Worthy's Town

This was a very easy book to read. The town was just like hundreds of others. Full of quirky characters & lots of gossip. I loved the authors style of writing. I especially loved the part where the grandmother started breastfeeding her grandbaby as if it were an everyday occurence. I highly recommend this book. You won't be disappointed & I anxiously await more from this author.

Nearly a century ago, Sherwood Anderson shattered literary tradition with his iconoclastic portrait of small-town America in the throes of modernization. His "Winesburg, Ohio" dealt with themes traditionally associated with sophisticated urbanites: alienation, emotional isolation, loosened sexual restraints, emotional displacement and social corruption. Sharon Rolens' intriguing, enticing and immensely readable "Worthy's Town" deserves favorable comparison with Anderson's masterpiece. Whereas Anderson interjected philosophical considerations through his alter-ego, George Willard, Rolens permits her narrative to provoke thought; her protagonist, Cappy Gilberson, evolves within a social milieu which simultaneously restricts and liberates his growing intellectual independence. Both Anderson and Rolens, however, focus attention on a town, and the town becomes the focus of the novel, its characters advancing the evolution of the social organism.Cappy Gilberson, raised by his maternal grandmother and grandfather, comes of age in the Great Depression. His world reflects the verities of middle-American rural existence; death can be both sudden and cruel. His own mother, Chastity, dies after unsanitary handling by the local midwife. His grandfather, Worthy, believes in the power of the spoken word and the salubrious impact of storytelling. Cappy's natural intelligence and inquisitive nature absorb this willingness to exaggerate fact to prove a point; he becomes a brightly reluctant student whose own search for his father becomes a painful part of his childhood. Rolens introduces a variety of characters, all of whom advance the reader's growing awareness of the social structure of Old Kane, Illinois. Expressions of sexuality, from childhood experimentation to storefront braggaodocio, from cruel ostracism of presumed homosexuals to downright nasty innuendo, receive candid treatment. Rolens is at her best when Cappy needs to expand his own horizons; his dogged detemination to demonstrate independence finds resistance in his grandfather, his teacher and his newspaper editor. He learns of the fragility of friendships, of the enormous impact of sexual appetite and of the imperfect mechanisms of dispensing justice in an otherwise indifferent world.Since "Worthy's Town" has such a relaxed, conversational style, it may be easy to dismiss this novel as light reading. Yet, Sharon Rolens has encompassed genuine emotion, human growth and terrible hurt in this piercing work. Without our being aware, Old Kane, Illinois gradually evolves as a microcosm of a changing nation, interpreted through the eyes of a once-innocent, now maturing protagonist. In this sense, Ms. Rolens advances the literary insight initiated well before her own birth. Sherwood Anderson would heartily approve of "Worthy's Town."

A story of family love and honesty. A story of the town's men standing around a potbelly wood heater at the general store. A story of friends made and friends kept. A story of town gossip. A story of a self-centered prankster and things going to far. A story of "you get what you deserve in the end". There is a lot of love between Worthy and his wife, Willa, in a chauvenistic kind of way....And I mean that in a sweet way. They raise their grandson, Cappy, not really knowing who Cappy's father is because W & W's unmarried, 14 year old daughter died shortly after childbirth from complications. Cappy grows up to be quite a fellow. He's ambitious, likeable, confident, and has tenacity. I strongly suggest reading this novel, it's one of the best I've read this year.The writing in this book is easy to follow and quick to read but real hard to put down. I am going to look up other books by this author and pray that she writes again real soon. She's done a greaT Job!I'm not sure why there are some reviewers who feel ashamed or offended, but this is a terrific book. This is not non-fiction and I've never been to Illinios, but I liked this little town very much and the characters in the story seem so real. I'm glad I read this book eventhough I almost didn't. I'm so sure that almost anyone would enjoy this novel.

This is definitrly one of my new favorite novels. I bought this ... months ago. When I got home, looked up the title and read the reviews, I put off reading this book but I sure wish I didn't now that I read it. This story is excellent. Please Ms. Rolens, write some more. You're a terrific author!!The story is about family love.....unconditional love. The earl and mid 20th century is rich with history and this author ties history into this novel with expertise rolled up with suspense.There's the primitive childbirth practices which caused the death of 14 year old Chastity. Her baby boy, Cappy, being raised by his grandparents and the loved shared between them is heartwarming. And Worthy's love for Willa is so very obvious as well as Willa's love for him in return.There is everything in this book that is in real life. Some hate, some love, some patriotism, some strange personal endeavors, bullies and meaness. I belive almost anyone would like this book, I don't understand why anyone would be embarassed about a book of fiction. THIS IS A GREAT BOOK. Pick it up, read it, enjoy it, life isn't always picture perfect.This story was easy to follow and easy to get to know the characters. I highly recommend this one.

This is just the type of novel I love to read. I'm a history nut, and believe Rolens is completely accurate in her depiction of the times about which she wrote. Eventhough the "names" as used in the book sound familiar, they are representative only of the names used in that part of the state, and don't represent people I remember - exactly. How clever! I think this would make a great film. I sympathized with Willa. She epitomizes how society viewed women during this time. I'd buy another book from this author!