Pontoon by Garrison Keillor (Audio

Thursday, July 31, 2008

I listened to bits and pieces of Lake Wobegone Days read by the author and thought it hilarious. Too bad my Ipod was acting up. So I thought Pontoon would be equally enjoyable. It was a disappointment. While there were shining moments and some laugh-out-loud scenes (the final chapter was wonderfully funny), mostly the book seemed slow. I was put off by some surprisingly graphic sexual content, not a lot, but enough and the depressing nature of most of the characters. Plus the narrator had the most mournful voice. Was it the author??
When Barbara finds her mother, Evelyn, dead in her bed, it sets off a whole chain of events as the family gathers to honor her final wishes. The story includes history on the dead woman and her relationships with others. A side story incudes Debbie, who left home at nineteen; and, twenty years later, returns home to get married. Again, we learn a lot of Debbie's history. Both Evelyn's memorial and Debbie's wedding are planned to take place on Saturday at Lake Wobegone. Which does lead to a hilarious climax. Yes, Keillor does a fantastic job of creating characters who are real and are easy to identify with. They're just weren't incredibly likable people except Evelyn, and she's dead. I found it a bit whiny with rays of sunshine thrown in occasionally.
Rating: 3
Posted by Framed at 3:20 PM

5 comments:
Ben said...
Garrison Keillor does have a pretty 'mournful' voice. I love it.He does a couple shows for NPR. One of them is the writers almanac which is just a 5 minute show in which he gives a little literary history of this date and reads a poem. It used to be on right when I'd drive to the commuter lot, but they've moved it so now I don't get to hear it anymore. I always enjoyed it as a quirky little start to the day.He also does (and is mainly known for) The Prarie Home Companion which is a radio variety show that is also pretty good.
8/01/2008 7:16 AM
Stephanie said...
I've never actually read any Garrison Keillor. I've seen him on TV a few times, doing interviews, and he actually cracks me up. Very smart. Sorry this one was a disappointment. I hate when that happens!
8/01/2008 11:49 AM
Susan said...
My husband and I saw Garrison Keillor "in concert" not too long ago. I think he's hilarious, but I was surprised by how raunchy he was. I haven't read any of his books, and don't think I will. Sorry you wasted your time on this one.
8/01/2008 3:21 PM
Les said...
Oh, dear. I had a customer tell me how funny this book is. Laugh out loud funny, and I was tempted to buy a copy, but now I'll hold off and get it from the library. Sorry it was a bit of a disappointment for you.Have you seen the movie, A Prairie Home Companion? I rarely ever listen to the program on NPR, but I loved the movie! Meryl Streep is fabulous in it. What a voice!! I was brought to tears a couple of times as I watched it.
8/03/2008 7:34 AM
Bobbi said...
I agree, I did not enjoy this Keillor book; although I have enjoyed other ones.