Share for friends:

Read Home To Harmony (2006)

Home to Harmony (2006)

Online Book

Author
Genre
Series
Rating
3.93 of 5 Votes: 5
Your rating
ISBN
0060858370 (ISBN13: 9780060858377)
Language
English
Publisher
avon books

Home To Harmony (2006) - Plot & Excerpts

This is one of those books I'd like to give a 3.5It is, as the book jacket indicates, a cross between Jan Karon's "Mitford" series and Garrison Keillor's "Lake Woebegone" tales - a genre I've tentatively decided to call "Nostalic Pastoral Fiction," with "Pastoral" used in its older sense rather than its religious one. (Although in this case it would work either way.) In "Harmony," each chapter is a loosely connected anecdote from the life of one of the denizens of the small Mid-Western town of Harmony, its Friends Meeting, or said Meeting's pastor (who is also the narrator.) Each chapter concludes with a pithy sermonette.The pastor/narrator does not suffer from an excess of the wisdom or even piety that so infects Father Tim of the Mitford series. This renders him rather less lovable to me, but perhaps more realistic all the same. The townfolk were also a mixed bag of semi-saintly and sanctimonious. And the seromonettes seemed theologically sound and even profound at times, Still, born and raised in a Friends (Quaker) church, many of the Meeting-related anecdotes had an air of familiarity for me - but not the happy, nostalgic sort. More the teeth-gritting "boy am I glad my current church doesn't operate that way because I would go stark raving mad, run screaming, and seriously contemplate dropping out forever" sort. I wanted to punch a couple of the idiotic members and then shake the pastor by the neck and demand he justify why he's put up with their nonsense for so long. When he finally Did discipline one of them I gave a little mental cheer but still found it too little, too late. Which makes me wonder why I rate it as high as I do. I am a sci-fi, historical fiction, and to a lesser extent suspense and political thriller fan - genres about as far from nostalgic fiction as one can get. By all rights I ought to hate this book, just like I ought to hate Mitford. But I savored each entry in the former series. Harmony, like Mitford, is simple, flavorful, and easily digested - like a nice grilled cheese sandwich with a bowl of tomato soup after too many days of spicy, complicated meals. So while I half-fear that I am praising a Thomas Kincaid painting while rejecting the Rembrandt for being too dark and complicated, I will Probably seek out the rest of this series - at least as a palate cleanser.

I'm almost done with this, and I must say it's not something I would have been looking for. This book is a spiritual, inspirational, making your soul feel good... a far cry from the vampire/paranormal erotic romance I've been reading! I happen to be cruising the aisles at my library and the binding jumped out at me. all the books in the series were there so i grabbed the first and got comfy in a chair. Reading the first couple chapters I didn't know what I had been reading. I thought it was just a book on good ole hometown living. Surprise surprise when i read the back cover to learn the author is a quaker minister. Spiritual books aren't really my bag of chips, but i think something drove me to this book. my dad died last august and i've been questioning faith, i'd been thinking about things more lately and had the full intention to go pick up another vampire/witch book but found this instead. this is the faith i've been looking for! raised catholic i've never felt i needed a priest to get to God, quakers believe just that. not only does this book give a breath of fresh air on the insight of the religion but it is humorous. i love reading about all these townspeople, what they were like back in the day and what they are like to the main character in the present. i love the idea of a small town, everyone knows everyone, not a whole lot of change. each chapter has a message at the end and it has forced me to think. i will be reading the next in the series, Phil Gulley is a great writer! this story is just like a comfort food! warm and cozy. i'm appreciating more little things in life, i'm going to be ok.

What do You think about Home To Harmony (2006)?

I read the book, Home to Harmony, and loved it. It somewhat differs from the later novels in that its chapters can be enjoyed as stories by themselves. The later novels follow a less segmented format. Gulley's progressive (some would say heretical) ideas were already emerging. Pastor Sam Gardner is much more complex than others might give him credit. Few authors (based on the authors themselves) would give their heroes the fragile ego and glass jaw that Pastor Sam has. We learn a lot about faith along with the hero and also rebel against the deeper truths of faith, just as the hero does.The Audio Cassette is in its own separate sphere. Mr. Gulley reads the book himself. If you have difficulty pinning the dialect, it's central/southern Indiana, baby! It may be an acquired taste but please take the time to acquire it. Some of the chapters in the book take on a whole new level when said in his voice. My favorite is the tale of Sam, Dale Hinshaw, and Harvey Muldock taking the detour to the Cardinals baseball game on their way to deliver shoes to the Indians in Oklahoma. My family and I listened to this chapter alone three straight times and laughed so hard we nearly had to pull the car over.I wish all of the Harmony books were read by the author. Norman Dietz narrated the next several books and I won't criticize his work but he lacks "the voice" that Gulley gives his story.I wish the book was available on CD or for download. My worn cassettes won't last forever.
—Oliver Billin

Short, anecdotal, character driven stories of small town life filled with simple truths. I laughed out loud a couple times and even wept a bit, but then I am a sentimentalist. A folksy, witty style of writing that seems grounded in real life. In this case, it is the life of a Friends Meeting.What kept me reading was the common place situations that occur in every congregation. There is always the "traditionalists" who speak loud over their fear of any change. There are the wounded who occasionally seek shelter from the world. There is the all powerful women's group that can guilt the males into doing most anything that they think needs to be done to further God's work whether it is to shod the barefoot Choctaw Indians or to get a water saving toilet in the ladies room. The book wouldn't be so special if it weren't for the wonderful turns of phrase. About sitting in the same pew every Sunday:"My wife and I considered having another child, then realized we'd upset the fragile balance of the meeting. So our family is small, due to Quaker family planning-parents ought never bear more children than the pew can hold." About serving on church committees: "You serve six years, then are paroled, having done your time." About the sermon critics: "Complaining about the service was a weekly ritual for Fern, a deep joy, almost a sacrament. During worship she would sit in the 6th row and scribble furiously. At first I thought she was taking notes, but what she was doing was gathering evidence."About Home: "When love takes you by the hand and leaves you better, that is home. That's the place to stake your claim and build your life." The result is a warm, cozy book that could be described both as profound in its simplicity of describing the best of Christian living and as 'Christianity Lite' in small town Midwest. If you prefer the heavier theological, intellectual, tough life "grey area" morality studies, try "Tattoos on the Heart" by Greg Boyle. It is another anecdotal, character driven examination of Christian action and reflection based on life in the world of East LA.
—Liz

A friend lent my this book to read. It is based on a small town Quaker community, but is much more than a book on the Quaker faith. It is really more about small town American life, both the wonderful and the quirky. Having relative who still live in the small town where I was born plus my years teaching in a small farming community, I just have to smile at the characters and situations. It rings so true to my own experiences. If you are familiar with and like Garrison Keillor's kind of wit and humor, you will enjoy this book. I say it is healthy to be able to laugh at ourselves and in a non-threatening way this book does this. I liked this book enough to continue on with the series by Philip Gulley! I would recommend this book.
—Pam Fullem

Write Review

(Review will shown on site after approval)

Read books by author Philip Gulley

Read books in series Harmony

Read books in category Fiction