Living With Fred (Paperback)

~ Brad Whittington (Author) "There are times in life when you wonder if you have screwed everything upwhen you think that if some bored biographer decided to chronicle your..." (more)
Key Phrases: maroon guy, yer daddy, other deacons, Deacon Fry, Pastor Matt, East Texas (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this sequel to the Christy Award–winning Welcome to Fred, Whittington improves on his earlier novel with a more cohesive, confidently written story set in the early 1970s, in which 16-year-old preacher's kid Mark Cloud finds a book in his church library that asks the now clichéd but then fresh question, "What would Jesus do?" From that point on, via Mark's first-person narration, Whittington entertainingly and poignantly takes readers on a tour of Mark's last two years of high school. During that time, Mark and several other residents of the titular East Texas town attempt, in their own difficult situations, to do what they believe Jesus would do. Parker Walker, for example, whose alcoholism and abusiveness led to unspeakable tragedy in the first Fred novel, endeavors to emulate Jesus in a desperate search for redemption. Vernon Crowley, an alcoholic and a bootlegger, does as he believes Jesus would do when he stands trial for a murder he did not commit. And Mark, the enormously appealing, literate, self-deprecating young hero, also makes his own repeated attempts to be Christlike, often in situations that are simultaneously humorous and deadly. Whittington does an impressive job of focusing the novel thematically while letting its plot meander delightfully, and in doing so paints a satisfying, authentic portrait of late adolescence. (Jan.)
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Product Description

Mark Cloud is back in Fred, Texas but Fred is not the same. The town drunk has got religion. One of Mark's classmates has started spitting out scriptures like a gumball machine. But more drastic things are in store for this small East Texas town. And for Mark.

Once again a forgotten book buried on a dusty library shelf incites revolution. Mark begins to ask troublesome questions. Mark begins a pilgrimage that challenges the open-mindedness of his father and the forbearance of the deacons. As his answers lead him further down the path of least expectance, he ultimately finds himself facing the fear that haunts every PK: I could cost my dad his job. Mark must choose between remaining faithful to his understanding of the gospel or appeasing the prejudices of those with the power to make his family pay for his decisions.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: B&H Fiction; 1st THUS edition (January 15, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805431586
• ISBN-13: 978-0805431582
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,091,088 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Genre Buster, January 27, 2005

By	Michael Snyder (Spring Hill, TN USA) - See all my reviews

Living With Fred picks up where the award-winning Welcome To Fred left off...only the prose is more delicious, the plot is much thicker, the word pictures more vivid. And the funny parts are, well, funnier. (And I loved Welcome...)

Brad Whittington's work is stellar. This is a literary tour de force that tackles ethical and moral questions without preaching. Fred is populated with gritty, quirky, lovable, and not-so-lovable characters with real problems. And the solutions are never easy. Midway through, the plot starts to sizzle and never lets up.

A fantastic writer and a truly great book.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Laughing with Fred, February 13, 2005

By	Eric Wilson "novelist" (Nashville, TN United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

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Whittington broke onto the scene with his award-winning debut, "Welcome to Fred." Quirky, honest, and wise, that book served notice that this guy had stories worth telling to a grand audience.

Hopefully, with the release of "Living of Fred," that audience will grow. The book's central character, Mark Cloud, is a northern kid, stuck in eastern Texas, carrying the burden of being a pastor's son. He's disdained by Deacon Fry, he's shunned by the local hooligans, and he's buddies with a suspected murderer. That's not enough? He's also smart, funny, spiritual, and someone we can all relate to in some way. He wants to fit in. He wants to know God's will. He doesn't always get the girl--but then again...

"Living with Fred" teased smiles and tears from my face, but, mostly, it got me laughing. It's a book to savor, a book to speed through. Underline your favorite parts, memorize your favorite lines, but don't pass it by. Brad Whittington has more stories to tell, and Mark Cloud will be back in book three.

That's good news ya'll.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Watermark: High Tide, June 28, 2005

By	Kelly (Florida) - See all my reviews

Like Welcome to Fred, reading Living with Fred has raised the bar for all other literature that I plan to read next.
Thus far, "Living..." has proven to be a hard act to follow for my summer reading list. Reading the last paragraph was much like bidding a close friend farewell, only made slightly less bittersweet with promises of one last visit with Mark Cloud in the approaching third ( and sadly, last) installment.

Loyal Fred-onians will find LIVING WITH FRED a perfect cure for that homesick gnaw they experienced at the last sentence in "Welcome to Fred", while those who have never had the great fortune to kick back on one of Fred's dusty porches will find it the perfect summer get-a-way ( in which case I reccoment BOTH books)

Furthermore- if you are in any way, shape or form a PK- this is required therapy for your soul :)

"There's no place like home....or Fred!"