Marce Catlett: The Force of a Story - (Port William) by Wendell Berry (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Andy Catlett tells the story of his grandfather and father's lives and how their stories, recalled by Andy to his own children and grandchildren, become "A Story Unending." Marce Catlett rises in the dark to go from his farm, by horseback and train, to Louisville for the sale of his tobacco crop at the auction house there. The price paid for each year's crop is being determined and destroyed by the power of a single buyer, James B. Duke. This year is especially grim since the price offered each grower is less than the expense of bringing the crop to market, and a year's worth of labor is lost. He returns to his family defeated and determined to discover some way to proceed. Many of his fellow farmers lack the resiliency and resourcefulness to continue, and the end for them is clearly visible. But with the help of other neighbors and growers, a way is discovered to protect the farmers and keep their rural families vital and in place"-- Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

In the newest novel in the Port William series, Wendell Berry's beloved protagonist Andy Catlett tells the inspiring story of his grandfather Marce Catlett to his own children and grandchildren, and gives them a key to their place on the questionably settled land they all love

Andy Catlett's story begins as his grandfather Marce Catlett rises in the dark to travel from his farm by horseback and train to Louisville for the auction of his 1906 tobacco crop. The price paid for each year's crop is depressed to virtually nothing by the power of the single buyer, James B. Duke. This year is especially grim since the price offered to each grower is less than the expense of bringing the crop to market. A year's labor is lost.

Marce returns to his family defeated, defiant, and determined to grow another crop. Many of his fellow farmers at first seem to lack the resiliency and resourcefulness to continue. Only with the cooperation of other growers can a way be found that protects these farmers and keeps their rural families vital and in place.

The power and depth of this story--and of the many stories within the history of the Port William Membership--resonate with love, kindness, and the held memory of family and community. In Marce Catlett: The Force of a Story, celebrated author Wendell Berry brings to life a tale that devoted readers of the series will cherish. This moving novel is a testament to the goodwill that lives within the human heart and is a stirring reminder that standing up for what we believe in is always a cause worth fighting for.

About the Author

WENDELL BERRY, an essayist, novelist, and poet, has been honored with the T. S. Eliot Prize, the Aiken Taylor Award for Modern American Poetry, the John Hay Award of the Orion Society, and the Dayton Literary Peace Prize Richard C. Holbrooke Distinguished Achievement Award, among other distinctions. In 2010, he was awarded the National Humanities Medal by President Barack Obama, and in 2016, he was the recipient of the Ivan Sandrof Life Achievement Award from the National Book Critics Circle. Berry lives with his wife, Tanya Berry, on their farm in Henry County, Kentucky.