the concerns for agriculture, ethical values, etc which is timely but also for the beautiful love story that it portrayed. It is one of those books that I would read again and underline all my favorite quotes. The slowness of the development story only enhances the experience that one obtains from getting to know the town and its people. In this busy technologically driven world it is an escape we all long for or try to create if only on a vacation. I recently visited a bookstore & purchased a slew of Berry's book. I just finished "Leavings" which was also a wonderful prose collection that is profound and follows similar themes of nature, farming, hard work, community, ethical living, etc. He is my new favorite author introduced to me by a lovely lady who was in her 80's.

[Nancy]

I have loved his work since a friend first introduced me to it probably 20 years ago. All of his stories, novels and poetry are characterized by his beautiful writing, like a clear stream running over stones beneath, as well as all the ethical concerns citied above. But I've always been most struck by his kindness, something that has enormous impact in life and the way we treat each other, other creatures, and the earth.

[Wesley]

In "Jayber Crow",Wendell does a great job expressing the sadness of traditional family farming losing out to modern corporate farming. I want to believe Athey Keith is right and Troy Chatham is wrong. I hope everyone who reads "Jayber Crow" will also read "Nathan Coulter" and "Hanna Coulter."