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Dairy Queen Days
In the summer of 1979, 16-year-old Trout Mosley finds his life turned upside down. His mother has been hospitalized in Atlanta for depression; his preacher father has been scandalizing his parishioners with strange comparisons of Jesus and Elvis Presley, and Trout himself has been packed off to the small Georgia town that bears his family's name. Here, he becomes reacquainted with a number of eccentric relatives, gets involved with a strong-minded girl named Keats Dubarry, and lands a job at the local Dairy Queen.
But Trout's summer is hardly idyllic. Keats's father is involved in trying to unionize local mill workers, and his efforts will pit the Dubarrys against the Mosleys in a final confrontation that will change everything. Alternately sweet and sad, Dairy Queen Days is, as Trout's father says of a spoonful of ice cream, "good for the soul."
283 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1997
20 people are currently reading
184 people want to read
About the author
Robert Inman
34 books43 followersRobert Inman’s new novel, The Governor’s Lady, is available now from John F. Blair Publishers. Drawing on his a career as a journalist and creative writer, Inman has crafted the story of Cooper Lanier, a determined woman fighting to establish her independence in the tumultuous world of male-dominated politics.
The Governor’s Lady is Inman’s fifth novel, following Home Fires Burning (1987), Old Dogs and Children (1991), Dairy Queen Days (1997), and Captain Saturday (2002), all published originally by Little, Brown and Company, and now available in popular e-book formats. He is also the author of a collection of non-fiction work, Coming Home: Life, Love and All Things Southern, and an illustrated family holiday book, The Christmas Bus.
Inman has written screenplays for six motion pictures for television, two of which have been “Hallmark Hall of Fame” presentations. His script for The Summer of Ben Tyler, a Hallmark production, won the Writers’ Guild of America Award as the best original television screenplay of 1997. His other Hallmark feature was Home Fires Burning, a 1989 adaptation of his novel.
Inman’s first stage play, the musical comedy Crossroads, had its world premiere in 2003 at Blowing Rock Stage Company, a professional theatre in Blowing Rock, NC. His playwriting credits also include The Christmas Bus, Dairy Queen Days, Welcome to Mitford, A High Country Christmas Carol, The Christmas Bus: The Musical, and The Drama Club. Inman wrote the book, music and lyrics for Crossroads and The Christmas Bus: The Musical. Inman’s plays are published by Dramatic Publishing Company.
Robert Inman is a native of Elba, Alabama, where he began his writing career in junior high school with his hometown weekly newspaper. He left a 31-year career in television journalism in 1996 to devote full time to fiction writing.
He is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of The University of Alabama with Bachelor of Arts and Master of Fine Arts degrees. He has been selected as Outstanding Alumnus of the University of Alabama College of Communication and Information Sciences, and was inducted into the Alabama Communication Hall of Fame.
He is a member of the Authors Guild, Writers Guild of America, Dramatists Guild, PEN American Center, North Carolina Writers Conference, North Carolina Writers Network, and Alabama Writers Forum.
Inman and his wife, Paulette, live in Conover and Boone, North Carolina. They have two daughters: Larkin Ferris of Breckenridge, CO; and Lee Farabaugh of Atlanta.
Author's web site: www.robert-inman.com.
The Governor’s Lady is Inman’s fifth novel, following Home Fires Burning (1987), Old Dogs and Children (1991), Dairy Queen Days (1997), and Captain Saturday (2002), all published originally by Little, Brown and Company, and now available in popular e-book formats. He is also the author of a collection of non-fiction work, Coming Home: Life, Love and All Things Southern, and an illustrated family holiday book, The Christmas Bus.
Inman has written screenplays for six motion pictures for television, two of which have been “Hallmark Hall of Fame” presentations. His script for The Summer of Ben Tyler, a Hallmark production, won the Writers’ Guild of America Award as the best original television screenplay of 1997. His other Hallmark feature was Home Fires Burning, a 1989 adaptation of his novel.
