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Summary: Must read for every small town church member !!
Review: A joy and a blessing. I don't remember seeing Philip Gulley visiting in our church but he has just described everyone of our members, including myself.
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Summary: A Wonderful Place to Visit!
Review: Harmony, a small town pastored by Quaker minister, Sam Gardner, is a wonderful place to visit! One can only hope this is the beginning of a series by author Philip Gulley about this little town and its endearing minister. I picked this book up because (1) I have been feeling homesick for a visit to Jan Karon's little town, Mitford, and hoped Harmony might ease that homesickness; and (2) because the back cover compared Mr. Gulley's writing as "part Mark Twain and part Garrison Keillor." Well, on points (1) and (2), I was not let down. Mr. Gulley has a humorous and gentle writing style that is easy on the spirit as he draws you into the hearts and foibles of Minister Sam Gardner's parishioners. At the end of each chapter, he has a subtle and thought-provoking way of challenging his reader to reflect on (1) God's grace in our lives; (2) recognizing the blessings in our lives that we so often take for granted; and (3) dropping the pretenses that so often separate us from both God and one another. This sounds like heavy stuff -- and yet Mr. Gulley has such a light touch that he doesn't bludgeon us with the lessons he seeks to teach -- but gently leads us into the realization that God is gracious and ever-present. Especially in the everyday ordinariness of our lives. Well done, Mr. Gulley!
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Summary: Harmony ain't Mitford
Review: Having just finished this book I can safely say that Jan Karon has nothing to fear. This book was funny, at times poignant, but somehow lacks heart and soul. While not a devoutly Christian person, I felt a certain satisfaction after each of the Mitford books, plus a genuine affection for the characters. Most of Gulley's characters left me flat, I do not care about them, and to me that's a fatal flaw in a book.
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Summary: A town of familiar faces.
Review: Having read Phillip Gulley's "Front Porch Tales," I was eager and intrigued to pick up his first work of fiction, "Home to Harmony." And I'm happy to report that the magic and wonder that made "Front Porch Tales" such an enjoyable read is present here. The story is told from the perspective of Sam Gardner, who grew up in the small town of Harmony and has now returned as the minsiter of the local Quaker congreagation. There's no real plot to the novel, so much as there are anecdotes about the various people and places in town. Gulley's Harmony reminds of the calm, tranquility that first make Garrison Keillor's Lake Wobegon so enduring to listeners and then readers. (Indeed, at times throughout the book I found myself yearning to hear Mr. Gulley's voice telling us these stories). At the end of each chapter, Gulley presents us with the moral of the story or makes a good point. He's never heavy-handed with it and the point he's trying to make fits seamlessly into the stories. If you're looking to slip into a comfortable place that's gentle and calm, I highly recommend a trip to Harmony. The book and the stories are as comfortable as old friends.
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Summary: A delightful and entertaining anthology
Review: Home To Harmony is a delightful and entertaining anthology of Philip Gulley's short stories introducing the reader to a hometown community of neighbors and friends that moves to a slower, less complicated rhythm of quaint, colorful, familiar, funny, heartwarming, and inspiring personalities, events, and circumstances. Highly recommended reading set within the framework of the four seasons, Home To Harmony features Spring (Home to Harmony; Settling In; The Bobservation Post; The Swordfish; Revival; Uly); Summer (Miss Rudy, Wilbur, and Friday Nights; Burma-Shave; The Birds and the Bees; This Callous Pride; The Aluminum Years; Brother Norman and the Bus); Fall (First Grade; Noodle Day; The World; Mutiny; The Twins; Roger and Tiffany); Winter (Miriam and Ellis; Memory; The Spelling Bee; The Testimony; Legal Grounds; The Shroud of Harmony).
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Summary: Home to Harmony~
Review: Home to Harmony is the perfect book if you're looking for some good, wholesome, clean entertainment, humor and depth. Similar to Mitford in it's southern writing feel, and the small town, where everybody knows everyone, like Mitford it is also a feel good book. However, this is not a Mitford knock-off, it has a completely different writing style that stands on it's own. To me it seemed like a blend of At Home in Mitford and Everything I Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarden. Each chapter can be read as it's own short story, but they build upon one another, completing a picture of life in Harmony. Told in the first person by a Quaker pastor, Home to Harmony is a delightful, charming read about small town life. There are many laugh out loud moments, solid Christian roots, and real perspective on how we should all approach life. Harmony is a town that shouldn't be passed over, but savored with an extended stay~
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Summary: Hilarious and Inspirational!
Review: Home to Harmony was such a pleasure to read. It's so entertaining I couldn't put it down. I can't remember when I was so excited about a book. It's so funny, I was laughing out loud. It's a story about a preacher and his flock. The story talks about all funny goings-on at the church and the preachers struggle to stay committed. Each chapter ends with a inspirational thought, leaving you to reaccess your own life. Get this book, you won't be sorry.
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Summary: Comfy
Review: I caught this work via a 2002 Recorded Books feature with narration by Norman Dietz. Surely Gulley has a great talent to speak about simple people and simple truths. Being a pastor's son and even today involved in church work, I can relate to some of Gulley's accounts. I thoroughly enjoyed this work and look forward to other Gulley pieces. Dietz does a great job reading this for audio.
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Summary: Completely Charmed
Review: I confess to thoughts that this book might be just a little too sweet, but was completely charmed beginning to end. Actually rushed out for another copy to send to Auntique Bea, who will love it too! From the church elder run amok - "if there is a bad idea to be thought" kind of effect, to the contentment, gentleness and grace of small town life, every chapter told a special story with a thought provoking ending. The widower and the Chinese twins, spiritual warfare in a pacifist church, and delivery of a demon bus, Diet Sodas for the wedding anniversary, Ulysses S. Grant 5, Spelling Bee Champ, taking the sex out of secretary, the midnight toilet installation, and the Golden Goose & the lottery winner, all make the ordinary into something truly remarkable. I can't recommend it highly enough - all ages, either gender. This author just hit my favorites list!
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Summary: Home to Harmony -- Pure Delight!
Review: I discovered Home to Harmony on the library shelf. I thought it would be a nice, quiet, peaceful book. Little did I know that I would be almost rolling on the floor with laughter! This book is pure delight! My husband, who hates being read to most of the time, just had to know what was so funny. We spent a rainy Saturday afternoon of reading aloud and laughing. The people in this book are just like a lot of people we know! Then, Mr. Gulley would get serious -- but not too serious. He shares his moral and Christian insights with humor and grace. This book is never too "preachy." If anyone is thinking of reading this book, do yourself a favor and get it as fast as you can. It is the most delightful book I have read in quite some time. I can't wait to read Phillip Gulley's other three books as well.
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