Winesburg, Ohio

This will be my third and final post for the day. But do not forget that I am in the middle of a major catch-up session. I thought it was appropriate to post another book review at the beginning of this catch-up session.

Winesburg, Ohio was one of the last books I read at the end of last semester, and it is one of the only ones that I can remember enough about to post about at this point. Sherwood Anderson took a complete different approach to writing when he wrote this novel. He created the fictional city of Winesburg and allowed the main character, George Willard to be involved throughout the many stories.

This novel consists of about 20 different stories, each story with a different set of characters/residents of Winesburg. But George makes an appearance in most of the stories for he is the town's reporter, and many of the residents trust him and are willing to talk to him. So as these characters deal with their various problems (either about their past or their present).

One of the major problems I found in the book is the decision as to where the characters would like to live. Some find faults with living in the small town, dealing with town gossip and other problems that come from small town politics. So some choose to live in the country surrounding the town. But many times, these characters feel disconnected and sense isolation. Therefore, others choose to move to one of the large Ohio cities. But they find that the problems they faced in the small town are only increased when they arrive in the city. Plus they face more problems as well. I feel like the novel concludes (on that topic anyways) that the town is the better place to live, but ultimately it is a person's choice.

This novel is unique because of the various stories that compose the novel. And having a single character that travels in and out of the other stories ties the novel together. But ultimately, the fact that George is dealing with the decision as to where he should live (country, town, or city), helps tie this major theme into the novel.

If you are one who does not like to read or one who cannot read many pages in one sitting, this may be a good book for you. By having these various stories, you could read one story at a time and gradually make your way through the novel.

Matt