The Used World

The recommendation on the book jacket from Jacquelyn Mitchard, starts, "No one can evoke a universe with a safety pin holding up its hem in the way Haven Kimmel can. In her third novel, she tells a story of an eccentric collective of women with the majesty of a parable and the poignancy of a country......more

Did not love this book. Sad, since I have loved every other Haven Kimmel book until now. It's not that it wasn't well written. But it was written like a disorienting dream, which is not my favorite style. I like to have at least a smidgen of an idea of what is being referred to in long prose. Having......more

Almost immediately, I became totally immersed in the “used world” of the primary characters, all of whom are part of an antiques emporium in this small Indiana town. We have the owner, Hazel Hunnicutt, whose own history is presented to us in flashbacks; her voice is revealed through descriptions of......more

I had a hard time with this book. I almost decided to quit several times out of frustration, but I found there were some parts that really touched me. For the record, this is my first Kimmel book, and might be the last, except that so many here value her work so highly. I listened to this on audio,......more

The Used World is as much about plot as it is about character development, but the characters suffer only a little for it. Kimmel reminds me of Marilynne Robinson, especially with her focus on religious struggles her characters face, but Robinson is better. For my taste, Kimmel seems to leave the bi......more