Afton Historical Society Press
Minnesota - (c)2000 - 126pp
ISBN: 1-890434-29-9
wood engravings by Gaylord Schanilec
A collection of short stories including:
Publisher's Note by Patricia Condon Johnson
"Rufus at the Door"
"Anniversary"
"Winning Sarah Spooner"
"The Life and Death of Delano Klein"
"Dodger's Return"
"Agatha McGee and the St. Isidore Seven"
"Nancy Clancy's Nephew"
Postscript: A Letter from Agatha McGee
I have to admit that I was half hoping to not like any of these stories. I'm not sure exactly why. Maybe it's because Mr. Hassler also runs a successful, small theatre nearby, and I'm jealous of his accomplishments. Who knows. But the truth is, I enjoyed this collection. Some more than others, like any collection.
"Rufus at the Door" conveyed small town sentiments toward those who are "different" quite well. "Dodger's Return" brought back memories of childhood acquaintance J. Orlikowski. "Wow," I thought. "That's exactly what happened with me and J."
"Agatha McGee and the St. Isidore Seven" was amusing, and ended exactly the way I expected it to, and that's okay! Not every story has to surprise you with the ending. Any ending other than what was written would have been a disappointment.
Based on this collection, I will look forward to reading Mr. Hassler's "Staggerford" books, and other collections of short stories.
2 comments:
Does Hassler run that theatre? I thought it was just named after him.
Well, he did run it. Also runs/ran a writing seminar out of it. I believe his Parkinsons Disease has taken him out of the actual running of it now, though.
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