Customer Reviews

A Delirious Summer

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

When we last saw the gang of Greenville, South Carolina, Jay Jarvis decided to work with his new girlfriend, Allie, in the mission fields of Ecuador, 80-year old Beatrice and her garden club were vacationing in Europe, Steve and the other single Presbyterian men were wondering how to meet women, and the single women were wondering which denomination they wanted to be the next Sunday in their pursuit to meet men.

It's summertime again, a year later, and Neil Rucker is waiting for Jay to finish his Spanish final exam so that Neil can set off on his much deserved three-month summer vacation back in the states. Desperate for extra credit so as not to fail the exam, Jay tells Neil about the single women of Greenville.

When Neil gets to Greenville, he finds: The single women have formed an online database of the various denominational churches in Greenville and the available men within them. Darcy ruining Sherbert's by taking men on a fast ride down the mountain. 81-year old Beatrice planting 'Tribes of Many Nations' at the Pesbyterian church. And a wacky girl named Alexis, who he makes midnight shakes with.

"A Delirious Summer" fluently picks up where "Flabbergasted" left off. Ray Blackston again shows that he has talent in writing funny, offbeat, Christian fiction. Once again, Ray has written his Christian characters as human, instead of the stiff, boring, perfect "we're better than everyone else" stereotype that is so often depicted by mainstream authors.

Where "Flabbergasted" was an unabashed 'coming to the Lord' book, "A Delirious Summer" is an unabashed 'finding who you are in God' book. Before the summer is out, Neil will come to understand how God is working in his life, even during Neil's summer vacation.

Harmonica playing Neil Rucker is a Spanish language teacher who clambers onto roofs when he has the need for serious discussions with the Almighty. Neil has a most vexing problem-he has gone dateless for seven months, one week and one day. His furlough, and return to the States, is soon and he has one goal: female companionship. So when his worst student, Jay Jarvis, exchanges 'I know where available females live' information for bonus points on a test he is failing, Neil is on his way. He's heading for Greenville, South Carolina and the Ladies of the Quest. The Ladies are young, single, and in search of husbands. In order to accomplish their goals, they have taken to 'church hopscotch'-different groups of Ladies rotate to different churches-according to their schedule-to see where the most desirable guys are attending. Reports are made weekly, databases are kept up to date, and everyone is informed of the latest rankings via weekly email updates. The Ladies have their Quest; Neil has his. His summer turns zany as he gets to know his roommate Steve, leadfoot Darcy and her lime green, Cadillac convertable Sherbet, Lydia-the one of many rules, free-spirited Alexis, charter boat owners Preacher Smoak and Maurice, flamboyant Quilla and 81 year old Beatrice Dean, gardener, landscaper and practioner of her own version of church hopscotch. His mentor Jose of Mexico City, keeps Neil's head on straight by his words of wisdom and tangelos-his preferred prop for object lessons.

"A Delirious Summer" is a funny, entertaining book that is hard to put down once you start.

As much as I enjoyed the first book, this sequel is even better. The plot builds and so do the characters. The only drawback is that I can't wait to read the conclusion in the third novel. I anxiously await.

A Delirious Summer is the sequel to Flabbergasted. This time Neil Rucker acts as narrator, although many of the same characters from Flabbergasted make an appearance.

Neil Rucker is a missionary working as a language instructor in Ecuador. Rucker is about to embark on an 8-week furlough. After he tells Jay (from Flabbergasted) that he has been dateless for 7 months, one week, two days and counting ... Jay tells him about the girls in Greenville, South Carolina - and convinces him to spend his furlough there.

Rucker decides to follow Jay's suggestion and travels to South Carolina where he meets Darcy, Lydia and Alexis, mingles with the men's singles group, and goes on the annual beach vacation.

Life is good until disaster strikes in Ecuador and Allie and Jay need help. The group immediately leaves South Carolina for Ecuador to help.

A Delirious Summer has quirky characters and crazy situations. It's another lighthearted read with a lot of laughs and includes spiritual insights. I enjoyed A Delirious Summer, but not as much as I enjoyed Flabbergasted.

