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A sample of his work

Last update: March 20, 2008 - 9:31 PM

Jon Hassler wrote more than 20 books, including "Four Miles to Pinecone" (1977), "Staggerford (1977), "The Love Hunter" (1981), "A Green Journey" (1985), "Grand Opening" (1987), "North of Hope" (1990), "Dear James" (1993), "Rookery Blues" (1995), "The Staggerford Flood" (2002), "The New Woman" (2005).

In this excerpt from "The New Woman," Agatha McGee, one of Hassler's most beloved characters, is adjusting to her new surroundings at the Sunset Senior Apartments on Main Street:

"Crossing the lobby, she picked up an old issue of Newsweek from the lamp table between the two chairs that stood facing the outside doorway. She carried it up on the elevator to her apartment, where she discovered that the lead article had to do with national defense and was dated July 5, 1977. A twenty-year-old newsmagazine is ancient history, she thought as she sat down in her rocker and noticed a few flakes of snow blowing past her window. Paging absently through the spread on national defense -- bombs, rockets, aircraft carriers -- she was amazed at how her interests had changed in the last couple of years. Time was when she'd have been fascinated by this subject, perhaps even written her congressman and senators about it. Dear Mr. Wellstone, Just a note to make sure you understand the folly of spending millions of our hard-got money on another aircraft carrier. Now she couldn't seem to spare any attention for affairs outside her immediate surroundings. She was ashamed to think that she'd had nothing on her mind all day but her lost brooch."