Remembering: A Novel

By Wendell Berry

A poetic novel of despair, hope, and the redemptive power of work deepens an award–winning author’s grand Port Williams literary project.

After losing his hand in an accident, Andy Catlett confronts an agronomist whose surreal vision can see only industrial farming. This vision is powerfully contrasted with that of modest Amish farmers content to live outside the pressures brought by capitalist postindustrial progress, and by working the land to keep away the three great evils of boredom, vice, and need.

As Andy’s perspective filters through his anger over his loss and the harsh city of San Francisco surrounding him, he begins to remember: the people and places that wait 2,000 miles away in his Kentucky home, the comfort he knew as a farmer, and his symbiotic relationship to the soil. Andy laments the modern shift away from the love of the land, even as he begins to accept his own changed relationship to the world. Wendell Berry’s continued fascination with the power of memory continues in this treasured novel set in 1976.

“[Berry’s] poems, novels and essays . . . are probably the most sustained contemporary articulation of America’s agrarian, Jeffersonian ideal.” —Publishers Weekly

“Wendell Berry is one of those rare individuals who speaks to us always of responsibility, of the individual cultivation of an active and aware participation in the arts of life.” —The Bloomsbury Review

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Mar 1, 2009
• ISBN: 9781582439570

Reviews for Remembering

[bookworm12_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

 I’ve been wanting to read more Berry and this was a good place to start. It’s short, but the coming-of-age theme and tone reminded me a lot of Cold Sassy Tree. Berry does an incredible job capturing and conveying a sense of place in his works. The quiet way of life that Nathan reflects on enchanting, but there are still traumas to face in their small town. I loved Hannah Coulter more, but this one certainly makes me want to read another of his books.

[fuzzi_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Told from the perspective of a young boy, this story illustrates life in a rural and poor community, where family was foremost even when strife and anger divided it. Good read.

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

An American pastoral novel that is misleadingly serene, in that a great deal happens that could be considered action or tragedy, but which the characters and the novel both take in stride as the normal course of life and nature.

The novel moseys along, slowly meandering to the point where Berry's philosophies about one's relationships with one's ancestors and the shared relationship with the land hits home.

From page one, the novel brought back memories of my own experiences with my father, grandfather, and (briefly) as a hired farm hand. Even though it's a novel about rural Kentucky in the early 20th century, it contains themes that are shared throughout humanity.

[joelhagan · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Great Read. Poetic and moving. At points the writing seemed to be a bit choppy, but enjoyable none-the-less.

[lothiriel2003 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is lyrical and haunting. It's a bit difficult to read at first, but well worth the effort. It resonates with hope and with the awareness of an eternity that exists alongside our time-bound life.

[lauralkeet · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

In Remembering, one of Wendell Berry’s Port William novels, Andy Catlett has traveled from Port William to San Francisco to speak at a conference on farming. It is 1976 and Andy (whom readers met as a boy and young man in previous novels) is now a middle-aged father and recently lost his right hand in a farming accident. He has recovered physically but not psychologically, and this has put significant strain on his marriage. And then he finds himself in a lecture hall, listening to “suits” droning on about modern-day farming practices, and he just can’t stand it. He sets his prepared remarks aside and speaks from his heart, which isn’t necessarily popular with the audience and the conference organizers. After this episode, Andy wakes up in a cold sweat in his hotel room and heads out into the early morning for a long walk around San Francisco, filled with ruminations and memories. These vignettes paint a picture of Andy’s adult life, and also remind us of Port William, its people, and a way of life that was disappearing then and by today has faded into even more obscurity. And yet, Andy’s reflections during his walk and on his journey home also have a ray of hope, at least for Andy himself if not for rural America.

[laugal-2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Powerful !!!!!! A day in the life of Andy Catlett.A soulful story of remembering who you are and where you came from.Redemption,integrity and dignity.A reminder we need to be true to our history and ourselves. Author, Wendell Berry is an American classic.

[hobbitprincess · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book reminds me a lot of Run With the Horseman by Ferrell Sams. It's Kentucky in the 1920s, and Nathan is a young boy who experiences the small town life of the son of a Kentucky farmer. It's not an easy life, but there are joys to be had. I will definitely be reading the next books in the series.