Pontoon: A Novel of Lake Wobegon

Looking to examine the Lake Wobegon effect I start from having seen my family become addicted to the weekly ?News From Lake Wobegone podcast? and hugely enjoyed the Audible offering which reflects Garrison Keillor?s weekly twenty minute monologues. Here again, unfortunately, I feel that the punchy, pithy, featherlight whimsy that is Lake Wobegon has become prey to ambition hence the four star rather than five stars. When'all the women are strong, all the men are good looking, and all the children are above average,' all the novels are going to comfortably reach into that upper quartile ? but as with the film adaptation I was left with something of a Lutheran rapture feeling simply: ?It could have been worse.?
Huge praise indeed, in its bachelor Norwegian way and if this review intrigues you then its time you ventured to Lake Wobegon.

I could listen to Garrison Keillor's voice all day - he reads his books wonderfully and no-one else could do it as well. His descriptions are vivid and bring to life all the characters and incidents of Lake Wobegon. Some of it was very poignant and bits of it were excruciatingly frustrating as you wait for him to get to the climax of a story and he goes off on yet another long description about something else. If you can put up with this tendency to side track, stick with it as its worth it in the end.