Rating: 
Summary: Nice vignettes, but weak plot
Review: I found that although this novel has a lot of nice vignettes and colorful characters, the plot was too weak for my tastes. Some reviewers said that the book is "slow-moving," though I think the of the novel as more of an atmospheric portrait of GK's character, "Gary" and of his town, the fictional Lake Wobegon. Even though several scenes & charactors were entertaining, I thought some others lacked entertainment value & could have been cut --- for example, at one point 14-year-old "Gary" writes short stories involving boogers and constipation. Now, I admit that it's realistic for a 14 year old to do, however, as a reader, I didn't find it compelling or entertaining. Also, the "shotgun" wedding at the end of the novel wasn't a really positive way to end the novel, either. Overall, I think GK paints a good portrait of his fictional character Gary, and of his life in Lake Wobegon. Despite this, the book didn't keep me turning the pages enthusiastically, and I probably could have skipped it. However, I'm not partial to any of GK's novels (I prefer his radio program & short stories), so if you're a die-hard fan of the other Lake Wobegon books, then you might want to give this one a try.
Rating: 
Summary: Woe is me
Review: Unfortunately, there's something a little disappointing about Garrison Keillor's latest book of Lake Wobegon lore. I read LAKE WOBEGON DAYS a few years ago, and although I found it to be generally slow-moving, it was nonetheless also consistently moving, poetic and sweet (something like maple syrup, all told). It was probably my favorite book in a year full of pretty good books, so I was eager to pick up another Keillor title before long. When LAKE WOBEGON SUMMER 1956 came out in hardcover, I snatched it up and dove in with exuberance and relish (and a little picnic table mustard and ketchup).
LAKE WOBEGON SUMMER 1956 starts off strongly enough, setting up an interesting family of characters, and putting them through a series of interesting and keenly observed episodes of mid-twentieth century interpersonal drama. The young male protagonist portrays himself, often humorously, as something of a tortured soul: a sensitive artistic type saddled with an incurably filthy mind who, as plain bad luck would have it, was born into the midst of a thick-witted, Bible-toting household.
Young Gary is relentlessly persecuted by his goody-goody older sister, unjustly scolded and disciplined by his humorless father, and gossiped about by his aunts. It's only his free spirit cousin, whom he has the hots for, and his somewhat free-thinking mother that give Gary some of the room he needs to grow into the adult who'll eventually write down all of these sometimes fond, sometimes painful memories. There's also an uncle that gives him the best gift anyone could give a boy with too many thoughts in his head: a typewriter. Gary spends most of the summer of 1956, when he's not fantasizing about his cousin, or writing dirty stories on his new typewriter, covering the local baseball games for the LakeWobegon paper. It's not a bad way to spend the summer when you're fourteen and just starting out. The problem is, the way it's written, it doesn't make for that great of a novel. One problem is that nothing really happens. Gary almost gets involved with his cousin, goes to baseball games, spanks the monkey, learns to write lead sentences, meets the lead singer of a local musical group, and that's really about it. LAKE WOBEGON DAYS didn't have much in the way of conflict either, but it managed to propel itself with a quiet, dreamy worldview that always left you hungry for another lick, and kept you from putting the book down unless you absolutely had to. In LAKE WOBEGON SUMMER 1956, you get the feeling that that wonderful ice-cream like narrative substance was left out of the freezer a little too long and got soupy on you. There are nice moments LW SUMMER 1956, and it's worth a look if you're a frequent visitor, but all in all, it just doesn't have the hard to define stuff to keep you interested. Still, it's clear from this book that Keillor has many talents as a writer, and his humor and sense of irony remain intact throughout. If you're looking for a good chuckle and don't mind blue material (or actually seek it out) LAKE WOBEGON SUMMER 1956 is probably worth a look.
Rating: 
Summary: Yuck
Review: There are few authors alive today who possess the ability to seamlessly mix sweet nostalgia with bittersweet melancholy in their writings. Garrison Keillor maintains his reputation as one of these authors in Lake Wobegon, Summer 1956. Keillor skillfully juxtaposes the serenity of small town life and the closeness of family with the frustrations of teenagers and the not-so-idyllic reality of day-to-day family existence. The result of these depictions is a setting and a set of characters that seem real. My problem with the book is that I felt like I've been here before through Keillor's other Lake Wobegon books. I was already familiar with the Bunsens, the Larsens, the Sanctified Brethren, and the Chatterbox Café's location. While I don't mind revisiting familiar territory (a sentiment with which I'm sure many of his readers would agree), I felt that there was nothing really new in this book. Since Keillor's attempts outside of the Lake Wobegon milieu have had mixed success, it is easy to understand why he would want to stick closely to his "comfort zone." The combination of this familiar setting and his tremendous talent makes the result of an enjoyable read a foregone conclusion. Yet, one can only hope that Lake Wobegon, Summer 1956 is not the first sign of that one of America's finest writers is running out of ideas.
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