Apart from its rather dull title, A Delirious Summer is a great read! I enjoyed Flabbergasted, the first in this trilogy, but this second installment is much better in terms of character development, plot, and spiritual depth. The characters are still quirky and fun, but you also get more insight into their relationships with each other and with God.
Favorite line from the book: "Everywhere I looked, God was using the least qualified." Amen to that!

This book was wonderful! Great beach reading. Quirky humor without the trash! A must read for the summer.

Blackston splashed onto the scene last year with his highly entertaining "Flabbergasted." He introduced lad lit to a readership inundated with the chick lit counterpart. I welcomed the fresh touch and witty insights of the story.

Just in time for summer, Blackston serves up a second helping of relational gumbo. The novel may appear to be Christian dating ala mode, but it aims to be much more. This time, Jay remains in the jungles of Ecuador, while his friend and teacher, Neil, accepts a challenge to spend his own furlough in the tangled web of S. Carolina's singles scene. Along the way, he meets new friends, potential flames, and fresh insight into God's working in every aspect of his life.

Fans of the first book will enjoy visiting again with Darcy and Alexis. They'll enjoy the brief moments on a fishing boat, and the more stretching experiences of jungle work. Although the narrative seems to try too hard in some places, it's always fun and warm. Don't be surprised if you laugh out loud in spots. Don't be shocked if it lifts your spirits along the way.

This was something that I charged into head on. I can easily say that I took the same route with "Flabbergasted", and I found an author that I want to keep up to date. I didn't exactly blast through this like I can do with other reads, but I did finish it, and I can say that I recommend it. I can easily see why this might be a favorite for some, yet I can also see how others might have been in some spots and this and thought, "COME ON! Let's pick up the pace, Blackston." There are times where I'll pick up what I'll label a mediocre read, yet it'll leave me craving for more in the end. That's how this was for me.

So, is this where we depart with Jay Jarvis? Probably not, but we do meet Neil Rucker. By the way, Jay is the slowest Spanish student that Neil has EVER had to endure. You'll join Neil on furlough to South Carolina. I think my major disappointment was that I expected a whole lot of wacky stuff, just like in book #1. But while it wasn't filled with that, there were instances where I was able to laugh out loud a few times. So when Neil meets Jay's friends, (Darcy, Steve, Alexis & Lydia) they all go on a beach trip. Neil is personally looking to find love, while others might be looking to rekindle old flames amidst fire. Take another ride in Lime Sherbet! Through it all we learn a little bit about crabbing, maybe a lesson with a tangelo, but ultimately we learn a huge lesson about change. This is about learning how to hit the curve balls that God throws at you. Yeah, you may hear of some church hopping here and there, but that isn't exactly the main idea here.

So, was I glad I made this journey when it was all over? Yeah, I really was. I just didn't realize it was going to be such a long trip! I personally thought there were a few too many unanswered questions. Oh well. Will this keep me from reading Ray Blackston in the future? No way. I look forward to my next read by him, and I'm really looking for a big surprise! My hopes are indeed up, Mr. Blackston, and I'll be diving deep into the next read with more gusto than ever.

While this wasn't my favorite read, I can still say thank you for the change of pace. Keep on keepin' on!

When I finished the first book, Flabbergasted, I was a bit disappointed because I really didn't see how a sequel or follow on could fit. I really wanted to read more about this quirky community. When I finally was able to read the second book, I was delighted at the way Ray managed to hand off the reins of the story to a new character while retaining all the continuity with the Jay and Allie storyline.

I read the book on the trip back home after a week in Mexico building a house with my church youth group and it just seemed delightfully appropriate. We had just spent the week building a simple house with a very non-expert crew, so I identified very much with the closing chapters.

Very much looking forward to part 3 and continued success for Mr. Blackston...

I loved this book even better than the first one. I took it to read during my vacation at the beach and it was the perfect beach read. I was so disappointed when I was done because I missed the characters. I thoght this book developed them a little more than the first one, so that was great. I hope the author keeps going so we can find out what happens to these peopel!