Inman’s first stage play, the musical comedy Crossroads, had its world premiere in 2003 at Blowing Rock Stage Company, a professional theatre in Blowing Rock, NC. His playwriting credits also include The Christmas Bus, Dairy Queen Days, Welcome to Mitford, A High Country Christmas Carol, The Christmas Bus: The Musical, and The Drama Club. Inman wrote the book, music and lyrics for Crossroads and The Christmas Bus: The Musical. Inman’s plays are published by Dramatic Publishing Company.
Robert Inman is a native of Elba, Alabama, where he began his writing career in junior high school with his hometown weekly newspaper. He left a 31-year career in television journalism in 1996 to devote full time to fiction writing.
He is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of The University of Alabama with Bachelor of Arts and Master of Fine Arts degrees. He has been selected as Outstanding Alumnus of the University of Alabama College of Communication and Information Sciences, and was inducted into the Alabama Communication Hall of Fame.
He is a member of the Authors Guild, Writers Guild of America, Dramatists Guild, PEN American Center, North Carolina Writers Conference, North Carolina Writers Network, and Alabama Writers Forum.
Inman and his wife, Paulette, live in Conover and Boone, North Carolina. They have two daughters: Larkin Ferris of Breckenridge, CO; and Lee Farabaugh of Atlanta.
Author's web site: www.robert-inman.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
July 2, 2025
Robert Inman’s novel isn’t particularly amazing, nor is it special; but it is a beautiful novel reminiscent of great Southern and coming of age stories that can universally speak to one’s self.
Reminiscent of Eudora Welty and Josephine Humphreys’ screwball stories about the pangs of young love, Trout Moseley is one young teen you care for and root for amidst the crazy adults he’s surrounded with: His father, overweight preacher Joe Pike, neurotic and naggy Aunt Alma; Uncle Cicero.
He’s also trying to find his way against his family’s name, also the small Georgia town’s namesake. By falling in love with disabled spitfire Keats DuBarry, working at the local Dairy Queen scooping refreshing ice cream cones; to finally meeting his long lost gay cousin Eugene in big-city Atlanta; Trout comes to his own and to his own terms, and does not even get the girl!
Brimming with humor and incomparable sadness that pervades each page- with shades of Southern grotesque and tragicomedy, it’s a very bittersweet book indeed.
Reminiscent of Eudora Welty and Josephine Humphreys’ screwball stories about the pangs of young love, Trout Moseley is one young teen you care for and root for amidst the crazy adults he’s surrounded with: His father, overweight preacher Joe Pike, neurotic and naggy Aunt Alma; Uncle Cicero.
He’s also trying to find his way against his family’s name, also the small Georgia town’s namesake. By falling in love with disabled spitfire Keats DuBarry, working at the local Dairy Queen scooping refreshing ice cream cones; to finally meeting his long lost gay cousin Eugene in big-city Atlanta; Trout comes to his own and to his own terms, and does not even get the girl!
Brimming with humor and incomparable sadness that pervades each page- with shades of Southern grotesque and tragicomedy, it’s a very bittersweet book indeed.
October 28, 2021
I had never heard of this author before. I picked up the book because I like Dairy Queen, and I like the cover. Sometimes you get lucky. This is a wonderful book, full of vivid characters and compelling situations. I didn't like the way it ended, but that's OK. I wanted a happy ending for everyone (especially the central character Trout), and author Robert Inman did not take the easy way out. It would have been simple to write an ending that has the family restored, peace made between labor and management, and Trout getting the girl. But that's not how it works in real life, and Inman honors that. The book blurb tells us Inman is from Alabama, and lives in North Carolina, but you could tell without reading that this is a man who knows the South--knows those peculiar characters that every small Southern town has--and he writes a truthful, funny portrait of the place and its people. If you like Southern literature such as Harper Lee and Carson McCullers, I think you'll like this. It's a little less of a pretentious "serious" novel than anything those two wrote, but it's not Lewis Grizzard, either. I look forward to reading more by Robert Inman.
May 19, 2013
77 pages in, I said "Bored. Unimpressed. Snooze."
A couple of hundred pages later, and my original opinion has not changed a bit.
It might just be me. I mean, it's Southern lit, and I'm not a Southern lit fan. The dust jacket says "Brimming with the mystery, sadness, an exquisite beauty of youth..." I... guess?
