Anyone who had ever had the pleasure of listening to the rich baritone voice of Mr. Keillor, relating his News from Lake Wobegon on The Prairie Home Companion radio show over the past 30-odd years will be delighted with this book. I could hear his voice and inflection all the way through this delightful tale of the angst of a man turning 60 in the town of his birth when deep down inside, all he's ever really wanted was another life altogether. Clint Bunsen has been the coordinator of the Fourth of July parade and celebration in Lake Wobegon for more years than he cares to remember, having taken over the job from his own father. He's worked hard to make this a parade to be proud of in a constant struggle with committee members who hem, haw, and pass every buck that comes their way, locking horns with Viola Tors, who never met a good idea she couldn't choke to death with procedure, and who has longed to take over the reins and control the show for quite some time. This story is complicated, the narrative is humorous, and the climax is downright hilarious. ( )

Liberty presents another view of Keillor’s story telling ability and his storied small town world of Lake Wobegon. The threads for this one are the town’s fourth of July celebration, and the aging of its leading character, the garage owner in charge of the parade for the last couple of years. The character development and the vignettes that carry the plot reflect the author’s ability as a master story teller. But they almost seem to be just that, a reflection of Keillor’s earlier triumphs. Fans can still enjoy it, but new readers may not want to go further into his world, and that’s a shame. So its readable, ideal for vacation since each chapter is a short story, but may disappoint compared to some of his other works. ( )

One of Garrison Keillor's tightest efforts yet, although the ending is a little dissatisfying. Set in Lake Wobegon, this is about Clint Bunsen, part owner of a car dealership and for the past several years, the Chairman of Lake Wobegon's 4th of July parade. He suffers a midlife crisis of sorts at 60, and embarks upon an affair with a young woman who was the Statue of Liberty in last year's parade. In close-knit Lake Wobegon, this is no secret from the townspeople or his wife, and events come to a Marx Brothers-ish conclusion as the parade comes to a surreally humorous end. The confrontation with Irene and Clint and Lady Liberty, however, is not handled with the same finesse, although anybody contemplating a mid-life crisis should read Irene's defense of their marriage on pgs 256-257. ( )

With "Lake Wobegon Days" and "Leaving Home" Garrison Keillor took readers to the fictional town of Lake Wobegon, Minnesota, giving us memorable characters, some witty observations and some good natured humor. Those two novels are among my favorite books and I enjoy Keillor's monologues about "the little town that time forgot and the decades cannot improve."

But in his last two Lake Wobegon novels, Keillor has the guy who could have been voted class clown to having a dark, meaner streak to his humor and observations--and the books have suffered as a result.

"Liberty" is the latest example of Keillor gone horribly wrong, going for sardonic and sarcastic instead of his usual witty and warm storytelling style.

"Liberty" centers on Clint Bunsen, turning 60 and in charge of the annual Fourth of July parade. Clint has been married for years but thanks to the Internet has met a younger woman who claims to be psychic and played Miss Liberty in the parade last year. He's having an affair, being run off the leadership of his committee and wondering just what happened to his life and feeling unfulfilled. All of this could lead to some interesting observations on life, marriage and the nature of love but instead it's all told in such a sardonic style that you're left not caring about any of these characters. It feels almost like we've wandered into a parallel universe Lake Wobegon story where people look and act about the same, but there is something fundamentally wrong at the core.

There are some funny moments in the story, but this novel isn't your typical Keillor Lake Wobegon novel. It's more in vein of "WLT" and some of his other short essays and while those are enjoyable it's not what I expect or want from a Lake Wobegon story.

The last two Lake Wobegon books have left me disappointed with Keillor, wondering if he's tiring of his fictional town and maybe if it wouldn't be better to leave fans the fond memories of him from "Lake Wobegon Days" instead of more books like "Liberty" or "Pontoon." ( )

Liberty is the sixth book in the Lake Wobegon series by Garrison Keillor. In this installment of hijinks from the northern land, Clint Bunsen is having a mid-life crisis, or maybe it’s a 3/4-life crisis. He just turned sixty, and his fellow citizens don’t appreciate his talents as Chairman of the Fourth of July committee anymore. A DNA test told him his ancestors aren’t who he thought they were, which means he’s not who he thought he was. And to top it all off, he’s lusting after the redhead who dresses as Miss Liberty for the parade- she’s young enough to be his daughter.

Keillor’s portrayal of small town life in Minnesota is rich and hilarious. Within the context of the Fourth of July parade, the reader meets so many flawed, but lovable characters and is taken on so many detours through the history of the town that one can’t help but feel that he or she has known this place for a long time. I have not read the other Lake Wobegon books. This book is dark at times. Keillor is not afraid to take us into the sex lives of his characters. We see the numbing and baffling effects of media and technology on an older generation. We see desperate people clinging to any sense of identity they can find. Clint is depressed, but the reader has to keep in mind that Clint’s stubborn assumption that his live is crap because of a simple mistake he made in his twenties is Keillor poking us in the ribs. At some point in our lives, we all want a time machine to let us go back and get life right. In the meantime, we look for something to fill us up, and we often look in foolish places. The book is not high art, but it at least tries to make the reader a little introspective.

Liberty is a satire of small town American life with its misplaced idealism and ridiculous rituals, but it also contains hope and the thought that even though life doesn’t always turn out as picturesque as pop culture would have us believe it should, we can create meaning in our lives. ( )