A delightful novel with brilliant, quirky characters, a compelling story, and sentences that sing. Virgil Wander is an unforgettable protagonist. Beautiful imagery and many passages that resonate. Highly recommend.

What usually takes 1-2 sittings, this novel took me a few weeks to read. The plot was interesting enough but took too many pivots and turns.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

More on the north end of three stars, Leif Enger, author of one of my personal favorites, Peace Like a River, delivers a meandering soap opera in prose. Although, as I type that, soap operas are verifiably melodramatic, and while the story lingers in the heartbeat of a drama, it maintains the pace of the Midwestern setting in which it transpires. That is to say, the characters are superficially intriguing and unfailingly cordial, yet the possibility exists for a well of depth behind each. Greenstone, Minnesota lies in the shadow of Duluth and Lake Superior. The town theater, the Empress, is owned and operated by Virgil Wander, a move in of sorts. The story begins with his own near death experience and unfolds into a mostly first person POV from Virgil himself during his recovery from the trauma. Leif Enger is not afraid to inject a modicum of mysticism into his stories, and this is no exception--the hunt for a giant sturgeon, an apparition on the water, hard luck days, etc. That said, the ending felt slightly abrupt and off kilter with the rest of the story, an unabashed allegory for the relentless pursuit of happiness and the various shapes that takes for different people. Beautifully written in many parts and slightly flat in others, a dream for those who prefer character driven stories. It should not be lost on the reader the irony of the main character's last name to the unfolding of the story.

This is a story about Virgil who is finding his footing again after a car accident in a small Minnesotan town. As a local familiar with the region of the story, I loved all the local facts and anecdotes in the story. However, while I loved Peace Like a River, I’m having a hard time getting into this story, even after reading a third of it. To me, the story continues to take detour after detour, giving long background stories on every character and situation. I just can’t find my groovr and I’m not connecting with any of the characters. I definitely think there is a strong audience for this book, but just not me right now.

I fell in love with Leif Enger's writing when I read Peace like a River years ago. His style is unique and completely captivating. I'm not going to try to describe the plot because there is no way I could capture the magic of this small town and its quirky, utterly real residents. I can tell you it held my attention throughout and left me smiling, feeling good about the world. How many books can you say do that?

"Virgil Wander" centers on a man who survives an accident in which his car plunges into Lake Superior. Virgil is a different person after that. Leif Enger writes with lyrical beauty. He summons dramatic events, too. Somehow the whole book felt like it took place in a dreamy non-reality, though, and as much as I liked the quirky cast of characters I never felt truly invested in them. Enger is also the author of "Peace Like a River," which I loved. This book was somehow less satisfying.

Kind of a 'meandering' story.... it takes place in a small town in the upper Midwestern USA that has seen some economic decline. Some interesting characters show off the ....maybe.... 'typical' Midwest attitude/characterization of hard working, easygoing, wholesomeness... For some reason I thought the book was going to be a 'feel good/warm fuzzy' type read..... but I failed to get that real feeling as I read it?! I did really like the descriptive words/attitude that Enger uses with the main character & his injury...that was kind of 'fun'! I guess I'd say it was a nice 'middle of the road' type read, no sex or violence, no bad language........I guess that gets kind of a 'middle of the road' review, too!
I received this e-ARC from NetGalley, in exchange for my own fair & honest review. All opinions are my own.

"Virgil Wander" by Leif Enger is a delightful and beautifully written book. The cadence and language are a joy to read, and the story of a down-on-its-luck former mining town, contains characters and stories interwoven with great skill by the author. In the opening lines of the story, Virgil drives off the road in a snowstorm and lands in Lake Superior. Rescued by a local junk dealer, he awakes, concussed, and with some limits on his language and a bit of vertigo. He returns to his life in Greenstone, where he owns and runs the Empress movie theater while also working as the part-time town clerk. Through his eyes and narration, we learn the stories of the town, it's people (present and past) and the events which ensue over the next several months. Its a meandering tale, with a true conclusion, and a bit of a turn-around story for the town, for the narrator, and for the stories told within.

