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Rating: 
Summary: A whitty and wonderful page-turner
Review: As a junior in high school, I tend to read a lot of books for my honors english class, half of which I end up loving, half I wish could be thrown away. This year my teacher suggested signing up for our school's Intergenerational Book Discussion, and I saw it as a great chance to read some of the latest best sellers, and more recent novels. Our first book this year was 'Staggerford', and I would have to say it's become one of my favorite books.
Hassler does the most amazing job developing his characters. They are so vivid, yet down to earth, that you feel as if you might already know them, or someone very similar. One reviewer said that the characters were "stereotypical", but I found them to be quite the opposite. They are all individuals whom you feel as if you've known forever, and can connect with on a certain level. The main character, Miles, is extremely likeable, and very much like a teacher I, myself, have had.
The novel is filled with whitty humor, and I laughed out loud more than once (especially during the Halloween party scene). I also got teary-eyed at the end, as it was such a surprise.
I've learned some very important lessons from Hassler's novel, and would recommend it to anyone who's up for a good read. Enjoy!
<3 Samantha Nicole
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Summary: A charming story of smal-town life in the midwest.
Review: I feel compelled to add another review of this book, since the only one available to Amazon viewers is such a negative one. I started reading this book while house-sitting for friends years ago. I barely got into it when we had to leave and, over time, I forgot the title and spent the next seven years wondering about the characters and how everything turned out. Eventually, I ran across another book by Jon Hassler and recognized the writing style. It was a delight to find and reread "Staggerford" and I feel its story applies to today's society as well as it did in 1974. If you are looking for a book with nuclear submarines, car crashes and exploding helicopters, skip "Staggerford," but if you enjoy a great read about slightly eccentric characters living in a small town soup, then I recommend it.
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Summary: The Book that Changed the Way I Thought about Books.
Review: I first read Staggerford because I had friends who were students of Mr. Hassler at St. John's University in Collegeville, Minnesota. They said such wonderful things about him, that I decided to take a look at his first novel. By the time I finished it Staggerford had affected me so profoundly that I couldn't read another book for weeks. Only once before had I been so exhilrated (and disturbed at the same time) by a story: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.Why is Staggerford so affecting? Because the characters are not small-town hicks living in an isolated, backwards community. They have real ambitions, real quirks, and real drama in their lives. What is so remarkable about them is that while they are not ordinary people, they are also just like us, which is a refreshing paradox to find in fiction. Mr. Hassler's genuine affection for his characters is not sappy or syrupy, but is amusingly tempered by a small-town practicality that allows him to "tell it like it is." If you are looking for other Hassler books to dig into, I'd like to recommend something other than A Grand Journey and Dear James. Although I greatly enjoyed those two books, I'd like to suggest Rookery Blues and The Dean's List as examples of Mr. Hassler's incredible ability to build an amusing, unusual, and utterly real small town community.
Rating: 
Summary: Some problems....
Review: I notice that the majority of reviewers are from the Midwest and wonder if there is a bias.... In any case, I thought that Staggerford had potential... Hassler builds his characters well, but I think the book needs to flow better. The ending... a potentially powerful event... happened so quickly that it didn't have the power to move me as a reader. The shooting was tucked away in an abrupt, awkward narrative. The ending needs work.
Rating:
Summary: interesting and inspiring
Review: I started reading the book because a friend told me that I was similar to the character Miles in the book. This book had been assigned for a college English class. I found it difficult to put down the book once I started reading it.
The book is about the lives of people living in a small town in Minnesota. The main character of the book, Miles, is a teacher and also a person who seems to have wisdom. The story also seems to have an underlying theme about the hero's journey (as it relates to Joseph Campbell's hero myth.) Therefore, you can get a lot more out of this book if you look deeper.
I liked the book because the characters seem to live in me long after I had finished reading it. It is also inspiring because it gives me a fresh persepective about life.
Rating:
Summary: Staggerford by Jon Hassler
Review: I've read a few of Jon Hassler's novels and I desperately "want" him to be among my favorite contemporary authors. I thoroughly enjoy the flow of his narrative, the compassionate characterizations, and the compellingly thoughtful conveyances of place. Staggeford exemplifies everything I enjoy most about Hassler. However, the novel is also emblematic of the author's most notable shortcoming - the frustratingly abrupt and seemingly rushed endings. Staggeford's ending (which I will not reveal to any prospective readers) should be so much more than it is. The careful craftsmanship that precedes it warrants something more thoughtful and comprehensive. After reading what is a warmly refreshing story, one cannot help but feel the cold specter of a pressing deadline or, worse still, a loss of interest on the part of the author. At any rate, this disappointment should not dissuade anyone from reading Staggeford or, for that matter, anything by Hassler. The disappointment of the ending, after all, is only made more poignant by the excellence of what precedes it.
Rating:
Summary: A Staggering Debut
Review: Jon Hassler is a supremely talented author. "Staggerford," his debut novel (originally printed in 1974), takes an altogether uninspiring plot and manages to craft the truly compelling story of Miles Pruitt, high school teacher. Hassler deftly walks the very thin line between small town caricatures and three dimensional characters with quirks and mannerisms that we are all familiar with. His narrative never falters, his pacing is impeccable, his book is a week worth remembering.
Rating:
Summary: A Staggering Debut
Review: Jon Hassler is a supremely talented author. "Staggerford," his debut novel (originally printed in 1974), takes an altogether uninspiring plot and manages to craft the truly compelling story of Miles Pruitt, high school teacher. Hassler deftly walks the very thin line between small town caricatures and three dimensional characters with quirks and mannerisms that we are all familiar with. His narrative never falters, his pacing is impeccable, his book is a week worth remembering.
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Summary: staggerford has become my standard book recommendation
Review: Jon Hassler's books are deceptively simple, containing wonderful writing about everyday people in small-town Minnesota. I say that the writing is deceptive, because in spite of the settings and protagonists, the books have none of the hallmarks of, well, hallmark. The humor is abundant, but not folksy, the subject matter is life and sometimes death, without being melodramatic or contrived. Staggerford, his first novel, is a great place to start. I've given Staggerford to at least 30 people as part of a birthday or wedding or Christmas gift, and all of the recipients -- of many different reading preferences -- have thoroughly enjoyed it and most have gone on to read more Hassler. While it may not change your life, it's a perfect book for a summer's day on the porch with an iced-tea or a winter's night with hot chocolate.
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Summary: One of the Greatest Books Not Called a Classic
Review: Reading this book is like settling into an old chair. Staggerford is a caricature of every rural Midwestern town. You recognize the characters, but Hassler knows them intimately. This novel starts with the pretense of chronicling ordinary days in one seemingly average man's life. It trails along with the lulling, monotonous pace of routine. As it progresses, the reader is drawn deeper into the disappointments, regrets, and aspirations of a handful of quirky but endearing characters, all tied to the main character, Miles Pruitt. The serene landscape and lives of Staggerford are spontaneously rocked by life's inevitable truths. Lies quickly unravel and havoc takes hold. The whole of the book's slow portrait serves to heighten the intensity of one moment. Then, just as quickly, the town settles again into the quiet passing of uneventful days.
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