Winesburg, Ohio: A Group of Tales of Ohio Small-Town Life

Written by Sherwood Anderson

Narrated by Bruce Blau, Susan McCarthy, Bobbie Frohman and 2 more

Sherwood Anderson writes almost as if he were eavesdropping on the private domestic lives of a small Ohio town's inhabitants in the early 1900's. The central figure, George Willard, is a young budding journalist working for the local paper who allows the listener in on the latest gossip being circulated in this casual study of the insular Midwest, when America was still growing up.

This timeless collection charted a new stylistic path for modern fiction. Through twenty-two connected short stories, Sherwood Anderson looks into the lives of the inhabitants of a small town in the American heartland. These psychological portraits of the sensitive and imaginative of Winesburg’s population are seen through the eyes of a young reporter-narrator, George Willard. Their stories are about loneliness and alienation, passion and virginity, wealth and poverty, thrift and profligacy, carelessness and abandon. With its simple and intense style, Winesburg, Ohio evokes the quiet moments of epiphany in the lives of ordinary men and women.

Table of Contents
1. The Book of the Grotesque
2. Hands-concerning Wing Biddlebaum
3. Paper Pills-concerning Doctor Reefy
4. Mother-concerning Elizabeth Willard
5. The Philosopher-concerning Doctor Parcival
6. Nobody Knows-concerning Louise Trunnion
7. Godliness , Parts I and II-concerning Jesse Bentley
8. Godliness , Surrender (Part III)-concerning Louise Bentley
9. Godliness , Terror (Part IV)-concerning David Hardy
10. A Man of Ideas-concerning Joe Welling
11. Adventure-concerning Alice Hindman
12. Respectability-concerning Wash Williams
13. The Thinker-concerning Seth Richmond
14. Tandy-concerning Tandy Hard
15. The Strength of God-concerning The Reverend Curtis Hartman
16. The Teacher-concerning Kate Swift
17. Loneliness-concerning Enoch Robinson
18. An Awakening-concerning Belle Carpenter
19. “Queer”-concerning Elmer Cowley
20. The Untold Lie-concerning Ray Pearson
21. Drink-concerning Tom Foster
22. Death-concerning Doctor Reefy and Elizabeth Willard
23. Sophistication-concerning Helen White
24. Departure-concerning George Willard

• Language: English
• Publisher: Alcazar Audio Works
• Release date: Jan 1, 2003
• ISBN: 9780974680668

Sherwood Anderson

Sherwood Anderson (1876-1941) was an American businessman and writer of short stories and novels. Born in Ohio, Anderson was self-educated and became, by his early thirties, a successful salesman and business owner. Within a decade, however, Anderson suffered what was described as a nervous breakdown and fled his seemingly picture-perfect life for the city of Chicago, where he had lived for a time in his twenties. In doing so, he left behind a wife and three children, but embarked upon a writing career that would win him acclaim as one of the finest American writers of the early-twentieth century.

Reviews for Winesburg, Ohio

[eilonwy_anne · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

An excellent model for shnovel or collage, written with a delicate touch. I like the way the focus on the main character grows over time, as the child grows and differentiates himself and his personality from his community. I also appreciate the willingness to show the protagonist's folly and foibles. From a modern perspective, the clumsy attempts at female characterization are rather cringeworthy, and I also found the 'grotesque' angle somewhat overplayed.

[addunn3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Short stories wrapped around a town in Ohio.

[asxz-2 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I can see why this would have been scandalous back in 1919. There's an awful lot of earthy sexuality in Winesburg.

Men and women are instantly struck by each other's attractiveness and they fall in and out of lust at the drop of a hat. There a depth to such human shallowness that even reminded me of War and Peace and the way Tolstoy was so sharp on the tiny things that trigger feelings of love.

It's a great companion piece to the Spoon River Anthology which I read last year delving into overlapping lives with overlapping vignettes.

The short story "The Untold Lie" is worth the price of admission all by itself.

[pickwick817 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book was not at all what I was expecting, but was still interesting and entertaining. Its almost a collection of short stories with a small link in each one centered around a small town in Ohio.

[iambookish-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This has been on my mental list of "to-reads" for a very long time. As a native of Ohio, I have a familiarity with the area and and with Sherwood Anderson, so I was excited to finally read this fantastic piece of literature.

