I'm pretty sure I read Woiwode's first novel, What I'm Going to Do, I Think, about 30 or 40 years ago, but I can't really remember much about it. In any case, quite frankly, I enjoyed the heck out of this particular book. Like Woiwode, I was a good Catholic boy and grew up loving books, so there was much for me to relate to here. At first I was a bit bamboozled by the roundabout style of this book, i.e. the way his story is not so neatly framed by another story about how Woiwode and his family fight to survive during a devastating North Dakota blizzard, a natural disaster further exacerbated by problems with a new outdoor woodburning furnace. But it soon began to make sense, to flow smoothly. As a lover of books and writing, I was especially interested in all of the writer and other celebrity friends (a 19-20 yr-old fledgling actor, "Bob" DeNiro, for example)and acquaintances he made during the early days of his career. It's not just name-dropping either. There are stories about Updike, Norman Mailer, Robert Lowell, John Berryman, Randall Jarrell and others. But the most central literary figure in Woiwode's story is William Maxwell, the consumate editor and extraordinary writer who became Larry's friend, mentor and father figure. This is also very much a coming-of-age story as the artist as a boy and then young man gropes his way toward maturity, finding, finally, lasting love with a college sweetheart. Woiwode's deep faith is also much in evidence throughout the story. I very much enjoyed this book and look forward to reading his new memoir very soon. ( )