Customer Reviews

Dairy Queen Days: A Novel

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Robert Inman combines two classic genres in his delightful novel, "Dairy Queen Days": the coming of age story [young Tout Mosely, 16 years old in 1979 Georgia], and southern storytelling [a las Eudora Welty, Carson McCullers, etc.].

There is a saying that "In the southern we are proud of our eccentrics. We don't ask, 'Is anyone in your family crazy?" We ask, 'Which side are they on?'" This novel has enough eccentrics [Trout's father, Joe Pike, for one] to keep you chuckling. But you will recognize these people, and the dilemmas they face:growing up; facing mid-life crises; coping with change in society, loss of jobs; death and loss of loved ones; asking "What is my place in my world?"

Robert Inman, a columnist for the Charlotte Observer, has the talent for observation and detail which makes the mill community of Moseley and its inhabitants come alive. You will be entertained and provoked; you will laugh, and you will contemplate these same questions.

When I was a teen-ager, attempts to reduce the number of calories in my diet were often devilishly derailed by soft-serve ice cream from The Dairy Queen.

Robert Inman's new book "Dairy Queen Days" is as tempting a read and as deliciously satisfying.

Joe Pike Moseley is a Methodist minister who is falling from the church's grace as his son, Trout, watches. After Joe Pike leaves his congregation during the Sunday service and roars away on his motorcycle, the bishop sends him to the small church in his hometown. Both the church and the town were built by his grandfather. In Moseley, Ga., Joe Pike is forced to confront the demons of his past. Trout, too, struggles, as he fights to be his own person while constantly being reminded to "remember who you are."

Readers will laugh out loud when Joe Pike Moseley stuns his congregation by comparing Jesus to Elvis Presley, and sympathize with the son, who learns the difficulties of living in a town that bears one's last name.

It's a coming of age story, for both father and son. Joe Pike Moseley must stop running from his past; Trout Moseley must piece together the family puzzle pieces to understand it.

Both father and son find solace in the Dairy Queen, in the forms of chili dogs, ice cream, large chocolate shakes and a summer job.

Readers who enjoy the Southern genre will savor this delicious summer treat.

"Yea, verily," as Joe Pike would say.

I was given this book by my mother, who had randomly bought it at a bookstore while on vacation. What a find! This book has some seriously funny moments that everyone can relate to. The main character is a teenage boy who should be in the midst of high school theatrics but instead is forced to be the Rock of Gilbraltor in a family gone mad. The ending is a little abrupt but it is a clever, amusing book.

The summer of 1979 for Trout Mosley is full of many questions and like life not full of all the answers. His father is sent back home after walking off on his parishoners one sunday morning during church. This wouldn't have been so strange if he wasn't the pastor. Trout and his father are in a place neither one of them really wants to be. Trout is treated at his school as the new kid without alot of open arms. His father is remebered as the highschool football hero who dropped the ball in the last game of the season and he has been trying to find himself ever since. Trout's mother is in a mental instittution in Atlanta because of a nervous breakdown. Trout's only friend is Keat's, an angry young girl crippled by a horrible accident when she was very young. The summer these 3 spend trying to find answers to many questions is an enjoyable fast-paced read. And as in real life by the end many of the questions are unresolved but, that is the way life is. I enjoyed this book alot. It took me back to the small town I grew up in and the many afternoons where the only entertainment was the long walk to the dairy queen. I too, am still looking for answers.

I was both surprised and impressed by this little book. In the tradition of the greatest Southern writers, Inman achieves great impact from the smallest of small town life. Moreover, this little tome has a great story. It made me laugh out loud. It made me sad. I wanted to turn the pages

This book is one of the best I've read. It is the story of a Methodist minister who comes to realize that everything he learned in Sunday School was not true! It also takes you back to a much simpler time of life, where we are reminded that even in those days folks struggled to find reality. There are some real surprises in this book, especially at the end.

Dairy Queen Days: A Novel

If you grew up protestant in a small town in the south in the 50's, 60's, or 70's, this book will bring back lots of memories. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I am thinking of sending a copy to our pastor(who had a motorcyle for a while when younger) I would recommend it to friends and relatives who grew up with me and have some of the same memories, and a sense of humor.

This is one of the most hilarious books I have read in years. Yet it is delightfully touching, and extremely clever. It is a wonderful addition to the genre of southern literature.

Dairy Queen Days is the southern tale of Joe Pike Mosley and his son Trout who both are struggling to find themselves. Joe Pike Mosley comes from Mosley, Georgia, named after his family. As an adult he became a minister and fled the ways of Mosley Georgia and had a life with his wife Irene and son Trout. When the novel begins, Irene has been sent of to an institution in Atlanta, and Joe Pike and Trout are fending for themselves.

Circumstances arise, causing Joe Pike and Trout to return to Mosley, where they both begin a search for truth in life. The novel is a coming of age story for both father and son, and their small town life. The book did have me craving Dairy Queen and there are a lot of funny, laugh out loud moments. The ending did leave me somewhat unsatisfied, with some abrubt endings and loose ends. I would have liked to understand the characters and why they did certain things a bit better.

What a delightful read! Being from the South, I love all things Southern and this book was no exception. I grew up in a small southern town with a Dairy Queen and spent many happy hours there. The characters in the book are eccentric and engaging. If you want a taste of the south, "Dairy Queen Days" is delicious!