Book: Hannah Coulter by Wendell Berry

Wendell Berry has written many wonderful books and this is one of the best.

It is set in the countryside near the fictional town of Port William, Kentucky. It is Hannah's story and is a satisfying tale, full of nostalgia for a bygone era, that of the second half of the 20th century. It is the story of farming folk and hard work, of families bound by friendship and neighborliness. Hannah reminds me of my first mother-in-law, Virginia Phelps, a truly remarkable woman whose farm home was always a welcome respite from any trouble.

"I was beautiful in those days myself, as I believe I can admit now that it no longer matters. A woman doesn't learn she is beautiful by looking in a mirror, which about any woman is apt to do from time to time, but that is only wishing. She learns it so that she actually knows it from men. The way they look at her makes a sort of glimmer she walks in. That tells her. It changes the easy she walks too. "

Hannah raises her children and lives her life on the land, always appreciating what she has. It is a story of life in the country shortly before "screens" began to dominate our lives.

"Danny grew up with the knowledge of the old economy of the natural world that, for nothing and for pleasure, yielded in its seasons game and fish and nuts and berries and herbs and marketable pelts."

Such is Mr. Berry's talent that every page is soothing as Hannah recalls her life, of raising her children, of being a young widow, of marrying again, of living each day close to nature, of her faith and friends and family. The decency and basic goodness of these lives is offered to us, reminding us of what we can be.

PS: I bought this as a used book at a resale store somewhere. There is an inscription in the front:

Dear Nan,

I know you and Ike liked to read out back in the summer. I thought you might appreciate this beautiful story about loss and love and gratitude. The narrator, Hannah, reminds me a lot of you.

Love Mark

It's that kind of book.....