The Wizard of Loneliness [Paperback]

It's World War II, and young Wendall Oler has been sent to stay will his father's family in rural Stebbinsville, Vermont. Using this opportunity to act out his resentment for the death of his mother and his father's leaving to fight in the war he does all he can to tyrannize his new family. Yet, thrown into the warmth of this country family, Wendall finds his resolve softening.A marvelous book. . . . Richly comic, abounding in decency (in the largest and finest sense), never reluctant to wear its heart on its sleeve and proclaim its passions straightforwardly, this is a novel to be remembered and cherished.It is clear that Wendall and the Oler family are on their way to a place in American literature now held by Tom Sawyer and Aunt Polly and Holden Caulfield and his little sister. . . . [The novel has] a touch of genius about itreaching beyond the word for the emotion no word can express. John Nichols has remarkable insight into life's crazy blend of comedy and tragedy. . . . Pure pleasure to read.