Home Town Tales [Paperback]

Phil Gulley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 1999

In this sequel to his immensely popular bestseller Front Porch Tales, Quaker writer Philip Gulley envelops readers once again in a rare world of plainspoken and honest values. These tender stories of his life are gathered around the enduring themes of the great spiritual virtues: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Each story reminds us how we long for such virtues in a world sorely in need of the love and hope they bring.

With his folksy style and rustic ear, Gulley treats his readers to a great variety of personalities -- from the loveable to the eccentric -- who make small town life fascinating. Readers will discover a simpler way of life, where things are less complicated and folks care for one another and are willing to do what is right -- no matter the cost.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

I was born in February of 1961. My mother went into labor while she and my father were watching Gunsmoke. My father was taken with that program and wanted to name me for one of the characters. Unfortunately, my cousin was named Matt, which left the name Festus for me. My mother, a Catholic, wanted to name me after her favorite pope, Cletus. They compromised by naming me Philip, the guy in the Bible who became a disciple of Jesus and was never heard from again.

I live in the same town where I was born. I moved away at the age of 19 to work, where I met my wife, Joan Apple. We were married on June 2nd of 1984 at the Quaker meetinghouse in Paoli, Indiana. I began attending Marian College in Indianapolis where I studied theology and sociology. I then enrolled at Christian Theological Seminary where I graduated with honors, to the utter amazement of everyone who knew me.

While in seminary, I became the pastor of Irvington Friends Meeting in Indianapolis. While there, our two sons were born, and I began writing essays for our church's newsletter. One Sunday, Paul Harvey, Jr. and Dina Kinnan attended our meeting for worship and began receiving our newsletter. A few months later, they were approached by a publisher with an offer to write. Already committed to a publisher, they recommended my writing instead. I was invited to send the newsletters I'd written to the publisher, who agreed to publish them. That was my first book, Front Porch Tales. I've been writing ever since.

In 1998, my family and I moved back to my hometown. I took a year off to write, then agreed to become the part-time pastor of Fairfield Friends Meeting, a small Quaker meeting near my home, where I continue to minister.

I write five days a week, usually in the morning. I knock off for lunch and a nap, then am back at it until my boys get home from school. Once a week or so, I travel somewhere to give a speech. This is not nearly as exotic as it sounds. If humanity has invented a more dismal way to travel than the airplane, I'm not aware of it.

I don't work on Saturdays, unless I've goofed off through the week and need to catch up, a not uncommon occurrence. Sundays are spent at Quaker meeting for worship and in my recliner, asleep, with the newspaper in my lap. I have single-handedly raised the Sunday afternoon nap to an art form.

This marriage of pastoring, writing and speaking is one that appeals to me. Each activity complements the other. I once spent a summer during college working for the state highway picking up roadkill. Compared to that, what I do now is a breeze.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 219 pages
• Publisher: Multnomah Books (March 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1576736210
• ISBN-13: 978-1576736210
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,207,404 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Philip Gulley has become the voice of small-town American life. Along with writing Front Porch Tales, Hometown Tales, and For Everything a Season, Gulley is the author of the Harmony series of novels, as well as If Grace Is True and If God Is Love, which are coauthored with James Mulholland.

He hosts "Porch Talk with Phil Gulley" on the Indiana PBS affiliate WFYI television's flagship show Across Indiana.

Gulley lives in Indiana with his wife, Joan, and their sons, Spencer and Sam--in a rambling old house with Gulley's eclectic chair collection (64 at last count) and a welcoming back porch.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Celebrate the Fruits of the Spirit!, March 5, 2001

By 

Mamalinde "mamalinde" (Dallas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hometown Tales (Hardcover)

I found treasure in a small little book called HOME TO HARMONY. From there I followed the treasure map to FOR EVERYTHING A SEASON, and then on to HOME TOWN TALES. This book is labeled: recollections of Kindness, Peace and Joy, and tracks the fruits of the spirit through a series of happy, poignant and sad vignettes. All of Mr. Gulley's books have charm and sweetness and light - and manage to do so without being too heavily gooey and sickeningly sweet. This collection of simple and ordinary everyday tales, is truly a celebration of faith and goodness and all the fruits of the spirit. I have recommended these books to everyone I know, and give away my copies as quickly as I buy them. For all ages, for all faiths, these lovely books have something to say to everyone who picks them up.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gulley does it again!, December 23, 1998

By 

Catherine Liamzon - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hometown Tales (Hardcover)

Although I have only read two books of Gulley, I have become a great fan of his. Home Town Tales is a perfect follow-up of Front Porch Tales. I do prefer his first book to Home Town Tales; nevertheless it's a book worth reading. I highly recommend it. There has been an influx lately of books like Chicken Soup for the Soul. At first they were okay, but I got kind of sick of them and already found them corny, mainly because the books were characterised merely by quantity of stories and not by their quality- the stories somehow trailed the same messages, the same lines of thought, the same points. But Home Town Tales is different- the stories are not predictable, yet they occur in an ordinary man's (or shall I say extraordinary?) ordinary life. Heart-warming... it makes you go "ahh..." with a tear in your eye, and discover the mawkish in you.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars This book is rare treasure..., May 20, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Hometown Tales (Hardcover)

What fun when I find a book that captivates your attention, feeds your soul, and makes you laugh all at the same time. I love to read a great book and know there are more by the same author to savor and look forward to. The short story format makes for short get-aways during my day to sit and gain perspective and remind myself just what is most important in life. This book and others by the same author are treasures I'm so glad I found. They make wonderful gifts too!!!