Greenwillow

One of the best books I have ever read -- BJ Chute has woven a tale of loyalty, love and humor into a timeless classic. The whimsical town of Greenwillow will draw you in and keep you hooked until the very last page. Chute's characters are eccentric and irresistible -- you'll read of sweet Dorie who bakes bilberry tarts and dreams of a happy ending; the cow that kneels down at Christmas; two Reverends battling over good and evil -- and Gideon, who loves the land with a passion we can only envy. I've read this book at least 15 times, and have never gotten tired of it -- in fact, its appeal grows with each passing year.

I read this book sometime during my growing-up years and it became my favorite book in the library. I kept myself from reading it too often so that it wouldn't become boring from over-familiarity. It is a gentle, timeless story, like a sweet dream. The end of the book is like waking up. The characterizations are so finely drawn that although they are sort of caricatures, they contain so much truth in them you can't help being drawn into the story. A must read for everyone who still values beauty and honesty in fiction.

Everyone needs to visit Greenwillow and meet its wonderful inhabitants - from the two reverends with their "two ways of walking before the Lord" to the irrepressible Micah who braves the devil. It is a story of a quiet, but strong love written in a way that is a joy to read. The world needs more stories like this - gentle and true, heartwarming and humorous. That this book is out-of-print is a travesty. It should be required reading for all ages.

I can't tell whether it is the people (calling them characters is misleading), the precisely crafted prose, the humor, the plot that meanders like Greenwillow's river, the tension between two fundamental views of God which might be called "Just" and "Merciful", the overwhelming gentleness, or the hopefulness that reawakens in me toward the human race when I read this book, that makes me love it so much. Originally published in the 1950s, it should never be out of print for even one moment. We need Greenwillow now, more than ever.

"Long ago, centuries perhaps, the village of Greenwillow had been stood in the corner and forgotten". And so begins one of the most enchanting books ever to be written. BJ Chute has taken a cosy, quaint village and transformed it into a magical place populated with some of the most endearing characters that have ever appeared on a page. The story is of a young man's calling - and how it affects the lives around him. It's a story of courage and love and humor - and maybe, just maybe, a wish come true. Sit down with this book and you will be transported into another world - the world of Greenwillow