WLT: A Radio Romance

This is a love story of radio station WLT (With Lettuce & Tomato). The Soderbjerg brothers of Minneapolis, started the station in 1926. They thought it would be a good way to promote their sandwich shop, along with a variety of wholesome, family friendly programs.

The 1920s was a near where radio was new. Programs such as “Friendly Neighbour” with Dad Benson – The Ole Lunchtime Philosopher, “The Poetry Corner”, “Avis Burnette, Small Town Librarian”, “The Rise & Shine Show”, and “The Afternoon Ballroom”; programs of music, advice, drama, humour, that developed a dedicated audience. The station could be heard from the Alleghenies to the Rockies.

There is another side to W.L.T. (With Lettuce & Tomato), the actual people show more who portray the characters. Is the child star Little Becky the sweet young child heard on “Friendly Neighbour with Dad Benson? What was Harold Odum’s original job at WLT before he did the “Scripture Nugget” segment of “The Rise and Shine Show”?

The world of radio isn’t necessarily real, but the listeners feel that the characters are.

Written by Garrison Keillor, it takes you on a bit of a rollercoaster ride and you meet the characters and their world. Business, romance, humour and more. An enjoyable read. show less

Garrison Keillor's first novel, and a fine debut it is, set in the early days of radio and centering about the eccentric denizens of WLT, but particularly Francis With, a shy young man who is entranced by radio and determined to break into the medium. "...comic, poignant, and slightly steamy, full of romance, intrigue, tough business, and loose living".

Read during Fall 2003

I was rather dissapointed with this one. WLT features in a few of the previous stories I had read. This begins with the start of WLT (a radio station in Minneapolis) and eventually becomes the story of Francis With/Frank White. However, I was not amused by all the crude sexual references and the whole story just lost interest for me. I think this one will go into the BookCrossing pile.

Listened to an audio version of this read by Garrison Keillor. I could listen to him for hours on end. His voice lent such a warm feel to the story, I'm not sure that a reading would do as well as the audio.The way that Keillor build his characters makes them a believable as if they were friends of your own.

#116

I kept hearing how funny Keillor is? To whom? Funny is: Carl Hiaasen, Jennifer Crusie, Christopher Moore, Elmore Leonard, Janet Evanovich, et. al., not Keillor.

This was awful & boring: Brothers Ray & Roy own a restaurant which they partially convert into a radio Station, WLT. Ray, although married, is a womanizer. Roy is mostly an inventor & farmer. The book revolves around WLT, its owners, those who work there, & the programs.

300+ pages of boring...

I bought this book in an airport shop, and read it on the plane. It was a bit of a problem, as I had to struggle not to laugh out loud and disturb the people nearby.

This was my second reading. Keillor is a great storyteller and he sets this story in the early days of radio. Must admit that the second reading was not as humorous as the first.