Rookery Blues

Rookery State College #1

by Jon Hassler

Rookery State College in the late 1960s is an academic backwater if ever there was one--until the Icejam Quintet is born. With Leland Edwards on piano, Neil Novotny on clarinet, Victor Dash on drums, and Connor on bass, the group comes together with the help of its muse, the lovely Peggy Benoit, who plays saxophone and sings. But soon isolated Rookery State will be touched by the great discontent sweeping the country: the first labor union in the college's history comes noisily to campus. As a teachers strike takes shape, the five musicians must struggle with their loyalties--to the school, the town, their families, and one another. . . .

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Academia

512 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

Jon Hassler was born in Minneapolis, but spent his formative years in the small Minnesota towns of Staples and Plainview, where he graduated from high school. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in English from St. John's University in 1955. While teaching English at three different Minnesota high schools, he received his Master of Arts degree in English from the University of North Dakota in 1960. He continued to teach at the high school level until 1965, when he began his collegiate teaching career: first at Bemidji State University, then Brainerd Community College (now called Central Lakes College), and finally at Saint John's, where he became the Writer-in-Residence in 1980.

During his high-school teaching years, Hassler married and fathered three children. His first marriage lasted 25 years. He had two more marriages; the last was to Gretchen Kresl Hassler.

In 1994, Hassler was diagnosed with progressive supranuclear palsy, a disease similar to Parkinson's. It caused vision and speech problems, as well as difficulty walking, but he was able to continue writing. He was reported to have finished a novel just days before his death. Hassler died in 2008, at the age of 74, at Methodist Hospital in St. Louis Park, Minnesota.[1]

The Jon Hassler Theater in Plainview, Minnesota, is named for him.

Reviews

[Jan Greashaber · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book. As a retired teacher I identified with some of the administrative issues. The small community had its characters. The people in the community, the “old folks home” and in the family were, for the most part, good hearted and likable. The protagonist dealt with all of these people and his own desires quite well. I had had this book for years. I am glad I finally read it.

[Katy Lovejoy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boring

[Tracy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this years ago so my thoughts are buried beneath mundane things like I need to was a load of jeans today and when is it EVER going to warm up and be spring already... I digress, Hassler was recommended - all those years ago - by everyone I know who has ever read a book, so I chose this one randomly assuming it had to be good since Hassler wrote it, right? Not so much. I remember the writing being good, the characters nicely described/introduced but I spent most of the book wondering what, exactly, was the point and when was something going to happen. I honestly do not even remember how it ends but I do remember looking at it sitting on the table next to my bed everynight and being both irritated (because I was STILL reading it and grateful because I knew I'd be asleep in minutes.

I have not read another Hassler book since.

[Em · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just when I thought Hassler was starting to get predictable he surprises. When I saw the last chapter was titled ‘My Blue Heaven’ I kept wondering which character would meet a tragic end. Just about all of Hassler’s novels end with the lead character either being hugely disappointed or killed. But this is perhaps the first tale that ended with all the main characters getting what they wanted. It wasn’t the rapid page-turner of ‘Dear James’ mostly because all of the characters are brand new, and the part about the strike dragged, but it was still another delightful story, full of Hassler’s quirky humor ‘give his balls a kick’ and Hassler’s more quirky humans – Lolly and Leland. His portrait of a small Midwestern college town is bang-on. I enjoy his work so much and cannot wait for the next one.

[Mmars · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good characters in this one. Liked that he added the labor issues. But especially well-done are the episodes containing the musical quartet and their reactions & feelings toward each other. That was a hoot!

[Andrew Canfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rookery Blues is a fantastic novel about drama among the faculty of a small college in northern Minnesota.

The remotest of four campuses in the state system, Rookery State College of Rookery, Minnesota, ends up providing more than enough grist for author Jon Hassler's fantastic story.

The key players in the book, which takes place in 1969, are professors at the college. The Rookery campus is populated by many students who are primarily there in order to seek draft deferments at the height of the Vietnam War.

It is the skill with which the professors, and a handful of administrators and members of the higher education bureaucracy readers meet along the way, are written by the author that makes this such a high caliber book.

These individuals have such believability and authenticity, and their interactions and quarrels-both big and small-keep the storyline humming along.

The five professors who form a jazz band early on in the book (The Icejammers) form the core of Rookery Blues. Each of these characters are an example of A+ character development.

Neil Novotny is a professor of English who plays the clarinet for the Icejammers. The enrollment numbers in his class are an issue with the school's administration, and there are some hilarious scenes of his interactions with his oftentimes disengaged students.

He is also more interested in completing his novel than he is inhabiting the real word; Neil's character is fleshed out well by Hassler.

