The Sojourner

I join the other reviewers in praise of this book. I cannot believe that I had never heard about it before. Once started I could barely put it down. The characters are well-drawn, and the prose is lovely. The storyline of good and evil, the obvious love of the land, drew me in and wrapped me up in the story. I feel as though I know these people, particulary Ase, the main charactor. I was truly sorry to see the story end, althought he ending was deeply satisfying. Read this--you won't be sorry!

The Sojourner, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings 1953.Charles Scribner's Sons, New York. 313 pp.Ase Linden, is a small farmer who adores his wife, loves and fears his lunatic mother and yearns for the return of a brother who fled the confines of an overly affectionate mother to never look back again. Over the course of the story, Ase is confronted with trials set upon him by family members. The story is surrounded by the theme of Ase recognizing his failures with his children, mother, and wife. He desperately wants to share with them his thoughts and feelings, but is unable to effectively articulate what he wants to communicate. This literary effort greatly contrasts with Marjorie Rawlings' earlier Florida writings. Critics tend to be hard on The Sojourner, probably due the enormous success of her previous Florida based novels. This criticism is unfounded. This story, though unlike her Florida novels is an impressive book. The readers will find themselves siding with Ase Linden and cheering him on in his pursuit of simple pleasures and joy through personal connections.

What a wonderful book! The characters are vivid and captivating. Asahel Lindon is the type of warm, decent, honest human being we may all aspire to be. The author's simple, direct prose is enlivened by her appreciation of the central character's love for the land he tended for over sixty years. There is also much of the author's love for good food in evidence, with many country home-cooked meals described in mouth-watering detail. But it is the caring, gentle nature of Lindon which is the real drawing point of the novel. I was sincerely saddened when I came to the end of the book. In leaving Asahel, I felt that I had left a very good friend whom I shall not soon forget.

I had the tremendous good fortune to read "The Sojourner" in the early stages of my discovery of Marjorie Rawlings' works. As a result, I have read virtually all of her published writings. Anyone who wrote such a magnificent book as "The Sojourner", I decided, certainly deserved as much attention as possible. My loyalty has been richly rewarded. I cannot recommend this book too highly to anyone who enjoys a beautifully written, epic and inpirational story with an extraordinary protagonist. It amazes me that this book has never become better known. Rawlings' last novel, it shows her at the formidable peak of her powers.

This is one of the best books I have ever read. It is about man's eternal search to fit in this world and to make it a better place when we leave than when we entered. Very thought provoking. What a shame it was not better received when first out. I am thankful it is being reprinted and hope future generations will come to know and love it.