A review by larryerick
That Distant Land: The Collected Stories by Wendell Berry

5.0

It is possible this is not my all-time favorite collection of short stories. But if it's not, then it's certainly close enough to be standing on its toes. On several occasions, tears came to my eyes while reading, not from a particular scene's sadness, but from the sheer beauty of the depth of humanity revealed. I've tried to describe this book to others, citing the fictional Port William location somewhat reminiscent of the old TV show, "The Waltons", but that comparison fails miserably to avoid the sentimentality of the TV show while still far exceeding the depth of human thoughts, feelings, and interactions that allow the reader to savor it so fully. The author has written a number of works centered on his Port William community, and I had previously read, with great satisfaction one of his novels, Jayber Crow, so I was concerned that a collection of short stories would seem too disjointed. Quite to the contrary, the collection proved that it could easily have stood together as a novel, presenting its characters over time, had it been written as such. Each story stands very well on its own, but the collection gives added depth to each of the others. Very, very highly recommended.