Highly recommend for fans of quirky, lyrical stories like those of Joyce Carol Oates and Frederik Backman. With thanks to Netgalley.com, the author, Leif Enger, and the publisher, Grove Press, for the advanced reader copy in exchange for this honest review.

Slow, quiet stories are lovely. And I love when they end with a bang. But this one is turtle-paced, with no real redemption in the end. The gentlemen loses his memory and doesn't experience much growth by the end of the book. Frankly, a dull read.

Virgil Wander is a story that follows the inhabitants of a small Midwestern down-on-its-luck town in their quest to revive its flagging heart. I guess you could say that is a generous description and tells mostly the whole story.

I thought the description sounded great so I requested and was granted an Advanced reader copy. Virgil is released from the hospital after a car accident that left him with some memory loss and without the verbal ability to describe his thoughts. He feels separated from his life as if it belongs to someone else, going along reintroducing himself to the locals. Through the story we meet a wide cast of characters in Virgil's life including co-workers, friends, and various other townspeople he comes into contact with in Greenstone, Minnesota.

I guess I'm fairly new to the literary fiction genre and had a hard time getting into the story, not because it was bad but more it felt like it didn't progress. I think the characters were well written with diverse lives, hobbies, and drama. Even though the main character has a problem with words, the author does not and I could easily picture what was going on. What I liked the most was the sheer amount of bad luck this one location seems to have, and has possessed for quite a long time. The most exciting part of the story was the ending, and not just because I was finally done but because there was a little bit of action in the last couple of pages.

Do you like adult literary fiction? Do you like books about small town communities? Do you like slow plot lines? If so, you may like this book. If you answered maybe or no- pass on it.

Virgil Wander is a great summer read. It is a meandering tale of Virgil Wander - a man who was coasting through life until a sudden accident ends him up in Lake Superior. When Virgil regains consciousness, he's released back into a world that he can only remember in bits and pieces. With the help of a menagerie of local villagers Virgil settles back into life in the dying industrial town. He owns a run down movie house and meets the kite-flying Rune who is trying to unravel the mystery of the disappearance of his son years ago. Through helping Rune re-trace the last years of his son's life, Virgil is able to regain something of his own. This would be a great book to read in a hammock or porch swing, paced just right for a warm afternoon or a rainy Sunday.

What a wonderful book! Everything is perfect: the style of writing, the characters full of quirks, the humour and the plot!
One of the best book read this year! I didn't knew the author and this was a wonderful discovery. I hope he'll write a new book and we won't have to wait ten years.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to Grove Atlantic and Netgalley for this ARC

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of this beautifully written 4⭐️ story. I love books where the setting is itself a major character and in this one the fictional northern Minnesota Lake Superior town did not disappoint. Despite the cold, this book was a heart warmer from start to finish thanks to its characters, who like the town, have all gone through rough times and most bond together as a special “tribe.” The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel featured this book on its Fall read lists and I’m glad I did.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.

This is storytelling at its best! This story is told by Virgil Wander, the proprietor of The Empress, a movie house in the little town of Greenstone, Minnesota that has seen better days. Virgil survives a drive off a cliff into the cold waters of Lake Superior, but is he really the same person? During his recovery, he struggles with memories, feelings, emotions and the loss of adjectives in his vocabulary. As for his prognosis, the doctor tells Virgil, “Don’t worry, everything will come back. Most things probably will. A good many of them might return. There will be at least a provisional rebound.”

Enter Rune, a kite-flying Norwegian with a magical personality. Soon everyone in the town is flying kites because of the peace and calm it brings. Rune has just found out he fathered a son many years ago, and came to town to find him. Unfortunately, his son disappeared while flying a small aircraft many years ago, and now he is trying to find out who his son was as well as build a relationship with his teen-aged grandson.

We also are introduced to a town full of quirky characters that have lived through some of the town’s worst, like a frog monsoon.

This book has it all - humor, whimsy, love, loss, regret, hope, community, friendship. The dialog is well-crafted and the writing is superb (how’s that for an adjective?). The story has multiple layers, which are all woven together making one enjoyable read and you don’t want it to end. This needs to be on your To Read shelf!

