GARRISON KEILLOR

A national holiday in Lake Wobegon is always gaudy and joyful. Clint organizes the Fourth of July parade, and has turned it into a dazzling spectacle that attracts the attention of CNN and prompts the governor to put in an appearance as well. The town is dizzy with anticipation until they hear that Clint wants to run for Congress. They remember unfortunate episodes involving his rocky marriage, vodka sours and a passion for a young woman who dresses up as the Statue of Liberty. It's Lake Wobegon as it's always been - good, loving people who drive each other crazy.

Margie Krebsbach dreams up the idea of a trip to Rome, hoping to get her husband Carl to make love to heraheas been sleeping across the hall and she has no idea why. She finds a patriotic purpose for the journey. A Lake Wobegon boy, Gussy Norlander, died in the liberation of Rome, 1944, and his grave, according to his elderly brother, Norbert, is in a neglected weed patch near the Colosseum. So itas decided they will go to clean Gussyas final resting place. Margie is unprepared for the enthusiastic responsea fifty people want to go with her, including her nemesis, the mayor of Lake Wobegon, Carlas bossy sister, Eloise, Mr. Berge the town drunk, and her treacherous mother-in-law. Margie fends off some of the would-be travelers with a graphic handout on the dangers of typhus and food poisoning and the seriousness of diarrhea, but ten applicants remain, though Carl is not sure he wants to go after all. At this, a heartbroken Margie gets the motley crew to the airport and aboard the plane, and then discovers one of the secret pleasures of travelasafely away from Lake Wobegon, the pilgrimsa memories are quickened and they recall long-forgotten incidents. In the warm circle of kinship, as they enter alien territory, they tell stories of astonishing frankness and self-revelation all delivered with Keilloras trademark humor.

In Lake Wobegon lives a good Lutheran lady who is quite prepared to die and wishes to be cremated and her ashes placed inside a bowling ball and dropped into the lake, no prayers, no hymns, thank you very much. Meanwhile, the Detmer girl returns from California where she has made a killing in veterinary aromatherapy to marry her boyfriend Brent aboard Wally''s pontoon boat, presided over by her minister Misty Naylor of the Sisterhood of the Sacred Spirit. Brent arrives on Thursday. On Saturday, a delegation of renegade Lutheran pastors from Denmark come to town on their tour of America, their punishment for having denied the divinity of Jesus. And Barbara Peterson, whose mother Evelyn left the startling note about cremation and the bowling ball, is in love with a lovely fat man who slips around town in dim light and reconnoiters with her at the Romeo Motel. And then there is Raoul of the cigars and tinted shades and rainbow sportscoat and his long phone message (''Hey, Precious'') after the angel of death has already come and gone.All is in readiness for the wedding - the giant shrimp shish-kebabs, the French champagne, the wheels of imported cheese, the pate with whole peppercorns, the hot-air balloon, the flying Elvis, the pontoon boat, and the giant duck decoys - and then something else happens. It is Lake Wobegon as you''ve imagined it - good loving people who drive each other slightly crazy.

Twelve Wobegonians fly to Rome to decorate a war hero's grave, led by Marjorie Krebsbach, with radio host Gary Keillor along for the ride The pilgrimage is inspired by a phone call from an Italian woman seeking her Lake Wobegon roots and by a memoir O Paradiso by a farm wife who found the secret of life and love in Italy And by marjorie's longing to win back the love of her husband Carl...

In Lake Wobegon lives a good Lutheran lady who wishes for her ashes placed inside a bowling ball and dropped into the lake. Meanwhile, a wedding between a veterinary aromatherapist and her boyfriend Brent is set to take place aboard a pontoon boat. A delegation of renegade Lutheran pastors from Denmark has come to town, and theres Raoul of the cigars and tinted shades, come to visit his elderly lover. All is in readiness for the wedding - the French champagne, the flying Elvis, the giant duck decoys - and then something quite unexpected happens . . .

Margie Krebsbach dreams up the idea of a trip to Rome, hoping to get her husband Carl to make love to her - hes been sleeping across the hall and she has no idea why. She finds a patriotic purpose for the journey. A Lake Wobegon boy, Gussy Norlander, died in the liberation of Rome, 1944, and his grave, according to his elderly brother, Norbert, is in a neglected weed patch near the Colosseum. So its decided they will go to clean Gussys final resting place. But Margie is unprepared for the enthusiastic response - fifty people want to go with her, including her nemesis, the mayor of Lake Wobegon, Carls bossy sister, Eloise, Mr. Berge the town drunk, and her treacherous mother-in-law. Margie fends off some of the would-be travellers, but ten applicants remain, though Carl is not sure he wants to go after all. At this, a heartbroken Margie gets the motley crew to the airport and aboard the plane, and then discovers one of the secret pleasures of travel - as they enter alien territory, safely away from Lake Wobegon, they tell each other stories of astonishing frankness and self-revelation.

Clint is one of the old reliables in Lake Wobegon - the treasurer of the Lutheran church and the auto mechanic who starts your car on below-zero mornings. For six years he has run the Fourth of July parade, turning what was once a line of pickup trucks and girls pushing baby carriages that hold their cats into a dazzling spectacle that has attracted the attention of CNN and prompted the governor to put in an appearance as well. The town is dizzy with anticipation. Until, that is, they hear of Clints ambition to run for Congress. Theyre embarrassed for him. They know him too well - his unfortunate episodes involving vodka sours, his rocky marriage. And then there is his friendship, or whatever it is, with the twenty-four-year-old girl who dresses up as the Statue of Liberty for the parade. Its rumoured that underneath those robes she is buck naked, and that her torch contains a quart of booze.Its Lake Wobegon as its always been - good, loving people who drive each other crazy.

Garrison KeillorFollowing his triumphant return to Lake Wobegon in Pontoon, Garrison Keillor is back to tell the story of one of the biggest days in the towns calendar, July 4th - and with Clint Bunsen in charge, what could possibly go wrong? Clint is one of the old reliables in Lake Wobegon - the treasurer of the Lutheran church and the auto mechanic who starts your car on below-zero mornings. For six years he has run the Fourth of July parade, turning what was once a line of pickup trucks and girls pushing baby carriages that hold their cats into a dazzling spectacle that has attracted the attention of CNN and prompted the governor to put in an appearance as well. The town is dizzy with anticipation. Until, that is, they hear of Clints ambition to run for Congress. Theyre embarrassed for him. They know him too well - his unfortunate episodes involving vodka sours, his rocky marriage. And then there is his friendship, or whatever it is, with the 24-year-old girl who dresses up as the Statue of Liberty for the parade. Its rumoured that underneath those robes she is buck naked, and that her torch contains a quart of booze. Its Lake Wobegon as its always been - good, loving people who drive each other crazy.

A fresh and funny Lake Wobegon novel about a woman with a secret life. After Evelyn dies in her sleep, it is revealed she has been in love for years with a Las Vegas man. "Pontoon" is a heartfelt and comic work by one of Americas greatest storytellers.