It's a coming of age story mashed up with a midlife crisis, with a lot of family crazy added in for extra flavor. Trout is a preacher's son, 16 years old and dealing with life, when his father decides to have an epic mid-life crisis after his wife is admitted to an institution. Add in the extra dash of "I was a Texas A&M football player" to his midlife crazy and you get your teenager, coming of age while trying to attempt to keep the family "together." After dad goes off of his rocker (the first time), they move to the small town in Georgia where dad grew up, and his family was "made." Cue social responsibilities of being a pseudo-aristocrat while trying to work at a Dairy Queen. In the end, everything is (of course) magically wrapped up, but just a hair not too neatly so we can pretend the book didn't just cheat in the end.
But in the end, I was bored. VERY bored.
A couple of hundred pages later, and my original opinion has not changed a bit.
It might just be me. I mean, it's Southern lit, and I'm not a Southern lit fan. The dust jacket says "Brimming with the mystery, sadness, an exquisite beauty of youth..." I... guess?
It's a coming of age story mashed up with a midlife crisis, with a lot of family crazy added in for extra flavor. Trout is a preacher's son, 16 years old and dealing with life, when his father decides to have an epic mid-life crisis after his wife is admitted to an institution. Add in the extra dash of "I was a Texas A&M football player" to his midlife crazy and you get your teenager, coming of age while trying to attempt to keep the family "together." After dad goes off of his rocker (the first time), they move to the small town in Georgia where dad grew up, and his family was "made." Cue social responsibilities of being a pseudo-aristocrat while trying to work at a Dairy Queen. In the end, everything is (of course) magically wrapped up, but just a hair not too neatly so we can pretend the book didn't just cheat in the end.
But in the end, I was bored. VERY bored.
July 26, 2024
An interesting book with coming of age in a Southern town. Lots of subjects that need to be studied and how they have made small southern towns what they are and a hope for more.
September 30, 2022
My second book by Bob Inman... and I think I liked it even more than the first I read.
Trout Moseley is a 16-year-old boy trying to navigate his life with his father, Joe Pike, a preacher who one day abandons his son and all of his other responsibilities for a multi-state trek on his Harley. When he returns, he tells Trout they're returning "home" to Moseley, the mill town founded by Trout's ancestors.
In Moseley, Trout befriends Keats, a spitfire of a girl who walks with a contorted gait due to a disabling accident. Trout defies his aunt (who runs the mill) by taking a summer job at the local Dairy Queen instead of joining the family business.
As the story unfolds, Trout encounters bits of stories and even random comments that become mini mysteries. The book is not fast-paced, but I kept reading because I wanted to know the answers to these mysteries. How did Keats get injured? Where is Trout's mother and why does no one talk about her? Why did Trout's cousin Eugene leave Moseley?
As the layers are peeled away and Trout learns more about his family and its history, you realize that this novel is so much more than a coming-of-age tale. Dairy Queen Days explores class relations, the harmful effects of conforming to the expectations of others, the secrets we keep and the lies we tell because of pride, and the freedom that comes with living your life as your authentic self.
I adored Trout. He's a boy on the brink of manhood navigating a new home, new relationships, and secrets not revealed. He's trying to make his way in this mysterious world without much guidance from adults, and he does it with strength and grace.
Highly recommended.
Trout Moseley is a 16-year-old boy trying to navigate his life with his father, Joe Pike, a preacher who one day abandons his son and all of his other responsibilities for a multi-state trek on his Harley. When he returns, he tells Trout they're returning "home" to Moseley, the mill town founded by Trout's ancestors.
In Moseley, Trout befriends Keats, a spitfire of a girl who walks with a contorted gait due to a disabling accident. Trout defies his aunt (who runs the mill) by taking a summer job at the local Dairy Queen instead of joining the family business.
As the story unfolds, Trout encounters bits of stories and even random comments that become mini mysteries. The book is not fast-paced, but I kept reading because I wanted to know the answers to these mysteries. How did Keats get injured? Where is Trout's mother and why does no one talk about her? Why did Trout's cousin Eugene leave Moseley?
