Customer Reviews

The Front Porch Prophet

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Front Porch Prophet tells the story of lifelong friends AJ Longstreet and Eugene Purdue. Growing up together in Sequoyah, Georgia the two were friends through thick and thin. Pulling pranks on unsuspecting townsfolk, trying to loose their virginity, playing football, they are thick as thieves until a falling out over Diane (later to be Eugene's ex-wife) and the boundaries established by adulthood lead to a long term estrangement between the two.

Raymond L Atkins has crafted a quirky, humorous tale of the friendship between two men and the lengths one will go to help fulfill the final wish of another. AJ only reenters Eugene's life when he finds out his friend has terminal cancer and suddenly their arguments seem to be beside the point.
Eugene has asked AJ to help him at the end, to put him out of the misery of hiss illness. Eugene counters with the observation that there must be many others who would appreciate and look forward to the opportunity. Eugene wants his friend to be the one ...and although AJ has doubts, he tries to humor his friend. As he wrestles with Eugene's request, he must also face a lifetime of regrets and his own mortality.

The back and forth between the old friends/combatants does not mask the seriousness of the request and the inevitable end result. The two men have an easy back and forth that is common between old friends. Atkins is familiar with the rhythms of small town southern life. He develops believable characters, pulling back from the brink of ridicule and infusing them with humanity. The author has an ear for southern dialect and the easy rapport between men. The ability Atkins has with words made this a pleasure to read and many times I found myself nodding my head in recognition and appreciation. I was presently surprised by The Front Porch Prophet.

"The Front Porch Prophet" is a quirky, delightful southern tale that takes place in Sequoyah, Georgia. In this town, nothing goes as it should, especially for the main character A.J. That's what makes his life such an adventure. As his story is told, you will find yourself laughing, but there are also poignant moments where you see lessons being learned. I found Raymond Atkins style of writing to be exceptionally unique and truly enjoyed being able to curl up with a great story,

I really liked this book. Yes, the characters were "quirky", but it all worked together surprising well. A very good read.

This book was wonderful. The author has a wonderful vocabulary and is able to get the feelings of the characters across so well that I felt like I was there. I enjoyed this story very very much!

The Front Porch Prophet is one of the most unusual books I have read. It is also one of the best. The quirky characters, even at their worst, are thoroughly entertaining. Their words and actions are consistently unexpected and yet so human. These are the kind of people I would like to know; yet in many ways they very much are the kind of people we all know. If these remarks seem rather cryptic, read the book and you will understand.

The story revolves around two lifetime friends; A.J. Longstreet and Eugene Purdue. Eugene sells bootleg alcohol from a bar he owns in the town of Sequoyah, Georgia. He lives alone on a mountain in a cabin built around a stolen school bus. A.J. was raised by his father and grandmother when his mother died of cancer shortly after his birth. He was taught the importance of hard work, respect, duty, and family by his father and was nurtured and loved by his grandmother. He has a wife and children and a home of his own. Eugene is dying of pancreatic cancer and he asks A.J. to help him end his life when the pain becomes too much. A.J. has to battle with his own beliefs and his love for his friend to decide what to do, and during this process we are taken on a trip through the past the two have shared. While A.J. gathers groceries and medicine to take up the mountain to Eugene, Eugene sits on his front porch drinking alcohol and shooting holes in his Jeep.

The Front Porch Prophet is a book about living and dying. It is a book about unforgettable characters. Wormy is an alcoholic helicopter pilot. Doc Miller sees patients at his home wearing pajama bottoms, a T-shirt and old bedroom slippers. Truth Hannassey is a lesbian real estate entrepreneur who makes things even more difficult for A.J. when she begins a new romance. And these are only a few of the people you meet in the town of Sequoyah, Georgia. Each chapter of the book begins with a short message that Eugene leaves for one of the people who were are part of his life, and each one is hilariously appropriate. Raymond Atkins writes with heart and The Front Porch Prophet is a delight to read.

The Front Porch Prophet
Written in Northwest Georgia terms, "Prophet" is at once amusing, sad,
healing, and full of the inevitable flavor that belongs to this region of
the foothills of the Appalachians. Salty language and a "slight" exaggeration here and there add to the charm of the book, and the ending (don't read ahead) leaves a satisfied glow long after the last page is read.

(Official Apex Reviews Rating: 4.5 Stars)

The Front Porch Prophet opens on Eugene Perdue contacting his best friend, A.J. Longstreet, after several years of non-communication. He needs A.J. to be with him in the final phases of his life after he is diagnosed with cancer, and A.J. readily obliges. The reunion leads to entertaining stories about the men's past, beginning with their childhood and moving through the years until they became young men. Through the tales shared from A.J.'s perspective, the reader is introduced to both men's families and individual pasts, and the large cast of unique and charming characters makes the overall story truly special.

The Front Porch Prophet is a humorous and emotional look into life in Sequoyah, Georgia. While embracing southern culture and showing the quirkiness that small mountain town residents possess, Raymond L. Atkins does a brilliant job of taking what could have been a depressing story about cancer and turning it into a colorful, compelling story that will draw readers in and makes them fall in love with the characters. Highly recommended to all readers, because no one should miss out on this touching tale of friendship, family, and southern culture.


Brooke Carleton
Apex Reviews

I grew up listening to Garrison Keillor every Sunday morning on the radio, and I love his gentle, easygoing narratives of small-town life. Sequoyah, Georgia, Raymond L. Atkin's quirky town, is the Lake Wobegone of the South. The rural community is populated with a never-ending stream of strange characters. There's Hoghead, a cook who proudly makes the world's worst coffee and proudly posts the Daily Special in the front window every morning, as well as a cheerful Christian message. Unfortunately, he isn't too good at separating his thoughts, so you might see advertised "THE ROAD TO HELL IS PAVED WITH COUNTRY-FRIED STEAK" or "CHRIST DIED FOR THE BEST FRIED CHICKEN IN THE COUNTY." A.J.'s wife Maggie is pretty normal, except that all of her family members are named after famous authors, so her full name is Margaret Mitchell Callahan Longstreet, and her children are named Emily Charlotte (named for BOTH the Bronte sisters in a break with tradition), Harper Lee and James Joyce. Police officer Slim could be the twin brother of Hazzard County's Sheriff Roscoe. But everyone in the town basks in the glow of small-town friendliness, and the community happily takes its turn irritating and taking care of each other.


Part of the way Eugene amuses himself is by writing letters to all the people he knows to be sent after he dies. There's an excerpt from each one at the beginning of every chapter. Some of them are sweet, most of them are sarcastic (Being dead is not that bad. There are a lot of people here I know. In fact, most of them were your patients.) All of them hare hilarious.

The joy of this book comes from the variety of characters and their tangled relationships. It's really a fun read; page after page made me laugh like a hyena (I even snorted within hearing distance of some clients; that was embarrassing) but at the end I may have been sniffling a little bit. It's very authentic and comfortable; if The Front Porch Prophet were an article of clothing it would definitely be a soft, worn, slightly dirty brown leather jacket that's been heated in the sun so that it's snug and warm and has that perfect old-leathery smell to it.

I downloaded this book for free onto my Nook Color as part of B&N's "Free Book Friday" program. I am so glad I took a chance and read this book. This book/story was unlike any other book I have read. The characters are quirky and the back stories keep you interested. At some points I had a hard time remembering who was who, as there are a lot of characters, but I would definitely recommend this book to friends. I can't wait to read the author's newest book "Sorrow Wood". Definitely give this book a chance!

Awesome!!! Absolutely love it. Got it Friday, finished it today, and was so sorry to get to the last page. Can't wait to see more from this author!