[wvlibrarydude · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The other reviews here are much better written, and give a better analysis of this work's place in the canon of American Literature. On a purely personal level, I really enjoyed the way Anderson dovetailed the chapters together into a tight piece of character work. By focusing on the characters, one is able to get at a larger truth that escapes many of the individual "grotesques."A very well written book, that I will revisit in the future. The only draw back on it was the frank bleakness of the lives and loves. I believe this is why it took me three tries to actually get started and finish the book. It has sat on the shelf for almost 17 years begging to be read, but each time I started I had a bad taste I didn't feel comfortable swallowing, so .... patooie... it was spit out. This time I kept going with determination and came away much more satisfied than I thought I would.

[madepercy-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I did not know what to think when I began reading Winesburg, Ohio. Hemingway's satire of the novel in The Torrents of Spring had somewhat tainted my first impression of the book. However, on completion I found the book thoughtful, interesting, and, aside from being somewhat vanilla in its description of life in a small American town, insightful. There is a coherence to the various stories that I found in Calvino's Marcolvaldo, despite the work appearing as a collection of short stories based around a protagonist and their relationship to the people, places and happenings in one particular town. I would not be surprised if Calvino was inspired by Anderson. But for the life of me I cannot understand Hemingway's criticism. Yet Anderson had a similar response from Faulkner. I think what makes this work so important is the background story, yet the work speaks to the reader in its own right.

[msarki_3 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I believe Mr Anderson is a very talented writer. I also think he touched on many subjects of interest to me and others. But, for the most part, as charming as it was and well-written, I felt it all too soft for me, kind of like a Little House on the Prairie if you want to know the truth. Perhaps a bit too sentimental and even a bit too romantic for me. I like dirt and music that not only lifts me but spreads a soiling on me too permanent to rub off. But I shall see how the book progresses in the further regions of my mind as it gestates, or not, come what may. Certainly a book worth reading and definitely a precursor to what was to come in the literary field of its time.

[sgerbic · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Reviewed April 1999 Difficult to begin as I had no idea other than it has something to do with a small town in Ohio, what it would be about. Anderson’s portraits of the secret lives of regular people is extremely interesting. Are most people’s secret wishes as gloomy as he portrays? Each chapter introduces a new person and their secrets, only the main character, George Willard is repeated throughout the book. I wanted to know more, to find out if these people finally found peace in their lives. But alas, like life, peace is an evolving thing. Only reason I heard of this book was it appeared in the top 100 of English language Novels of the 29th century. According to the editorial board of the Modern Library. It is listed as number 24

[smiley_13 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The first chain of linked short stories I ever read. Seminal American literature about living and leaving small town life in the early years of the last century. Keen and knowing observations on life spent and the promise of life.

[danielstj · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

An interesting book of short stories about small-town life in the rural area of Winesburg, Ohio. Very introspective, with much of the intrigue based within the minds of the characters. It was good, but personally there was nothing especially noteworthy about the book. Nonetheless, worth a read.

[shaggydog_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What an unbelievably beautiful book! It's the kind of book that makes you want to be a writer.

[soylentgreen23 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I often judge books by their covers, and well too I should: so much effort goes into their fabrication that it would be a shame not to at least factor their effect into a buying decision. I loved the cover of the Penguin edition immediately.The book itself I found surprisingly refreshing. A short collection of stories, the main character is really Winesburg itself, little town America personified. The book looks at each of the principal actors in the town's life in one particular generation, producing a story for each. They are tied neatly together into a beautiful little package; it's no wonder that this is such a popular piece of American fiction.

[jvioland_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book has much of Elyria, Ohio in it. At least that seems to be the case. I was raised in Elyria and Anderson writes of a typical turn-of-the-century (last century, that is) American Midwest city with its prejudices and glories. If one wishes to understand the evolution of the American being, read this book.

[tloeffler_3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A collection of interconnected short stories, set in the post-WWI years in a small town in Ohio. Some of the stories are a little bit dated, but still a good read--a slice of time and place.

[33racoonie · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

22 short stories of different people, all living in Winesboro, a small town. All the stories connect with the others, showing a great example of a small town and how it's residence may influence each other.

[silva_44 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

After reading Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles, I was curious to read this book which he said was his inspiration. Having been raised in a very small farming community, these stories resonated with me on some level. Each story details the psychological struggles of various town residents. Many writers have tended to idealize small-town America at the turn of the century (and perhaps accurately), so Anderson's depiction is bold and different.

[dukefan86 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed this collection of short stories about the fictional town of Winesburg, Ohio. The way the story lines interconnected fascinated me. The descriptions of the townspeople's actions emotions were so intriguing that sometimes I felt like a voyeur.

