Gracie and the Preacher is available through the
following book sellers:
Five
Stars *****
One of
the things I love about Tom Peters’ writing is his ability to grab your
interest right off the bat and make you smile.
Gracie
and The Preacher opens with:
“Star
and I got back just as Mom and her new boyfriend Pete were starting to roll
around on the living room floor grappling and laughing. She’d met Pete at the
gym where she went looking for all her boyfriends lately. Mom could bench press
over 280 pounds on a good day. Of course, her arms were short and that helped
her some.”
Peters
is so comfortable when he writes his stories in this voice. We have seen it
before in The Boy Who Delivered The Wind http://tinyurl.com/d27qg8r and An
Imperfect Miracle http://tinyurl.com/ck2extq
: a young boy from the back hills, telling the tale through innocent eyes, his
quirky world colouring the scene, his naïveté describing adult situations with
humorous perplexity.
There
are a lot of outright belly laughs and tongue-in-cheek smiles tucked into this
little gem for the reader.
Brent is
a rough and tumble, somewhat street savvy kid, protective of his dog, Star—a
ninety-five pound Rottweiler, who is on probation for aggressive behaviour.
Their home situation is iffy at best and so one day Brent runs away and ends up
hooking up with a revival preacher.
Their
journey together with Star—who becomes Gracie to hide his identity—is a story
about running away from poverty and lack, and a seemingly uncaring mother, and
seeking a new life, family and sense of belonging. Along the way, Brent and Co.
travel all across North America, into South America, are involved in illegal
smuggling activities, constantly change their identities, preach healing and
finding God, and grow to love one another until they are more family than blood
could ever make them.
The
Preacher is a combination of Robin Hood, Kenneth Copeland and a petty crook. He
has a heart of gold and seems to know every back alley and hiding place in the
U.S., Mexico and further south. His experience with the unsavory world and his
occasional run-ins with the law, keep this tale fast-paced, fun and really hard
to put down.
I highly
recommend the story. It’s Five Star ***** all the way.
Brent Everett and his feisty dog Gracie
hook up with a good-natured street preacher who, when he isn't dodging the law,
makes his living by holding fire and brimstone revivals across the country.
Soon, however, Brent discovers that there are limits to what even the preacher
can get away with.
“T.L. Peters' way of writing is wonderful.” Kyanara
"There's no question that Peters is a master wordsmith." Gerry B's
Book Reviews
“This is such a heartwarming story of love and devotion….I would recommend this
book for all to read.” Lynn at Books ‘N More
“This was a really good read! I was pulled into the novel almost immediately as
Brent begins his life story, starting with his difficult home life and his
flight from all he’s known in order to save his dog. This is a true coming of
age story in which love conquers all, and I was enamored of it. Shana at A Book
Vacation
