Awaiting Orders [Paperback]

Farrell O'Gorman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 30, 2006

As the first Persian Gulf War approaches, Wes Hammond, an eager young naval officer and military school graduate, finds himself assigned to a Temporary Personnel Unit in peacetime California, awaiting orders for active duty. Together with three other newly commissioned officers and the women they meet, Wes waits for war by embarking on a series of journeys through the desert Southwest -- until one ends with a sudden act of violence, and an unexpected opportunity for change.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Lean and powerful...Hemingway's taut prose and Dostoyevsky's spiritual quests inform the action, but Farrell O'Gorman's sensibility is wholly original." -- Valerie Sayers, author of Brain Fever

"This graceful meditation on power, authority, and identity is...brought to the page with unexpected and vivid profundity." -- Erin McGraw, author of Lies of the Saints --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

About the Author

Farrell O'Gorman, a native of South Carolina, graduated from Notre Dame's Great Books program in 1990. He then served four years aboard U.S. Navy ships in California and overseas before completing doctoral study in English at the University of North Carolina.

Farrell has published articles and delivered public lectures on American literature in the U.S., Canada, and France, and his book on Flannery O'Connor and Walker Percy, Peculiar Crossroads, was published by Louisiana State University Press in 2004. An assistant professor of English at Mississippi State University, he will serve as a faculty leader at the 2007 National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Institute "Reconsidering Flannery O'Connor" in Milledgeville, Georgia.

Farrell's creative work has appeared or is forthcoming in such journals as Image, Shenandoah and The Gettysburg Review. One of his personal essays, originally published in Notre Dame Magazine, has been selected to appear in Best Catholic Writing 2007. He lives in Mississippi with his wife and children. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 236 pages
• Publisher: Idylls Press (August 30, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1595970088
• ISBN-13: 978-1595970084
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,132,415 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Waiting for Life to Begin, April 20, 2007

By 

Lisa M. Hendey "Mom, Blogger, Podcaster, Author" (Fresno, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Awaiting Orders (Paperback)

On the surface, Awaiting Orders (Idylls Press, August 2006, paperback, 236 pages) is the story of young men, waiting for life's next move. They have assembled together in what appears to be a paradise situation - recent graduates of military institutions, they have nothing more responsible to do than lounge around in beachfront living, awaiting their next military assignment. Given today's military situation, is seems hard to remember that the era surrounding the first Persian Gulf War was a time of cutbacks and troop stand downs.

In the book, we meet a cast of characters who are developed wonderfully by Catholic author Farrell O'Gorman. Although the majority of the story is told through the eyes of Wes, we quickly see how his story line is interwoven with that of his friends, both male and female. It is these relationships that are at the core of Awaiting Orders. This is not a war story, or a book about the military. Although it does contain tactical information and is well based in its historical context, the characters and their interactions are truly at the heart of this book.

In the end, it becomes apparent that it is in fact a less noticeable character in the story that truly drives the message of the book home. John, Wes' roommate, seems to operate at times on the periphery of the storyline. However, John's relationship with Wes and with so many of the others in this book is really the focal point. A second and closer reading of the book brought me to the perspective that John is ultimately, in his own quiet way, leading each of his friends in a unique fashion to his or her own vocation or calling in life.

Set in a time so different from today's military climate, this book caught my attention from the first page and kept me glued to it until the very end. I am pleased to give Awaiting Orders my highest recommendation.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Debut, December 19, 2006

By 

Douglas J. Giorgio III (Savannah, Georgia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Awaiting Orders (Paperback)

I recommend this book to anyone who would like to read a good story but who also is interested in exploring an important view of life and its purpose.

I was engaged by the story. The main characters, just out of various military colleges, go on numerous "road trips" while awaiting their military assignments. I found myself reading the book first very quickly because I wanted to know the outcomes of these adventures as well as each person's final military assignment.

However, I also found myself re-reading sections, in effect, reading the book twice. I needed to figure out how the author was informing the feelings of his characters. I guess there is a little bit of all the characters in each of us, however, I found the main character most interesting. He has it very nice/easy (a cush "assignment" while awaiting his real orders) but there is an empty feeling, a void, he needs to fill. Anyone familiar with Walker Percy's main characters would know it as the "malaise" found so frequently 20th century America. The author does a wonderful and original job of having his main character deal with and explore this issue.

Three different types of readers will enjoy this book. One who wants a story to read and nothing else; another who appreciates the underlying significance in the story. Or, if you are like me, a reader who will like both.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book!, January 9, 2007

By 

Sean Conner "Joe" (Aiken, SC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Awaiting Orders (Hardcover)

This is a fresh look at how the military operates - how modern soldiers serve in war time from the perspective of what appear to be very real people.