Bathtub Reading

Small towns you won't want to leave

Wendy Webb

Every so often, especially in summer, it’s wonderful to lose yourself in a lovely town created by an author. These books aren’t high-action thrillers or edge-of-your-seat mysteries. They’re simply a glimpse into life in a small town, where even the most hardened city-dweller soon wishes he or she resides. After just a few pages, you get to know all the townspeople, their quirks and soon enough, their secrets. You’ll know who sneaks a drink in the afternoons and who goes to church on Sundays, who is looking for love and whose hardened demeanor masks a broken heart. You’ll care deeply about what happens to these people, er, characters. You’ll know the streets and alleyways of this fictitious place better than you know your own neighborhood. It’s intoxicating and comforting all at the same time. Did I mention addicting? That, too. But good news: These types of books usually have lots of sequels. If you get sucked into life in one of these small towns, you can stay awhile.

Staggerford

by Jon Hassler (1986, Ballantine)

If you have never read this fabulous novel by Jon Hassler, arguably the most talented Minnesota author, pick it up today. It chronicles a single week in the life of Miles Pruitt, a 35-year-old bachelor teacher in a fictitious, small Minnesota town called Staggerford. Hassler hails from small-town Minnesota so he gets it, spot on. Unlike the other novels I’m recommending in this category, this book is taut and suspenseful. Think a week in the life of a teacher is a snore? Think again. You won’t be able to put this book down. After you’ve read this novel, visit Staggerford again in several of Hassler’s books. My favorites are Green Journey and Dear James, which follow Agatha McGee, one of the main characters in Staggerford. Buy all three and you’ve got a good start to your summer reading.

Big Stone Gap

By Adriana Trigiani (2000, Ballantine)

Settle into life in the Blue Ridge Mountains in this lovely story of Ave Maria, the town pharmacist who realizes, at age 35, after devoting her life to her ailing parents for years, she’s now a spinster. Oh, she’s got plenty of friends. There’s the bookmobile lady who is somewhat of a tart, the band teacher from the local high school, the sexy mountain man and a gaggle of community-theater actors who are thrown into a frenzy when a rumor circulates that Elizabeth Taylor is coming to town.

She’s also got somewhat of a scandal on her hands when she discovers a letter from her (recently-deceased) mother claiming that her (recently-deceased) father actually wasn’t her father. If you like life in Big Stone Gap (and you will, guaranteed) read the other books in the series about Ave Maria, Big Cherry Holler, Milk Glass Moon and Home to Big Stone Gap.

At Home in Mitford

By Jan Karon (RiverOak Publishing, 2005)

In the life-in-a-small-town genre, this is the granddaddy of them all, the alpha and the omega, the end-all and be-all. This book is the cure for stress, road rage, the recession and high oil prices. Well, maybe not, but it’ll make you feel so good you won’t care so much about those things. Brew a pot of tea and visit Mitford, North Carolina, a town you’ll know so well, you’ll wonder if you actually grew up there. This is the story of Father Tim, an Episcopal priest with an enormous stray dog, Barnabas, that won’t leave him alone, a stray boy who winds up on his doorstep, an attractive new neighbor who is making him uncomfortable, and a gaggle of colorful townspeople, from church secretary to the owner of the diner to the eccentric rich old ladies on the hill. Jan Karon has written many sequels to this first novel, each as calming and lovely and wonderful as the last, and I’ve read them all. I’m looking forward to the next one, although Barnabas (the dog) is getting on in years now (Father Tim calls him the “Old Gentleman” in later books) and I’m terrified he’ll die in the next book. That’s how deeply these characters get under your skin.

 

This article appears in its entirety in the June 2008 issue of Duluth~Superior Magazine.
Pick up the current issue at one of these locations. Get future issues delivered to your home or business. Subscribe today!