Philip Gulley

Well. I've gotta say, notwithstanding its pleasant and lovely book covers, the Harmony series isn't just some sweet little bundle of small-town quirks and cuddles. The series is thoughtful, ironic, and sharp, even with the author's easy writing style and the way he tempers his critical material with comedy.

I've gotten so used to the town that this novel was a comfortable read for me, even with a good number of the townsfolk getting on my nerves, including Sam for a while. But it was great show more seeing that the reckoning he came to a few books ago wouldn't go to waste, plot wise.

I'll admit it felt a little strange to see brand new blood arrive on the scene in the last book of the series. Still, the town could use the shake-up, and I'd rather a series close with a shake-up instead of merely coasting to a weak stop, as if its run out of ideas.

While I'm a little sad to be bidding fairly homey, sometimes aggravating, and often hilarious Harmony adieu for now, it'd be nice to revisit the books sometime. And I peeked and saw that Sam's adventures continue in an additional series, so it looks like I'll be reading three more books that feature him. show less

I loved this book. Phillip Gulley relates to the heart of the matter with humor and a deeper message. The first chapter reminded me of my childhood and the house that I grew up in. We had a front porch and many a summer day the adults spent many hours sitting out there and talking, while we kids played in the yard and tried to pick up bits and pieces of the conversation. In this bright, warm-hearted little book, he lets us go along with his memory journey and meet his friends and show more neighbors...the hardware store owner that knew everyone and knew how to repair anything and everything. The owner of the local Dairy Queen that spent his days sitting in a chair in back of the store and never wore a watch. His veterinarian friend that led him to his dog Zipper. Mr. Gulley may be correct when he says that the entire world should have a front porch and spend many hours on it. The world would surely be a better place for it. show less

So continues this quirky small-town series (narrated in third person, thankfully, which makes more sense than the first-person way the series got started).

In Harmonious fashion, there's an engrossing mix of the laughable and the serious as the townsfolk deal with their individual challenges, successes, tragedies, and joys. And though some of the characters' downright hilarious (and sometimes downright frustrating!) attributes and doings tend toward the outrageous, they're based on show more recognizable reality—which is what makes these novels compelling.

Granted, this story's narration gets rather blatant and heavy-handed in its commentary at times. But at least it remains consistent with the characters.

I've thought about trying to space out my reading of these books more than I have so far, to prolong the enjoyment. But, um—humph. Oh well. I can always read the series over again sometime after I finish it. show less

I ran backwards to read this first Harmony book after I stumbled upon a Christmas novella further along in the series and laughed my head off reading it.

Unlike that holiday tale, this novel doesn't have a central plot with a problem and a resolution. Rather, this is more a collection of small-town vignettes, most of them ending with "moral of the story" reflections from Sam with a sense of regret here, nostalgia there, and hope overall. The book with its hodgepodge of flawed folks has got show more plenty of funny moments with some poignant ones mixed in, one which almost made me cry.

The delightfulness of the read can make you forgive the fact that the method of storytelling doesn't always make sense. Sam narrates in first person, but while he's telling stories about his fellow townsfolk, he's more of an omniscient narrator in their lives. Somehow, he knows their thoughts and feelings and can convey major and minor details about the characters' personal/private moments to the reader, as if Sam is sitting right there in other people's heads and seeing what they see in every scene, during years past and present.

Maybe you're supposed to assume the townsfolk gave Sam all of these details at some point after they happened? He doesn't say so.

Nevertheless, the humor and the evident, relatable understanding of human nature here makes this easy reading worthwhile. I definitely plan on continuing the series. show less