As the layers are peeled away and Trout learns more about his family and its history, you realize that this novel is so much more than a coming-of-age tale. Dairy Queen Days explores class relations, the harmful effects of conforming to the expectations of others, the secrets we keep and the lies we tell because of pride, and the freedom that comes with living your life as your authentic self.
I adored Trout. He's a boy on the brink of manhood navigating a new home, new relationships, and secrets not revealed. He's trying to make his way in this mysterious world without much guidance from adults, and he does it with strength and grace.
Highly recommended.
July 17, 2010
Looking for a simple read from my favorite genre (Southern Lit) after finishing "Atlas Shrugged," I snagged the Robert Inman book I ordered after loving "Old Dogs and Children" so much from my bookshelf. Of course, Inman did not disappoint on delivering a well-heeled southern tale with the charm and humor typical of his story-telling.
In "Old Dogs," I loved the unusual names he chose for his characters, their crazy quirks and the heart tugging human drama he beautifully illustrated in his story. This book had the element of crazy names such as Trout, Keats, Phinizzy, Alma and Cicero. I am honestly not sure why he chooses to create such unusual names but it definitely adds color and flavor to his stories.
Though I enjoyed reading this book, it never became so interesting that I could not put it down and the story lagged a bit at times. It is far inferior to "Old Dogs" and after talking to other Inman fans, they agreed that "Old Dogs" truly is Inman's masterpiece thus far.
"Dairy Queen Days" is not a book I would recommend as a "must read" but it is an enjoyable book if you are just looking for a little southern color or if you happen to be an Inman fan.
In "Old Dogs," I loved the unusual names he chose for his characters, their crazy quirks and the heart tugging human drama he beautifully illustrated in his story. This book had the element of crazy names such as Trout, Keats, Phinizzy, Alma and Cicero. I am honestly not sure why he chooses to create such unusual names but it definitely adds color and flavor to his stories.
Though I enjoyed reading this book, it never became so interesting that I could not put it down and the story lagged a bit at times. It is far inferior to "Old Dogs" and after talking to other Inman fans, they agreed that "Old Dogs" truly is Inman's masterpiece thus far.
"Dairy Queen Days" is not a book I would recommend as a "must read" but it is an enjoyable book if you are just looking for a little southern color or if you happen to be an Inman fan.
August 1, 2017
Well, it's apparent that I enjoy a good book full of crazy characters. Bonus points if they're crazy Southern characters (they usually are). Robert Inman's Dairy Queen Days fits the bill nicely. Lots of eccentricity, lots of craziness in a "it could really have happened" sense, good story, book that I hated to finish. It's not classified as young-adult but I think it could be. Good coming of age story.
Trout Mosely's world gets turned upside down the summer he turns 16. His mom was sent to an institution for depression, his dad, a preacher, is lost without her---so lost in fact that he buys a motorcycle and briefly runs off to Texas on it. The bishop gets involved and removes Trout and Joe Pike, his dad, to Joe Pike's home town of Mosely, Ga. Yep, the small mill town that Trout's grandfather built and created with is own two stingy, stringy hands. From this point, the story turns left into crazy. It's a fun read.
Trout Mosely's world gets turned upside down the summer he turns 16. His mom was sent to an institution for depression, his dad, a preacher, is lost without her---so lost in fact that he buys a motorcycle and briefly runs off to Texas on it. The bishop gets involved and removes Trout and Joe Pike, his dad, to Joe Pike's home town of Mosely, Ga. Yep, the small mill town that Trout's grandfather built and created with is own two stingy, stringy hands. From this point, the story turns left into crazy. It's a fun read.
January 1, 2012
Trout Moseley is a 16 year-old boy living in a small Georgia town. His father is a minister who suddenly decides to get a motorcycle and disappears. His mother is locked up in a mental institution in Atlanta and no one will talk about her. When the father finally returns, he is transferred to the town of Moseley, where he grew up and where his relatives still own the main business of the town, a textile mill.Trout goes along with all of this trying to take it all in. His relatives try to impose their values on him. He decides to take a job at the local Dairy Queen instead of one at the mill. He becomes friends with a girl from the wrong side of town. This is a coming of age story. It is about expectations for one's future and rebellion against them.