Victor Dash is in his first year teaching, and he is fresh off work laying pipe (a job which resulted in a career-ending injury).

Dash plays drums and possesses a fiery personality; his confrontational style leads him to hook the campus up with the Milwaukee-based Teacher's Alliance and to spearhead a strike when a dispute arises over pay increases for the staff.

Leland Edwards plays piano, and he too is in the school's English department. He is probably the least well developed of the professor characters in the book, but even he has his own degree of charm.

His mother Lolly is the host of a program on local radio station KKRU; Lolly's role in choosing to support or not support the strike the professors elect to undertake will become a sort of guesswork among the readers.

Connor is the Icejammer's bassist.

Connor is perhaps the most layered character in the book: his struggles with alcohol, his wife Marcy’s battle with depression, and his moody teenage daughter Laura all contribute to a man with a lot of coals in the fire.

He is employed in the school's art department and has a side job painting pictures of mothers with their daughters (no exceptions), a penchant which causes him to be sought out by locals around Mother's Day and birthday times every year.

Peggy Benoit is the group's saxophonist and lead vocalist.

She is also in the school's art department, and her past divorce, good looks, and outgoing personality make her a frequent target and source of suspicion for the campus leadership.

There are a slew of sharply-and often hilariously-written supporting characters. Chief among these are the college’s stuffy administrators (and their spouses). Dean Zastrow, the chairman C. Martin Oberholzer, and president Herbert Gengler give off an aristocratic and tone deaf management air.

This comes through with disastrous outcomes during the campus teacher’s strike.

A couple of observations about the book. Teachers-especially those who have experience in higher education and dealing with unions-will enjoy it more than the average reader.

It is also evident that Jon Hassler is familiar with Minnesotans in general and small-town Minnesotans in particular. He writes the dialogue and scenery with the ease of someone who spent a good chunk of his life there.

He works in a lot of sharp observations about 1960s Midwestern America. The lack of support from locals when Rookery’s professors decide to strike underscores the distrust many of the middle class locals have toward those in academia. This disconnect, which still exists to some degree over half a century later, permeates much of the plot.

The strength of Rookery Blues lies above all in its character development and the observations it makes about society. It is a strong novel and a work whose situational writing is top notch.

This all makes for an eminently readable work of fiction.

-Andrew Canfield Denver, Colorado

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who was more quietly good than Jon Hassler? He seldom totally took your breath away like other excellent novelists of Midwest life, such as William Maxwell, but Hassler was just good all the time. He certainly was one of the best Minnesota writers, though he seems as consistently underrated as consistently good.

"Rookery Blues" (1995) is my eighth Hassler (read in published chronological order) and cracks his top three ("Staggerford" and "North of Hope" the others). This tale set in a small, northern Minnesota college town probes the often amusing inner workings of academia, the fissures created in a college faculty by a teachers' strike and the complications of romance, all set to a jazzy soundtrack.

Five teachers — four men and one woman — at Rookery State College form the Icejam Quintet in 1969, but its drummer drums up (!) support for a teachers' strike, driving a wedge between group members, the faculty, the students and the town. Hassler's sly wit is all over the place, of course, along with his usual knack for writing flawed yet sympathetic characters and bringing his world to vivid life through sweating the details and creating fine supporting characters.

Peggy, the quintet's lovely singer/saxophonist, is in a romance with the painter/bassist while the clarinetist who sees students as "faceless delegations sent into his life to disrupt his fiction" tries to complete his novel while pining for her. Hassler neatly describes this relationship of an attractive woman playing music with men: "Their expressions amused her, like those of three little boys asking permission to go ahead with some vaguely illicit fun."

Hassler deftly writes short vignettes from each musician's life that provide background for how they got here, while spreading his character-building all around the town, from parents and children of the musicians to many faculty members and their superiors, from troubled teens to college students hoping to keep their grades up and avoid the draft; all of it wryly or poignantly illuminating the foibles and politics of family and academic life.

A novel that starts with ice fishing warms us page by page, but that's what Hassler does. Though there seems an unlikely turn in the plot in the late going, Hassler winds up taking us where we're supposed to go in this lovely, moving book.

[Rick · Rating 1 out of 5]

I've read a couple other Hassler books and liked them. For this one, I made it to page 171 and finally gave up. The characters were uninteresting, there really wasn't much of a plot, and it felt very dated---taking place apparently in the late 1960's at a small college in Minnesota. It's very rare that I don't finish a book. But really, life is too short to spend it reading something this boring.

