Flabbergasted

Rating:
Summary: A wild, imaginative, lime green ride!
Review: "Flabbergasted" is one of the most quirky, interesting stories I have ever read. I cannot recall having laughed so much or so hard while reading a book since the last time I read one of Erma Bombeck's books.

Jay Jarvis is a single, eligible, stock-broker bachelor who has just recently moved to Greenville, South Carolina. Not interested in church other than to meet eligible bachelorettes, Jay meets the girl of his dreams, Allie, on his first visit to North Hills Presbyterian Church.

Unfortunately for Jay, Allie is not easy to get to know. Jay will embark on a strange journey domniated by the color lime green, a row of numericals, a less-than-punctual preacher, a pirouette of the gospel, and a multi-hour ride into the Ecudorian jungle. As Jay learns more about Allie and who she is, he will learn about who He is.

"Flabbergasted" is a Christian, coming-to-the-Lord novel. However, this is not your normal salvation tale. Ray Blackston, in his first book, has created a wild and imaginative story that will have you laughing, keep you guessing, and make it difficult for you to put down.

Rating:
Summary: Great Cast of Characters
Review: Being from the area the novel is set in, I found the story especially amusing. The cast of characters could not be more fun to follow as our narrator takes on one misadventure after another-at least until he finally understands what he was doing wrong all along. If you are single or Southern you will find this book just plain fun to read.

Rating:
Summary: Amazed in Dallas...
Review: I was walking by the book shelves at the local Sams Club, as I usually do, looking for any new books for some of my favorite authors when I came upon this interesting cover. I read the first page of the Prologue (to determine if the writing will capture me), read the back cover, found out Blackston was a first time author, and decided to take a chance.

I am delighted to have made the choice. The story revolves around Jay Jarvis and his struggle to find out the true meaning of life, and I enjoyed every minute of his journey.

I cannot help but believe that the character follows Ray Blackston's same abandonment of the 8-5 cubicle life and pursuit of his real joy. The theory of relativity is explained in clear vivid entertaining detail when Jay Jarvis tries to describe how one day being a missionary in Ecuador lasts forever while a week in a finance job lasts but an unmemorable minute.

A delight to read. It will examine your purpose in life and make you wish you had the courage of both the author and the main character to live your life as it should be lived.

Enjoy. I am saving the book and have loaned it to friends as a source of inspiration.

Rating:
Summary: Prepare to be flabbergasted!
Review: With colorful cast of quirky characters and a plot that is full of surprises, "Flabbergasted" is truly the feel-good novel of the year. It tells the tale of Jay Jarvis, a young stockbroker who moves from his hometown of Dallas to the unfamiliar Greenville, South Carolina, and decides one day to go to a local church to meet chicks and starts attending the church's singles ministry meetings. It is there that he meets a fascinating young missionary named Allie, as well as a number of other interesting characters, who completely turn Jay's life upside-down. Together they share many adventures which leave them, as well as the reader, truly flabbergasted! I just finished reading this book, and I'm really glad I took the time to read it, considering I rarely ever have time to read for pleasure. This book not only made me laugh, but made me think about life and faith and left me with a really good, satisfying feeling when I was finished. Although it did get a little boring at some times, you just couldn't help but keep reading, wondering what would happen next. This was Ray Blackston's first novel, and I'm so glad he took the leap of faith to leave the security his old job and start writing (a method which he does not recommend to the "faint of heart"); from the looks of "Flabbergasted", I think this could be the start of a great career for him. I'm already looking forward to more books by him in the future; word has it that he's already working on a sequel, and you can be sure I'll be among the first in line to read it!