February 29, 2020
This book really surprised me with its depth and candor. The sequence of events is crazy, but believable in a "life is just like that sometimes" kind of way. I cared about the characters, felt for them. I want to know what happens to Trout next. I will read more by Robert Inman. Well done.
May 23, 2018
I really struggled to finish this book, which is why it took me almost 2 months to read. I had a hard time getting to like any of the characters.
So Trout Moseley at 16 discovers that all the adults in his life are crazy and unreliable, the one uncle he really bonds with dies, and the girl he likes dumps him because their families are at war. So he is on his own.
Pretty much not a happy ending.
Author is from the Faulkner/Welty school of Southern lit where the endings are kind of sad and unsatisfying.
I give myself kudos for pushing through to finish it.
So Trout Moseley at 16 discovers that all the adults in his life are crazy and unreliable, the one uncle he really bonds with dies, and the girl he likes dumps him because their families are at war. So he is on his own.
Pretty much not a happy ending.
Author is from the Faulkner/Welty school of Southern lit where the endings are kind of sad and unsatisfying.
I give myself kudos for pushing through to finish it.
December 26, 2021
Entertaining and often surprising roller coaster ride with a dysfunctional Southern family. The opening scenes of a preacher running off on his newly fixed up motorcycle are pretty priceless. Very impressed with the author's lyrical prose. Several significant women were AWOL - Joe Pike's mother, Keats's mother. Seems like only yesterday that Atlanta baseball fans wore caps with "Noc-a-Homa" on them. Interesting how popular culture references become so dated.
August 14, 2023
A coming of age story that I liked a lot but did not love. The main character Trout was my favorite along with his friend Keats. I thought the ending would be happier but that probably would not have been realistic. A good book though.
May 18, 2017
Good read but nothing is resolved. Doesn't feel finished.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 4, 2020
Sorry I laughed so hard at the characters in their troubles! It was both mid-century South and New South, and pleasantly entertaining!
December 3, 2023
DNF, too outmoded for any value.
December 29, 2011
I found this book in a hut on the Appalachian Trail in Georgia. Finders-Keepers, and this book is a keeper. Southern writers often get distinction from other writers, perhaps because their wildly talented and just plain wild predecessors gave them a name. But make no mistake. Inman's Trout Mosely is about as open-faced as you can get, and one of the most honest 16-year-old you'll ever meet. A nice diversion to the not so distant past, yet seemingly eons ago--1979--added to the innocence of the character. Reading his thoughts took me back to when I was 16 and reading "Summer of '42" for the first time. In this book, I got to know the mind of a boy coming of age. And before this book, I always wondered what exactly "coming of age" meant outside of sexual awakening. I have my answer now. It's the moment a child makes a decision completely independent and startlingly different from his parent's--without hesitation, fear, regret, or apology. And the child is never the same again.
The book is at times slow. I equate this to my journey in the forests of the Appalachian Trail--no one has ever run that trail--no, they walk it, to take in every detail. The book is so dense with profound questions that I kept reading the same page over and over again. I realized that was the magic of the book--there are only questions, no answers.
I kept picturing John Goodman playing his motorcycle-riding church-deserting ex-Baptist Preacher father. Having more than one crisis of faith myself, I finally found not answers, but peace, in knowing that I don't always need to know the answers.
Make no mistake, this is a secular book, and has no designs to evangalize...unless by evangalize you mean, "love humans more than you believed possible."
Take your time with this one. Read it the Southern Way. And I dare you not to go to Dairy Queen every time you put the book down.
The book is at times slow. I equate this to my journey in the forests of the Appalachian Trail--no one has ever run that trail--no, they walk it, to take in every detail. The book is so dense with profound questions that I kept reading the same page over and over again. I realized that was the magic of the book--there are only questions, no answers.
I kept picturing John Goodman playing his motorcycle-riding church-deserting ex-Baptist Preacher father. Having more than one crisis of faith myself, I finally found not answers, but peace, in knowing that I don't always need to know the answers.
