The novel chronicles the injustices that surround Maggie, who is quiet and doesn't fight back. A chilling look at poor, urban life in the late 1800's, it is also a tale critical of society's judgmentality and questioning of morality. A more complex novel than it seems on first look, it is wonderful to take apart and examine the relationship between Maggie and Pete, Maggie and her mother, and Maggie and Jimmie.

When I discovered this book, I was already writing a story cycle of my own, The Acorn Stories. Winesburg, Ohio became a strong influence on that book, and also led me to write New Readings of Winesburg, Ohio. In Sherwood Anderson's acclaimed story cycle, a small town finds itself entering the twentieth century with loneliness and confusion. The same industrialism that Anderson would explore so well in his novel Poor White also asserts itself constantly here, turning a beautiful landscape into a sometimes desecrated one.

The young reporter George Willard appears in most of the stories, providing a connection for people who feel they lack connection and a voice for people who feel they lack a voice. Though many readers consider this book a bleak and disjointed novel, I consider it a collection of stories that interrelate in surprising, often brilliant ways. As for the bleak part, please also look at the many moments of comfort, the many sparks of inspiration.

I eventually lost track of how many times I read Winesburg, Ohio. I just know I'll read it again.

Winesburg, Ohio, by Sherwood Anderson is certainly a classic book. This story of small town life in Ohio at the turn of the century has been heralded for presenting accurate portraits of real, authentic people while highlighting their flaws and shortcomings. A few of these portraits are still accurate today.

I liked the circular design of the book; by this, I mean I enjoyed how the book began, ended, and centered around one character, George Williard. Although sometimes I think this can make a novel seem too perfect (or at least too planned and calculated), it was certainly an asset here.

My favorite story was "Godliness, a tale in four parts." Perhaps this is because of my cynical side, but Anderson's hilarious portrayal of religious fervor kept my attention, more so than any other story.

Despite these points, I really didn't enjoy this book; it seemed to continue on, and the characters were not engaging enough to mitigate this.

Though Anderson has been documented as having inconsistant, shakey work, Winesburg stands alone as his best work. Winesburg was a contriversal and unique 80 years ago as it is today among the great colleges of America. (Winesburg is required reading for many of the great colleges i.e. Evergreen, Reed)Using short stories to illustrate the suffering and pleight of the towns citizens, Anderson raises questions over morality, family, gender, and sexuality. Though the book would seem to be a textbook case of 'Americana' and the joys of living in a small, rural town, Anderson illustrates the bizzare and dark world of American towns at the turn of the century. Every citizen has skeletons in their closets and everyone has fears, passions, and insanity running through their blood.

There are many interesting ways to interperate Anderson's landmark work. While there have been many cases of the book being used in Harvard as examples of American literature of the turn of the century, colleges such as Evergreen have used it to inquire into the sexuality and gender issues that we face today, and the development of the American psyche.

Anderson's book will read like a book of his time, so if you are looking for a book the dictates American history from an Ivory tower 50 years from the future, this is not it. This is first hand history, and first rate literature. This is a complex, exciting, and disturbing look into the American midwest.

This great classic consists of a collection of short stories that very loosely form a novel. This slice of an early 20th century small town is nostalgic but far from comforting. Each story is about an individual residing in a little Midwestern town and as indicated by the introductory first chapter, the subjects are what the author describes as "grotesques." There is much sadness in their lives. Many have repressed anger and unfulfilled lives. There are a number who are sexually unfulfilled. A number of subjects are described as old yet chronologically, they are in early middle age, thus life has aged them before their time.

As we go through life, we see people but don't look beneath the surface. They seem to be carving out, normal, reasonably happy existences. The author, here, does in fact, look beneath the surface and we see couples who have normal looking marriages in fact trapped in a stultifying, disquieting relationship. We see people who are seemingly pillars of the community with repressed sexual demaons. Not every character in this book is a tragic figure. Rather, as we look beneath the surface, we find that a few live quietly heroic lives. But, for the most part, there is an undercurrent of sadness which provides a common chord through most of the stories. This book is nostalgic, yet disturbing and thought provoking.

A great contribution to American literature provided by Anderson is that he has initiated an evolution in short stories from tales with a plot to stories which paint pictures and provide a glimpse into the soul. These stories are not your typical O'Henry short stories with plots and twists but rather, more subtle portraits which ultimately form a sort of unified whole. I highly recommend this American classic.

These letters won't refute Anderson's reputation for being sentimental. If you don't mind that, this book gives insight into a writer who greatly loved humanity, especially the woman he called "E."