WALDEN WEST

by August Derleth ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 25, 1961

This series of vignettes of people in his home town returns Derleth to Sac Prairie, Wisconsin, once again. These sketches have little distinction, no particular chronology or unifying drama. All the men and women have either been lonely alone, lonely with their families, lonely in marriage or lonely with lovers. We are told how they looked; what they said; how they lived; a nun, a librarian, a priest, a river-boat man, a mailman, a ""girl who met the trains"", etc.- and how they died- suicide, madness, old age. The added fact we come to feel about the author (other than his fondness for his grandparents, and their trades, and his Catholic education which brought the love of writing) is that he missed his calling as a naturalist. The most worthwhile parts of this chronicle are those passages which reveal his informed and sensitive responses to the seasons, hours, birds, animals, weather, and nature in general.

Pub Date: Oct. 25, 1961

ISBN: 0299135942

Page Count: -

Publisher: Duell, Sloan & Pearce

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1961

Categories: FICTION