[kszr_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Engaging stories. Well written. Can see the influence that he made on Hemingway.

[marti.booker · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I trudged through this. I'm sure it was quite realistic and risque in 1919, but the repeated hand imagery annoyed me, as did the whole premise of trying to describe the inner emotional lives of interconnected people in vignettes. Give me PLOT, please! And don't tell me it was a coming of age story, George was an idiot.

[jddunn_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Restrained, finely crafted, genuine stories about moral and social isolation in small town, turn-of-the-century America, and the lengths people were driven to to combat it. Kind of desolate and depressing, but the humanity and tension of the solitary battles portrayed is very worthwhile. Reminds me of Hemingway's short work, only with much more emotional intelligence, or maybe Carson McCullers' portraits of people fighting similar circumstances in the South.

[muddyboy · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Every chapter in this book is a separate story that can stand on its own but they are linked together through a few central characters. The book takes place in the early 20th century and is a blazing indictment of small town life. This is a town where those who stay find their dreams crushed. The only chance you have is to move away. Even then we are not sure what happens to those who leave. Yes it is depressing, but it is just so well written that is worth the "downers".

[mabroms-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Oddly compelling set of very short stories set in rural America at the dawn of agricultural industrialization. Themes center on love, family religion, values and lack thereof. Also a kind of one hit wonder for Anderson.

[icolford · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Winesburg, Ohio is truly a landmark in American literature as well as in the short story genre. Anderson mercilessly scrutinizes his characters, laying their fears, lusts, and shameful passions out on the page for all to see. Anderson's modern approach to storytelling must have seemed wildly out of place in 1919, but it heralded in a new era, bridging the gap between 19th-century realism and 20th-century modernism.

[reneerobinson-2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

WINESBURG, OHIO-by Sherwood Anderson 479 -12706019I was skeptical of this book because I thought the title sounded dull and the generic title even more dull-dom. However, I decided to read it only because I am from a small town in Ohio. It turns out, I am happy I live in Ohio. The stories are detailed with realistic, well-rounded characters. Typically I steer away from short stories as many times it seems the endings are simple cutoff. This author delivers. His stories, though short, are well formed and entertaining. I was taken back to a different time of life, perhaps better in some ways as I read through.

[etxgardener · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Somehow I had never read this book, so im glad it got picked for one of my book clubs. Sherwood Anderson describes life in a small Ohio town that is ostensibly based on his own hometown. It is not a pleasant portrait. The action in the book takes place almost entirely at night, sand the darkness reflects the lives of most of the book's characters. There is lying, cheating, illicit sex and just about every other vice you can think of. No wonder the people in Anderson's home town were appalled when this book came out. A very depressing, yet accurate look at the venial life in a small town.

[chrisblocker · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I waited too long to write my thoughts on this one and now I remember so little. But that in itself is a critique. Any book which doesn't stay with you was probably ho-hum at best.

So which parts do I remember? Actually, I remember the four-part story "Godliness" best--the one about the grandfather who feels he has been chosen by God. I found it to be thought-provoking and suspenseful. Also memorable was the story about the minister who catches a glimpse of the neighbor woman and lusts after her.

Ironically, many of the stories which focus on George Willard, the main character, escape me. The most memorable scenes from him were perhaps his final ones, as he walks around Winesburg by himself and also through the fair grounds with Helen.

I thought I'd either love Winesburg or hate it; most people I know who have read it do. Instead, I fall in the middle. There were some great stories here, but overall, it just didn't capture me.

[bookczuk · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It's hard to find those kind of books where the action slowly meanders through the streets and fields, and doesn't come blasting out of weapons, or splash through in a rapid pace, firing wit at a whiplash pace. Winesburg, Ohio shapes the character of a small town through its characters, told slowly and gently through short story glimpses. I love a quiet paced book, with good writing, and even though this was really vignettes/short stories, it still had the gentle quality I long for in today's action packed world.Almost embarrassed to admit, I might not have picked this up were it not for the Stanford Book Salon. I read in someone's review that the author died from peritonitis after his intestine was perforated by a piece of a toothpick left in a martini olive. I just want to reassure everyone that knows about the czuk "Martini Night" ritual on (most) Fridays, that we do not toothpick our Castlevietro olives.

[victrola_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I thought that many of these stories were very powerful, and true in a stark way that I am not sure I have ever encountered.I sometimes found the stiff writing style a little difficult to plow through, but I'm not sure it would have been the same book if it had been written more smoothly.

[rabbitrun_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Interesting psychological analysis of why people behave the way they do.