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to love this book because I enjoyed Green Journey but this storyline is very dated and reveals the narrow mindedness of the 50s and 60s in America's educational community. I could never get into the characters because none of them had any redeeming qualities. DNF

[Jeanette Lukowski · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read for very personal reasons. ;-)

[D.M.S. Fick]

Love this book. Have read it twice. Well, I love all the Jon Hassler books I've read. He's a treasure.

[Robert Strandquist · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this novel 15 years ago, and remember chuckling at Hassler’s satire directed at the myopic lives of college professors as well as feeling enchanted by his affection for the hypnotic music created by five of them in their Icejam Quintet. Now, both of these memories and more insights came to light in my second reading. This gift of memory comes from a member of my book group who was a dear friend of Jon Hassler’s and who delivered a portion of Jon’s eulogy in 2008.
In Rookery Blues, Hassler’s most outstanding skill is radiant character creation. In this novel he keeps five protagonists in equal and sharp focus like beams of sunlight. Each of them is brought to life through italicized flashbacks and deep interactions among them exposing their strengths and vulnerabilities. Personally, I embraced the English prof’s Neil Novotny’s passion for writing a novel while teaching yet cringed at his placid teaching skills. And, I admired Leland Edwards’ ability to balance the respect he garnered from both faculty and townsfolk even though he still lived with his parents and was a ‘mama’s boy.’ And, I laughed at Victor’s business-like teaching and his inspired leadership during the teachers’ strike. But I cringed at his rough language. I thought Conner, the art teacher was powerfully portrayed as a skilled painter and tortured husband. These are counter balanced by his illicit affair and weakness for drinking. And, then there’s Hassler’s favorite, Peggy the gorgeous choir director. Her tawdry affair with Conner is rendered with sympathy. Quite a feat – five fully developed protagonists – the Icejam Quintet.
The pinnacle of this novel is Hassler’s poetic descriptions of the quintet’s music. He paints their instruments’ interplay – drums, piano, clarinet, string bass and sax with occasional vocals. To me their music is Hassler’s statement about the high value of art within a culture. It mediates and diminishes all petty differences and fulfills the musicians as well as their audience. In the end, they play more for themselves than for an audience.
Despite the elevated power of music, the novel is not one of high literary merit. Its satire is entertaining in its tone of mockery and the characters are very well drawn but the Hassler’s insistence on using silly humor and farce undermine the novel’s potential power of social commentary. Throughout the novel, Hassler establishes an overarching conflict between college administration and faculty regarding annual salaries including equal pay for female faculty. At the time of the setting, 1969 teachers in Minnesota had their first teachers’ strike for collective bargaining. And, in 1995 when the novel was published, significant progress had occurred in both regards.
Knowing that Hassler was a career teacher himself, I wonder why he shied away from addressing this issue more seriously. He deferred from this using cheap humor. The most glaring example stands in a dramatic scene the day before the teachers’ strike. All parties involved, administration and faculty reps gather in the college president’s home and begin to negotiate. Strong dialogue moves the scene when Boots, the family dog enters, humps the speaking teacher’s leg and every one disintegrates into chaos. They meeting ends and the strike ensues. I fault Hassler for this using this cheap trick. Without the dog event, the strong dialogue would continue giving the scene its needed gravitas.
Having said this, I still admire Hassler as a role model. Like me, he was a career, classroom English teacher. Both Jon and I wrote every day. His writing was in a journal that contained observations and character sketches about the day. Mine were written on student papers: “needs transition” or “don’t forget to support the thesis.” I had the good fortune to meet Jon a few times informally and even hired him once as a guest speaker. In all of these contexts, I was impressed his warm smile, articulate discourse and his composed demeanor. Now, and too late, I wish to thank Jon for his writing that gives us more than we can embrace, and so we keep on trying.

[Joseph · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Jon Hassler's writing. I truly hope his works are discovered and appreciated again soon.
What I truly admire about Hassler’s writing is his ability to make each character relatable.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Rookery Blues" is set in 1969 on the campus of Rookery State College in Rookery, Minn., which I take to be north of Lake Woebegon and west of Duluth. Two of these places are fictional, and we're not entirely sure about Duluth.
The tumult of the 1960s has reached little Rookery State in the form of labor unrest. A militant organization has moved in to represent the professors and is talking strike on the issues of pay in general and the issue of gender equality in pay in particular. In the midst of this, five misfits on the faculty discover a mutual interest in performing the music of the 1930s and '40s and form a quintet. Making music together is complicated by disharmony among them regarding the labor issues.
The jacket of this paperback version quotes reviewers from authoritative sources calling this "one of his finest and funniest novels" and "uproariously funny."
I get the humor (most of it, anyway), but I think "uproariously funny" is a reach. (For humor in literature that is uproariously funny see Thurber, James: "The Night the Bed Fell.") I found the book to be, for the most part, depressing. This isn't surprising in a Hassler novel. His writing seems more to be about Minnesota in winter than Minnesota in springtime. (Actually, spring in Minnesota can be pretty depressing, too.)
I didn't like the degree to which it's depressing, and I didn't like the blasphemous language used by some of the characters.
What I did like was the plot, and the fact that it was unpredictable. In spite of that, the various plot twists seemed plausible. Well, most of them. The characters also seemed believable. And I liked that they didn't do what I, the reader, wanted them to do. At the risk of being a spoiler, I'll say there is a measure of happiness at the end in a bittersweet sort of way. But this is not the sort of book that would be made into a Disney movie. No one is singing "We Are the Champions" when it's all over.

[Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this novel although not as much as Grand Opening by the same author, which I read earlier this year. It is very funny in parts with some real laugh out loud moments. Set in 1969, it is very evocotive of small town college life in the 1960's. I particularly enjoyed the story of artist Connor, and his rather strange wife Marcy and their daughter Laura, and his increasingly warm relationship with the beautiful Peggy. Although I also loved the character of Leland, a man living with his mother, whose father was also a professor at the same college. Music lovers will enjoy the musical refrences and appreciate how the characters are enraptured by playing well together, it makes you want to belong to a musical quintet.

[Claudia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favorite Jon Hassler novel--I think.
Anyone who has survived a substandard college professor, will recognize Rookery State College (Paul Bunyan’s alma mater) and untenured Neil Novotny. Neil is part of a quintet of professors who build relationships around their musical common interests. Incompetents--a dean, department chairman, and president; unbalanced students and faculty spouses; striking underpaid faculty; and obnoxious children and dogs round out the cast of characters. Every time the plot becomes completely depressing, a laugh-out-loud event saves the day.

[Ross Lenhart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Currently reading. Fun and interesting study of the faculty working for an unknown college in an unknown upper midwestern town. Enjoying it.

Finished. Having spent a career in and around nearly 150 institutions of higher learning, I have always loved books, especially fiction, concerning the academic culture. Obviously Hassler knows the ins and outs very well as he captured Rookery U. in such a fun way. Enjoyed it.

[Thierry Sagnier · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think Hassler is (was--he died two or three years ago) one of the best modern writers in America. He chronicles small town and small college life with amazing gentleness and acuity, and his prose rivals that of the giants--McPhee, Irving, Updike.
Rookery Blues is must reading for fiction fans. Enormously human, engrossing and amusing. A fireplace-feet up-tea and cookies-sort of book that will get your through long winter nights with a smile.

[Joyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been trying to read this book for years now. I just love, love, love John Hassler. He is so witty and the small Minnesota town drama is just hilarious. This one was a tad slow in the beginning and 3/4 the way through but totally worth it in the end. It was hilarious, sad, happy, and real. It's one of those books that I'm like "how does he do it?" I still like Staggerford and Dear James the very best but this one was pretty good.

[Marian · Rating 3 out of 5]

solid writing but you keep waiting for something to really happen. the foreshadowing is bizarrely transparent and misplaced. i did like a lot of the characterizations of both small town mn, professorial discontent, victor dash - my hero, and the combination of musicality with personality. the process of writing is also elaborated humorously through the narrative of neil.

[Simone · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm trying to push through some novels that have been languishing on my "to-read" list. This was recommended by a professor, but it was not one of my favorites. The strike / salary and crazy English department classes in small schools is territory better covered by Russo in "Straight Man." Not terrible, but far from my favorite.

[Ron Tschida · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just finished re-reading this book, having read it a number of years ago, and it holds up quite well. It's set at a small northern Minnesota college in the 1960s and Jon Hassler creates a strong sense of time and place and an interesting set of characters. It's a good story and an enjoyable read.

[Theresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was pretty good. I know it was intended to be kind of a comic academic novel, like Jane Smiley's Moo and Richard Russo's Straight Man, but I didn't always see the humor. Most of the characters were so broadly drawn it was hard to connect with any of them.

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Especially loved this one about college life in a small town, having gone to college in a small MN town. Recommended! Love the subtle humor.

[Nan Lund · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've loved all of his books...good to read in order but not necessary

[Carol]

Didn't read.

[Rod Zemke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another wonderful book by Hassler. I believe that many of Hassler's ideas inspired Garison Keillor.

[Mary Carol]

Love this author...check him out...

[Sean Sexton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hassler is basically Garrison Keillor with an added dose of realism. Runs the gamut from comedy to sweet sadness.

[Steve Gathje · Rating 5 out of 5]

Might be my favorite of Hassler's books!