the stories of a few inhabitants of Miracle City

I guess you can include me in the list of unwashed heathens who didn’t think this book was a work of literary genius. I found the non-exploits of the Letourneaus and the Babbidges to be beyond boring, and I could not force myself to finish. ( )

Chute concerns herself with degradations of the working class and working poor in northern New England. Amid material hardships, the message for the female half of the human race seems to be: "Latin men will never be cruel, but they'll sleep with every woman they can get their hands on." This proves true of the Letourneau men and others of Acadian descent.

By contrast, Anglo Saxon men may appear faithful and steady, but they are unabashed sadists prone to molest their daughters (the Blackstone type). As for the protagonists of Chute's previous novel THE BEANS OF EGYPT, MAINE, they seem to possess the worst of both traits. While the earlier book came as a postcard from the southside of Hell, Letourneau's world portrays a mythic hero.

The title character appears only in the final paragraph and there reveals himself as a small, unimposing man, but through the book we've known him as "the Man of Gold"—a deserving patriarch, not a petty Bean tyrant. Letourneau might (probably would) disappoint a woman with unrealistic expectations, but he would never abuse her or her children. Would never leave a friend in the lurch or an unfortunate without a roof over his or her head.

The web of human interactions that characterizes Chute's stories is one I found totally engrossing, even if it draws upon generalizations like those I've tried to sketch above. I would say her work suggests that forgiveness and reconciliation await those who hang on long enough. As for economic improvements, there's a bit less optimism. ( )

Difficult and maybe under achieved. There are some haunting characters here. Sad, really, and a worthwhile book. ( )

The story seemed true to life. It's sad that people live this way, but they do. I think I found it believable because of some of the people I know through my dad. If not for them, I would have no contact with this part of society. For some reason, they all saw Big Lucien as "rich" and "golden hearted" when in fact by most standards he wasn't providing for his own family well at all. A different perspective when your food and shelter depend on another. ( )