(Published 1960, Hardcover Edition 214 pages)
Before there was Garrison Keillor, there was William M. Clark
(1913-1988.) It's a bloody shame the "Tales of Cedar River" is out of
print. It was suggested to me by an acquaintance and I just may put the
guy in my will for it. Published in 1960, "Tales of Cedar River" follows
the trials and tribulations of the fictional town's citizens. The
humorous, deadpan stories are narrated by the author. Mr. Clark regales
the reader about his Uncles, Aunts and less savory characters of Cedar
River during mostly the 1920s through 1940s. Unlike Lake Wobegon "...
where all the women are strong, all the men are good-looking, and all
the children are above average," Cedar River is a rural Maine, bedrock
Republican, rinky-dink town that has no heroes. It's way behind the
times and darned proud of it.
Mr. Clark's material is funny, unpredictable and a delight throughout the book. His wordplay is exceptional. The closest he comes to using profanity is the word 'damn'... once. Cedar River is a rural, low-income world of deer poaching, moonshine and get-rich-quick schemes that you know aren't going to pan out. You can tell Mr. Clark loved our State, but also had a critical eye of Maine's rural ironies. I fortunately was able to get my hands on his other three Cedar River books by searching used-book outlets. However, his collection of columns written between 1957 and 1967 still remain elusive. I'd give my left nut for a copy. He's that good.
Mr. Clark's material is funny, unpredictable and a delight throughout the book. His wordplay is exceptional. The closest he comes to using profanity is the word 'damn'... once. Cedar River is a rural, low-income world of deer poaching, moonshine and get-rich-quick schemes that you know aren't going to pan out. You can tell Mr. Clark loved our State, but also had a critical eye of Maine's rural ironies. I fortunately was able to get my hands on his other three Cedar River books by searching used-book outlets. However, his collection of columns written between 1957 and 1967 still remain elusive. I'd give my left nut for a copy. He's that good.
(Meyers - A few years ago, I started writing, under the pseudonym Franklin the Mouse, short reviews at Amazon's web site. This is my most recent review #354)
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