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This book was a beautiful, captivating journey, that I couldn’t put down!!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

There's something alluring about this book that called to me as I read. There's not a lot of action here nor is there any edge-of-your seat suspense. Just a quiet tugging to read more about the lovable, quirky characters and this community in Greenstone, MN that has fallen on hard times, but the residents still come together as friends and neighbors who know and care about each other.

Virgil Wander has had an accident where his car went off the road and into the lake, but someone saw it happen and pulled him out. He is recovering, but has lost some of his words - mostly the adjectives and is working to retrieve them. Virgil owns the local movie theater, and lives there as well. Out one day he meets Rune, visiting from the Arctic Circle, who has come to gather information about a son he never knew he had and will never know because he either died or disappeared (this is a mystery). Rune is flying a kite that he has built - his kites were very interesting - and somehow Virgil invites him to come and stay with him at The Empress. I loved the whimsy of Rune and his kites! I enjoyed the book and loved the characters.

Thanks to Leif Enger and Grove Atlantic through Netgalley for an advance copy of this novel.

Exceptionally strong writing and quirky characters make this a delightful read. The sense of a small town is captured perfectly and the struggle of the citizens within is heartfelt. There is a small bit that approaches magical realism that just doesn’t seem to fit into the novel but it is still a most enjoyable read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Grove Press for sharing the ARC with me to review.

Well, there are certainly a lot of subplots going on in this story, but I did enjoy it overall, especially due to the characters.
Greenstone, Minnesota on the shores of Lake Superior used to be quite a booming town but is in a season of “hard luck” days. We have the likes of Virgil who has a near death experience at the start of the book and all the other characters and happenings revolve around him... and, I loved him 😊
We have a missing Major League Baseball player from the past, a Nordic kite flyer, a pet raccoon, a homicidal sturgeon, a wayward son of the town founder, and a beautiful young woman ( the missing baseball player’s wife) and her son, and even more side lines going on.
Sounds like much ado... and there is, but I feel most people will enjoy this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Grove Press for the advanced digital book!

I received a copy of this book from Grove Atlantic/Grove Press through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The story opens with Virgil Wander accidentally driving off a cliff in his car and landing in Lake Superior. He is saved by a friend who happens to be in the right place at the right time. Slowly, Virgil regains parts of his memory and vocabulary (he lost the use of adjectives), but his sarcasm and wry sense of humor remain intact. As the accident recedes further into the past, we learn more about the town that Virgil inhabits and the residents within it.

I initially was interested in reading this book because of the beautiful cover and then was sold with the summary that included whimsical characters and humor. Unfortunately, I found myself bored and reading other things instead. This is a very slow burn of a read and if that’s you’re thing then this is for you. The writing is strong and I found myself laughing every once in a while because I really enjoyed Virgil’s wit, but I just wasn’t engaging the way I wanted to. As you can see from the many, many favorable reviews I am in the minority opinion. I did appreciate the opportunity to read it and am sorry to not have enjoyed it more.

In case you’re wondering, Virgil Wander is the name of the main character in this book. He deserves this unusual name because he is a quirky man living in an odd town at the centre of a unusual story. From one perspective, Virgil is an unlucky man living amongst many unlucky people. The story opens with Virgil recovering from a spectacular car accident, and other characters die or have unfortunate accidents. But this isn’t really a story of woe, but more about community — how the people around Virgil are in each other’s business and how they care for each other. There’s also a fair bit of goodnatured humour to the story. I loved the writing. It’s simple, but every now and then, seemingly out of nowhere, there’s a stunning moment of insight or beautiful description. I liked the original characters and the strong sense of community. I generally enjoyed the plot — although I felt that it got wobbly in the middle and I’m not sure what I think about one aspect of the end — but I was certainly interested in seeing where Virgil was taking me. In the end, this was a 4 star read with a + in recognition of the strong writing. This was another lovely monthly buddy read and Diane and Angela. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read an advance copy.