| The Road to Wellville | |
|---|---|
 US edition cover |
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| Author | T. C. Boyle |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Novel |
| Publisher | Viking Press |
| Publication date | May 1, 1993 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 496 p. (First edition, hardback) |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-670-84334-2 (First edition, hardback) |
| OCLC Number | 26856894 |
| Preceded by | East is East |
| Followed by | Without a Hero |
The Road to Wellville is a 1993 novel by American author T. Coraghessan Boyle. Set in Battle Creek, Michigan during the early days of breakfast cereals, the story includes a historical fictionalization of John Harvey Kellogg, the inventor of corn flakes.
The title comes from an actual booklet called The Road to Wellville written by C. W. Post, a former patient at the sanitarium who was inspired by his diet there to found his own cereal business. Post used to give out his booklet in boxes of Grape-Nuts cereal. In the novel, Lightbody brings up this phrase and incurs Kellogg's wrath.
The Road to Wellville was adapted into a movie in 1994, directed by Alan Parker and starring Anthony Hopkins, Bridget Fonda, Matthew Broderick, John Cusack, Michael Lerner, Dana Carvey (as George Kellogg), Lara Flynn Boyle, John Neville, Colm Meaney, Camryn Manheim, and Monica Parker.
Plot
The book's plot details three narratives which take place between November 1907 and late May 1908 in John Harvey Kellogg's Battle Creek, Michigan sanitarium. The first story is about Will and Eleanor Lightbody. Eleanor, a fan of Dr. Kellogg, drags Will to Kellogg's sanitarium. Will has recently suffered stomach pains and is still recovering from a bout of alcohol and drug addictions. Eleanor suffered a brutal miscarriage, which has left her physically weak. Hoping to improve his marriage, Will goes along but is constantly filled with doubts about Kellogg's health methods. While he takes part in the therapy, he gags at health food, does not enjoy the laughing therapy, and watches his friend Homer Praetz electrocuted during a sinusoidal bath. Meanwhile, his wife Eleanor finds too much enjoyment at the sanitarium, especially at the hands of Dr. Spitzvogel, a doctor who practices Die Handhabung Therapeutik or in common parlance, erotic massage.
Charlie Ossining, a peripatetic merchant attempts to market a new type of cereal, Per-Fo, with a partner, Bender, whose untrustworthy behavior disarms him. They partner with George Kellogg, adopted son of John Harvey Kellogg, who has had a falling out with his father and seeks revenge. Kellogg agrees to put his name on Per-Fo in the hopes that the cereal will be bought out by the Kellogg's Company.
John Harvey Kellogg, a doctor fond of health food and what would now be called alternative medicine, inserts himself into the life of each character, whether as health guru to Eleanor, competitor to Charlie and Bender, or torturer of Will. His attempts at untested health cures, such as radium treatments, are comically tragic. As the sanitarium unravels, and George becomes increasingly angry, he must assert his control and keep the institution afloat.
Book information
The Road to Wellville by T. C. Boyle
- Hardcover - ISBN 0-670-84334-2 (first edition) published by Viking Press
- Paperback - ISBN 0-14-016718-8 published by Penguin Books
External links
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