The Memory of Old Jack

Reviews

Veteran narrator brings meandering journey into crystal-clear focus

By: Publishers Weekly

Poet, essayist and fiction writer Wendell Berry has established himself as the consummate writer's writer. His grounding in agrarian themes—both sociologically insightful and intimately personal—harks back to the rich tradition of Faulkner. Over the past four decades, Berry has built an impressive body of novels and short stories devoted to the fictional rural hamlet of Port William, located in his home state of Kentucky. First published in 1974, The Memory of Old Jack recounts the last days in the life of 92-year-old farmer Jack Beechum in the fall of 1952, as the self-sufficient man of the soil contemplates both his heartaches and triumphs. Veteran narrator Paul Michael brings Jack's meandering journey between the present and past into crystal-clear focus. His portrayal of the emotionally and sexually barren terrain of Jack's relationship with his wife, Ruth, evokes especially powerful angst concerning the disconnect between dutiful obligation and romantic passion. This audiobook release offers an excellent venue for new audiences to discover Berry, a seminal literary figure whose gifted storytelling challenges, provokes, inspires and affirms. (Posted on 1/6/11)

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Told in Barry's poignantly beautiful melancholy...

By: Antonina Ruth Bruno

Told in Barry's poignantly beautiful melancholy southern style, "The Memory of Old Jack" is not only powerfully written, but read in a deep and engaging manner. Rebirth is a thread-theme woven quietly through Wendell Barry's complex tapestry of Old Jack's life. My favorite passage (SPOILER WARNING): "He saw that he would be distinguished not by what he was or anything that he might become but by what he served. Beyond him was the peace and rest and joy that he desired. Beyond the limits of a man's strength or intelligence or desire or hope or faith, there is more. The cup runs over. While a man lies asleep in exhaustion and despair, helpless as a child, the soft rain falls, the trees leaf, the seed sprouts in the planted field. And when he knows that he livs by a bounty not his own, though his ruin lies behind him and again ahead of him, he will be at peace, for he has seen what is worthy." (Posted on 4/4/07)

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