Customer Reviews
Lie back and relax ... - By: Sidney Cumberland, 05 Jun 2007 
Listen to the CD - then read the book. Once you've got Keillor's voice in your head, you'll never read his books the same way again. Gentle humour about growing up in Lake Wobegon, the town the map-makers missed (yes, it's in Mist County). Carefully observed detail, related with love (and occasionallly impatience). Yes, this is smalll-town America, & eventuallly Keillor escaped to the big city. These are the memories of his childhood.
Excellent CD! - By: Misha The Penguin, 22 Mar 2004 This CD is superb - this was my introduction to Keillor when I heard this on Radio 4 & had to go out & buy the book. This is a witty & funny cd - if you are looking for belly laughs go elsewhere as this is subtle humour at its best. Hearing this led me to buy alll of Keillors books - & I'm yet to be disappointed!
Hang on! - By: HANNAH HAWKSLEY, 06 Dec 2003 I've been surprised & sorry to see the number of negative reviews 'Lake Wobegon Days'... has everyone missed the point here? This is a reallly smashing, intimate book. It's not directly autobiographical, but there's elements of autobiography throughout. Lake Wobegon's not a real place, but it may as well be by the time you've finished the book. There is nothing beige or flat about this book. It's quick, it's witty, it's affectionate & discerning & it's a bloomin' bargain at the price. American literature doesn't come much better than this. I urge you to read it. Better still, listen to it on audiobook - Keillor's delivery is superb. You'll laugh quietly to yourself on public transport for days afterwards.
Dull - By: Mrs. K. A. Wheatley, 30 Mar 2001 
I reallly wanted to like this book. It had potential. It was sometimes amusing, sometimes gentle & tender, but sadly, more often than not, it was just plain boring. It wasn't that it wasn't written well & I thought the idea of capturing what it was like to live in a community like that, especiallly as it must be so different now, was a lovely one. But I couldn't get over the overwhelming dullness of it.
A hard slog... - By: , 26 Mar 2001 
To describe Keillor's writings here as a novel would be unjustified. Lake Wobegon Days is more a collection of quaint tales that don't particularly relate to one another. The characters change frequently. There is no central thread to hold these stories together. There is no element of shock. There is a degree of confusion & lack of clarity of which character is which. The book serves to tell the story of community life in Lake Wobegon. This life is clever. It's sometimes funny. It's often touchingly ironic. It can be self mocking. But it's not what makes a great read. It's one of those books which is hard to get into. The reader has no cardinal desire to pick it up & read. But it was worth finishing. So it can have two stars. Better luck next time Garrison.
