Book Annotation: Gentle Reads

Home to Harmony (2000)

By Philip Gulley

ISBN: 978-157673613X

Genre:  Gentle Reads
              (also Christian or Inspirational Fiction)

Summary:  Quaker pastor Sam Gardner relates humorous and uplifting tales of life in small town Harmony, Indiana, where we encounter memorable characters such as: Uly Grant, a direct descendant of Ulysses S. Grant and current owner of the Grant Hardware Emporium; church deacon Dale Hinshaw, an evangelical enthusiast with doomed ideas (salvation balloons?); and Fern Hampton, who never stints in her critical analysis of sermons.  As Sam navigates his first year of leading the church, he shares his wry and often inspirational observations about what it means to be a community.  With a setting reminiscent of Garrison Keillor's Lake Wobegon Days and a tone that warms the heart, Home to Harmony has already become a classic of its genre, a book to snuggle into and take comfort from.

Appeals:          

·         First-person point of view provides a gentle, folksy narrative voice

·         Optimistic, heartwarming tone, with touches of spiritual introspection

·         Humorously colorful characters that many readers can relate to

Aspects of the book which are characteristic of the Gentle Reads Genre:

·         Evokes a comforting sense of well-being, in this case involving a degree of nostalgia in a small town Indiana setting

·         Emphasis on relationships, as the new pastor gets acquainted with his parishioners

·         No profanity, explicit sex, or violence

·         Gentle or unhurried pacing, short vignettes

·         Storylines offer few surprises, and may feel like familiar territory to readers

 

Read Alikes:

·         At Home in Mitford by Jan Karon (1998) & other titles in the Mitford series

·         The Welcome Committee of Butternut Creek by Jane Myers Perrine (2012)

·         Telegraph Days by Larry McMurtry (2006)

·         Can’t Wait to Get to Heaven by Fannie Flagg (2006)

·         The Irresistible Blueberry Bakeshop and Café by Mary Simses (2013)

·         The Lumby Lines by Gail Fraser (2007) & other titles in the Lumby series

·         Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind by Ann B. Ross (1990) & other titles in the Miss Julia series

·         Staggerford by Jon Hassler (1977)

·         Big Stone Gap by Adrianna Trigani (2000)

·         I Love You Miss Huddleston, and Other Inappropriate Longings of My Indiana Childhood by Philip Gulley (2009)

Books in the Harmony Series by Philip Gulley:

·         Home to Harmony (2000)

·         Just Shy of Harmony (2001)

·         Signs and Wonders (2002)

·         Christmas in Harmony (2003)

·         Life Goes On (2004)

·         A Change of Heart (2005)

·         Almost Friends (2008)