Critics have hailed the book as a "miracle," praising Berry’s "crystalline precision" and compassionate prose.
Discovering How It Went by Wendell Berry: A Guide for Readers
called it a "fine collection by an enduring, endearing master".
The stories in How It Went are not just tales of the past; they are an "elegy to time gone" and a meditation on the end of a traditional way of life.
Wendell Berry’s , published in November 2022, serves as a poignant late-career addition to his legendary Port William saga. This collection explores the memory and imagination of Andy Catlett, one of Berry's most beloved characters, spanning nearly a century of rural American life from 1932 to 2021. Core Themes and Narrative