Hannah Coulter is a gem of a book. Amazingly written by a man, not one false step can be found in the sweet, beautifully written text. Hannah lives in rural Kentucky and graduates from high school just before Pearl Harbor. Her family life has been awful and she is really raised by her grandmother.

Going out on her own, marrying a soldier who she sees briefly over 5 years and who doesn't make it back, she and her daughter find happiness with her 2nd husband. Their life is one of family and friends, good times and bad, but never a sense of defeat is shown. Hannah is philosophical and brave, telling her own story.

In the light of so many overly depressing stories, this is one which doesn't hold back the joys and sorrows but does so in a very life affirming way.

A lovely book that raises up a common life to the level of enormous importance it deserves.

This book is beautiful and I was able to get lost in the prose and imagery that Wendell Berry created. What I found most surprising was the author’s ability to write a female perspective so true to form. I was able to relate to several different passages and found myself thinking that the book was true to life. For a piece of Fiction, it read like a diary and to accomplish that is definitely no small task. My favorite line from the book which caused me to pause can be found on page 83: “Most people now are looking for ‘a better place’, which means that a lot of them will end up in a worse one.” This line rang so true for me and I found it especially relevant to today’s societal need for want of what our neighbor has.

First time in my book group I have given a book five stars. I had no idea Wendell Berry wrote novels and was amazed at how he captured the heart of the female narrator. This moving story was beautifully written. It's a touching and honest story without any artificial drama - true to real life.

Mr. Berry has crafted a hauntingly beautiful and often lyrical work that views a part of Appalachia, from the 1920s to the present through the eyes of one woman, Hannah Coulter. If you ever read a book that simply floored you to the point where you simply can't find the words to describe the experience, you'll understand how I felt after reading HANNAH COULTER. Simply put, I found this to be an amazing read!