Make no mistake, this is a secular book, and has no designs to evangalize...unless by evangalize you mean, "love humans more than you believed possible."
Take your time with this one. Read it the Southern Way. And I dare you not to go to Dairy Queen every time you put the book down.
September 14, 2008
What a pleasant surprise! I truly did not believe I would enjoy this book but I did. Although not a "page turner" it seemed to keep gently tugging me back to its story. I'm not from a small town myself but I could certainly recognize the character many small towns have (it certainly compares to the stories of my parents' home town). The town of Mosely seems to be it's own separate character.
The characters were all unique and oddly enough, I seemed to admire (aside from the main character, Trout) the most normal/unexciting one of them all--Uncle Cicero. Maybe the admiration stemmed from the stability he represented in the topsy turvey world Trout found himself in. I also got a kick out of Uncle Phinizy, the world definitely needs intellectuals to figure things out!--loved the scene with him on the motorcyle in the hospital gown. The cop was truly believable in that one!
As for Trout, it was so nice to read a teenage "agnst" story without all the things you might associate with it (drugs, violence, general misbehavior, yelling, screaming, etc). He was a very amiable and symapthetic character. My only problem with the story was the ending seemed a little abrupt, I expected a little more. However, I will definitely pick up a book from this author again (actually, just returned from B&N tonight but they did not have a single copy of any of Inman's books---sad).
The characters were all unique and oddly enough, I seemed to admire (aside from the main character, Trout) the most normal/unexciting one of them all--Uncle Cicero. Maybe the admiration stemmed from the stability he represented in the topsy turvey world Trout found himself in. I also got a kick out of Uncle Phinizy, the world definitely needs intellectuals to figure things out!--loved the scene with him on the motorcyle in the hospital gown. The cop was truly believable in that one!
As for Trout, it was so nice to read a teenage "agnst" story without all the things you might associate with it (drugs, violence, general misbehavior, yelling, screaming, etc). He was a very amiable and symapthetic character. My only problem with the story was the ending seemed a little abrupt, I expected a little more. However, I will definitely pick up a book from this author again (actually, just returned from B&N tonight but they did not have a single copy of any of Inman's books---sad).
May 25, 2015
Dairy Queen Days by Robert Inman is a coming of age story. Trout Moseley is a 16 year-old boy living in a small Georgia town. His father is an overweight Methodist minister who, falling apart at the seams, drives away on his motorcycle and disappears. Trout’s mother is sitting in a mental institution in Atlanta. With both his mother and his father a bit crazy, Trout has to take care of himself. I found myself rooting for him. When his father, the preacher, finally comes home, he is transferred to his hometown, Moseley. His family owns the textile mill in the town, and it is the livelihood of most of the residents. In Moseley, Trout defies his aunt and decides to take a job at the local Dairy Queen instead of one at the textile mill. I don’t know that I’ve ever encountered so many eccentric characters in one book. It was a good book, but I was disappointed at the ending.
February 20, 2010
This is a beautiful story of heart break and ressurection. Robert Inman tells the story in a soft southern way and doesn't miss a beat. Trout is the one you follow throughout the book. I don't know If follow is really the right word, more like shadow. I felt as though I was really with him on the motercycle, when he cried and raged and in those few lovely moments, when he was happy. I got angry at the adults around him, all messing up their own lives and dragging poor Trout along with them, down, down down. I've travelled so much in the U.S. that the highways and by ways of Georgia are familiar to me. I could really put myself there. Is was a sad, sweet story that I would recommend to all.
February 28, 2015
Robert Inman is an incredible storyteller. This is the third book I've read by him, and while all are very different, they all tell the simple stories of everyday people in small towns. People who seem to have it together to those struggling day-to-day, but underneath have mighty struggles of their own that they desperately want to keep hidden. And the ones who seem to be the most humble are generally the ones to emerge in the end to quietly be the "hero" - while never seeming to be terribly heroic. Which is kind of like real life, I've found.
Parts of this book did seem to drag a bit, but the simple lessons in it were quite profound - and like the other two Inman books I've read, I'll carry these folks around for awhile, and wonder how things turned out for them all :)
Parts of this book did seem to drag a bit, but the simple lessons in it were quite profound - and like the other two Inman books I've read, I'll carry these folks around for awhile, and wonder how things turned out for them all :)
December 18, 2014
Ok. So I really liked this book mostly because I grew up in a Dairy Queen (no, literally, my parents owned it and "day care" was a playpen in the back room). DQ is somewhat of a religious experience - Joe Pike is right. I loved all these DQ references! And, I grew up Methodist (still am, in fact). Quirks of the methodist church scattered throughout the book were fun. And, I'm southern and Georgian and lived in a small town growing up and and and.... That's why I enjoyed this book.
My name is not the name of the small town, nor is my mother mentally ill and living in an institution, but those things were part of the book too.
Good quirky southern fiction coming of age novel.
My name is not the name of the small town, nor is my mother mentally ill and living in an institution, but those things were part of the book too.
Good quirky southern fiction coming of age novel.
November 12, 2009
A Methodist minister named Joe Pike and his son named Trout----would you ever guess that this is set in the South??? This story of a boy's coming of age has some humor (and a lot of sadness) in it as well as home grown wisdom, for example when Eugene talks about being gay: "It's not something you wish or don't wish. It just is. I am what God made me. And like I heard Uncle Joe Pike say one time, God don't make no junk." This would probably be a good book for teens.
August 18, 2012
Years ago I read Old Dogs and Children by Robert Inman so I wanted to read this book by him as well. There's lots of good southern character in this book and having been close to Trout's age in 1979 I felt that Inman really understood what a character Trout's age would be thinking during all the situations that arise. Lots of nice touches and well worth a read especially if you liked anything else by this author.
September 16, 2013
A 16 year boy, a mother institutionalized for depression, a Methodist minister father who is coming unglued, and the family town in the south, complete with mill and company store. Trout Mosley is a great character as are his family members but there is no real physical description of him. Other characters are more fleshed out because Trout, as narrator, describes them. The writing is wonderful, you can almost hear the flies buzzing and the screen door slam. A good, entertaining read.
April 17, 2014
Can add nothing new that other posters have not written, but I do wish to add I was sorry when the story ended. For the first time in a literary while, I felt cut-off, left adrift when the the story ended - too abruptly perhaps, but then really was there any other choice given the outcome? The ending in a very long chapter in these characters' lives had ended, and the coming beginning, would be completely different. Whole new book? (*cough, cough, Mr. Inman, are you busy writing?)
August 14, 2021
I wasn’t totally sold on this book at first but I stayed with it and enjoyed it. This is a story of a 16 yo guy in the summer of 1970. His father is a Methodist preacher and his mother has serious depression. They are moved to his fathers hometown, the town his grandfather built and named. Trout makes friends with one of the mill workers’ kids and learns about life on the other side of the tracks.
Read
May 1, 2009I was really hoping for a nice slice of life book, but was disappointed. To say that I read this is a very loose interpretation of what I did. I read about 50 pages, was so putt off by what I read that I skipped to the last 5 pages and was again put off by what I read and was glad I didn't read what was in between.
October 11, 2009
I really liked this book. It was a little slow getting into, but the characters and sstory grew on me. The story revolved around 16 year old Trout Mosely and his reactions and observations as the world around him basically fell apart. In his searching for answers, he only seems to find more cracks in the facade of the people closest to him. Definitely a different, but interesting book.
September 12, 2008
I thought this book was well-written. Once I got started, it definitely kept my interest.
Trout's strength (particularly as just a 16-year old boy) was admirable. I was disappointed by the adults around him, leaving him to do his own guidance while they worked on their own issues.
Trout's strength (particularly as just a 16-year old boy) was admirable. I was disappointed by the adults around him, leaving him to do his own guidance while they worked on their own issues.
January 10, 2009
A book about how a teen copes with his life as the adults around him are still trying to get their act together. I liked the glimpse into small town southern life and the "characters" that live there. Trout, the teenage boy, was wise beyond his years, but still a 16 year old. A good read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews