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Porter Osborne Jr. #2
The Whisper of the River
Young for his class and small for his age, Porter Osborne, Jr., leaves his rural Georgia home in 1938 to meet the world at Willingham University, armed with the knowledge that he has been "Raised Right" in the best Baptist tradition. What happens over the next four years will challenge the things he holds infallible: his faith, his heritage, and his parents' omniscience.
As we follow Porter's college career, full of outrageous pranks and ribald humor, we sense a quiet, constant flow toward maturity.
As we follow Porter's college career, full of outrageous pranks and ribald humor, we sense a quiet, constant flow toward maturity.
528 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1984
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 108 reviews
June 23, 2023
This was a little overlong, and wasn't as side-splittingly funny as I thought it would be. In fact, I didn't LOL a single time at its 528 pages. But the story was good and contained a host of memorable characters, so I'm glad I read it.
March 28, 2011
This trilogy is underrated. Porter Osbourne should go down as one of the classic characters not just in Southern Lit, but in literature in general.
The first book is as a good a rumination on adolescent male sexuality as Roth's "Portnoy's Complaint," and also examines race relations and generational distance in the agrarian early-20th century South. The second find Porter disillusioned with life and medical school, as well as losing his virginity to the unforgettable Vashti. The third sees him going off to war. Admittedly, the final chapter in this trilogy isn't up to par with the first two--it's a bit far-fetched and tries to make too many connections--but it's still damn good. Overall, this trilogy is story-telling at its best. It's funny, poignant, and action-packed.
These books consumed my life. For two whole weeks I could think of nothing else. Great stuff.
The first book is as a good a rumination on adolescent male sexuality as Roth's "Portnoy's Complaint," and also examines race relations and generational distance in the agrarian early-20th century South. The second find Porter disillusioned with life and medical school, as well as losing his virginity to the unforgettable Vashti. The third sees him going off to war. Admittedly, the final chapter in this trilogy isn't up to par with the first two--it's a bit far-fetched and tries to make too many connections--but it's still damn good. Overall, this trilogy is story-telling at its best. It's funny, poignant, and action-packed.
These books consumed my life. For two whole weeks I could think of nothing else. Great stuff.
February 1, 2023
Said to be an integral work of Southern fiction and critical to any library of 20th century American novels. And, yes, my friend Terry Kay—a contemporary or nearly of Sam’s generation, an acquaintance, and friend of one of his own.
It is indeed a treasure with rich prose, and--to boot--a rollicking read with a whisper of an undercurrent of what it means to be raised right and to do the right thing. Porter J. Osborne, Jr. is unforgettable in his journey to learn who is and who he wants to be.
In his struggle to live up to his father’s image, he knew that “if he could excel enough to gain his notice, if he could develop his own potential, then he would walk in favor through the land and be cherished forevermore.” In this book, the second in a three part series on his life, we tag along on Osborne’s immature pranks and gasp at his awkwardness in his years at college in Macon, Georgia and through his initiation into Kappa Alpha, bastion of the Old South. As one professor advises: “About the college career. The entire college experience. The making of a man, so to speak... You are so young and, to be perfectly honest, you are so callow, so unformed. And yet there is something about you... a drive, a spark, a toughness of spirit, a completely unpredictable gift for doing the most outrageously unexpected things.”
But, luckily for his readers, Sams keeps ahold of us until Osborne make a few decisions that right his course and redeem him by graduation day—at least until the next book in the trilogy.
And yes, that river reference comes near the end of the book ... “Below them, during occasional respite from the fiercely blowing wind, the whisper of the river could be heard. It spoke to Porter of unswerving purpose, its deep progress serenely unmarred by the bluster of wind and noise. It was steady beneath the tumultuous events that occurred in the blustering air above; it betokened response to challenge and undeterred resolution.”
It is indeed a treasure with rich prose, and--to boot--a rollicking read with a whisper of an undercurrent of what it means to be raised right and to do the right thing. Porter J. Osborne, Jr. is unforgettable in his journey to learn who is and who he wants to be.
In his struggle to live up to his father’s image, he knew that “if he could excel enough to gain his notice, if he could develop his own potential, then he would walk in favor through the land and be cherished forevermore.” In this book, the second in a three part series on his life, we tag along on Osborne’s immature pranks and gasp at his awkwardness in his years at college in Macon, Georgia and through his initiation into Kappa Alpha, bastion of the Old South. As one professor advises: “About the college career. The entire college experience. The making of a man, so to speak... You are so young and, to be perfectly honest, you are so callow, so unformed. And yet there is something about you... a drive, a spark, a toughness of spirit, a completely unpredictable gift for doing the most outrageously unexpected things.”
But, luckily for his readers, Sams keeps ahold of us until Osborne make a few decisions that right his course and redeem him by graduation day—at least until the next book in the trilogy.
And yes, that river reference comes near the end of the book ... “Below them, during occasional respite from the fiercely blowing wind, the whisper of the river could be heard. It spoke to Porter of unswerving purpose, its deep progress serenely unmarred by the bluster of wind and noise. It was steady beneath the tumultuous events that occurred in the blustering air above; it betokened response to challenge and undeterred resolution.”
November 7, 2022
Every bit as good as the first book of this trilogy.
Funny. Irreverent. Touching. Some history.
Can’t wait to get the third book in the mail.
Funny. Irreverent. Touching. Some history.
Can’t wait to get the third book in the mail.
February 2, 2021
When I first started to read Ferrol Sams’ semi-autobiographical series on the life of Porter Osborne Jr., I was surprised to find that none of my friends on Goodreads had read any of the novels. Had it not been for a friend here in western North Carolina who encouraged me to read them, I might never have discovered the books myself. I hope that my review will lead some others to read these excellent books.
The Whisper of the River is the second volume in the fictional trilogy about Peter Osborne Jr., written by Ferrol Sams. Dr. Sams was a physician who decided to write novels when he was sixty years old. The trilogy on the life of Porter Osborne Jr. was inspired by the author’s own life. The second volume reviewed here is the poignant and funny story of a young man’s journey to adulthood. In this sequel to Run With the Horsemen, 16-year-old Porter Osborne, Jr. leaves his rural Georgia home in 1938 to follows in his father’s footsteps to Willingham University, a Baptist college and the fictionalized version of Mercer University, in Macon, Georgia. The first book was a warm-hearted account of Porter’s childhood, but did not hide the old-fashioned attitudes prevalent in the agricultural South at that time. Porter is intelligent, and by age 16 has exhausted what his high school has to offer.
Young for his class and small for his age, Porter leaves for college with the knowledge that he has been "Raised Right" in the best Baptist tradition. What happens over the next four years will challenge the things he holds reliable: his faith, his heritage, and his upbringing.
— “It was imperative that one be Saved. By the end of high school every member of any graduating class would have acclaimed this verity. The boy, of course, had known it forever. In his culture, life eternal was assured. It was a given. … Everyone believed. No one was fool enough to put any desire ahead of being Saved.
It was just as important to be Raised Right. The child who had been Raised Right was not only Saved but had spent a large part of his formative years in the House of the Lord. Attendance at piano recitals did not count, but everything else did. From Sunbeams through BYPU, from Sunday school to prayer meeting … everything was counted. So was everybody. In the midst of all this scorekeeping, the concept of being saved by grace was a nebulous and adult bit of foolishness not to be contemplated with anything approaching the fervor accorded perfect attendance. A pin with added yearly bars swinging like a sandwich sign on an adolescent chest proclaimed indisputably to the world that its wearer had been Raised Right. A place called Nashville was the source of the Sunday school literature, but the more highly anointed preachers of the day came from a mystic place called Louisville. Elders may have thought that the seat of the Southern Baptist Convention was in Nashville, but to any Raised Right child, “Seminary at Louisville” had exactly the same ring as “Temple at Jerusalem.” Methodists probably could be Saved, but there was a question whether any of them had been Raised Right.”
— Ferrol Sams, The Whisper of the River
Porter is a devout, serious student, but his college career soon becomes full of elaborate pranks and ribald humor as he re-examines his own beliefs. As time passes, we find that Porter becomes more mature, on his way to becoming more adult without fully losing the idiosyncrasies of his youth.
Sams’ novels on the life of Porter are a piece of Americana, especially Southern Americana. The novel recreates a world that is now mostly lost. But The Whisper of the River is not merely a collection of humorous stories told by a master storyteller, it has much deeper significance regarding college life—generational differences, conflict, and race relations. Ferrol Sams has filled his novel with a long list of memorable characters who will remain in the reader’s memory long after the book has been finished. I laughed out loud numerous times while reading Run With the Horsemen. I didn’t find the sequel quite as funny, but others might.
Content warning: language, sexual situations.
The Whisper of the River is the second volume in the fictional trilogy about Peter Osborne Jr., written by Ferrol Sams. Dr. Sams was a physician who decided to write novels when he was sixty years old. The trilogy on the life of Porter Osborne Jr. was inspired by the author’s own life. The second volume reviewed here is the poignant and funny story of a young man’s journey to adulthood. In this sequel to Run With the Horsemen, 16-year-old Porter Osborne, Jr. leaves his rural Georgia home in 1938 to follows in his father’s footsteps to Willingham University, a Baptist college and the fictionalized version of Mercer University, in Macon, Georgia. The first book was a warm-hearted account of Porter’s childhood, but did not hide the old-fashioned attitudes prevalent in the agricultural South at that time. Porter is intelligent, and by age 16 has exhausted what his high school has to offer.
Young for his class and small for his age, Porter leaves for college with the knowledge that he has been "Raised Right" in the best Baptist tradition. What happens over the next four years will challenge the things he holds reliable: his faith, his heritage, and his upbringing.
— “It was imperative that one be Saved. By the end of high school every member of any graduating class would have acclaimed this verity. The boy, of course, had known it forever. In his culture, life eternal was assured. It was a given. … Everyone believed. No one was fool enough to put any desire ahead of being Saved.
It was just as important to be Raised Right. The child who had been Raised Right was not only Saved but had spent a large part of his formative years in the House of the Lord. Attendance at piano recitals did not count, but everything else did. From Sunbeams through BYPU, from Sunday school to prayer meeting … everything was counted. So was everybody. In the midst of all this scorekeeping, the concept of being saved by grace was a nebulous and adult bit of foolishness not to be contemplated with anything approaching the fervor accorded perfect attendance. A pin with added yearly bars swinging like a sandwich sign on an adolescent chest proclaimed indisputably to the world that its wearer had been Raised Right. A place called Nashville was the source of the Sunday school literature, but the more highly anointed preachers of the day came from a mystic place called Louisville. Elders may have thought that the seat of the Southern Baptist Convention was in Nashville, but to any Raised Right child, “Seminary at Louisville” had exactly the same ring as “Temple at Jerusalem.” Methodists probably could be Saved, but there was a question whether any of them had been Raised Right.”
— Ferrol Sams, The Whisper of the River
Porter is a devout, serious student, but his college career soon becomes full of elaborate pranks and ribald humor as he re-examines his own beliefs. As time passes, we find that Porter becomes more mature, on his way to becoming more adult without fully losing the idiosyncrasies of his youth.
Sams’ novels on the life of Porter are a piece of Americana, especially Southern Americana. The novel recreates a world that is now mostly lost. But The Whisper of the River is not merely a collection of humorous stories told by a master storyteller, it has much deeper significance regarding college life—generational differences, conflict, and race relations. Ferrol Sams has filled his novel with a long list of memorable characters who will remain in the reader’s memory long after the book has been finished. I laughed out loud numerous times while reading Run With the Horsemen. I didn’t find the sequel quite as funny, but others might.
Content warning: language, sexual situations.
July 9, 2020
The Whisper of the River is one of those books I would have sworn I had read and forgot to cross off of my reading list. As it turns out, that's not the case, and it was an extremely enjoyable week of reading that kept me sitting too long and gave me red-rimmed eyes. In homage to Faulkner, protagonist Porter Osborne, Jr., small town country boy, was called "the boy" for the first portion of the book. After that, he became Sambo, a nickname given to him by his father early in life, much to his grandmother's chagrin. This is Ferrol Sams' second semi-autobiographical book of a trilogy.
The reader meets young Porter finishing high school at age 16, in his home environment, smarter-than-average, Raised Right in his mother's Southern Baptist household, trying to do the right thing, but inquisitive and a compulsive prankster. He fairly quickly was accepted and went off to Willingham College in Macon, which in those years just prior to World War II was considered quite a distance from Fayette County. This book chronicles the somewhat self-righteous Porter's viridity as he examines his beliefs and maturebut pranks his way through a world previously unimagined. Sams' talent for characterization and description is unique; it sometimes is so specific that a depiction doesn't come to the fore until after the reader has learned more about the character.
Most unexpected in the reading of The Whisper of the River was that, though it was about an era well before my time and about circumstances I never would have experienced even if it had been, it seemed as familiar as if I had lived through it, too. I think maybe that's where a lot of the notion of "The South" comes from. It was hard not to give it five stars, but I did bog down in a couple of places over the religiosity.
The reader meets young Porter finishing high school at age 16, in his home environment, smarter-than-average, Raised Right in his mother's Southern Baptist household, trying to do the right thing, but inquisitive and a compulsive prankster. He fairly quickly was accepted and went off to Willingham College in Macon, which in those years just prior to World War II was considered quite a distance from Fayette County. This book chronicles the somewhat self-righteous Porter's viridity as he examines his beliefs and maturebut pranks his way through a world previously unimagined. Sams' talent for characterization and description is unique; it sometimes is so specific that a depiction doesn't come to the fore until after the reader has learned more about the character.
Most unexpected in the reading of The Whisper of the River was that, though it was about an era well before my time and about circumstances I never would have experienced even if it had been, it seemed as familiar as if I had lived through it, too. I think maybe that's where a lot of the notion of "The South" comes from. It was hard not to give it five stars, but I did bog down in a couple of places over the religiosity.
December 15, 2016
One of the most entertaining books I've ever read. I'm a Mercer University alum and read the book for the first time 20-some years ago as an assignment. You don't have to know anything about Mercer -- I mean Willingham -- or Macon to enjoy the book. It's just a nice bonus if you know where Chichester's used to be, or have lived a year in the same old dormitory building. I don't know about now, but as late are the early 90's, you would still get scalded if someone flushed a toilet while you were showering. There's something about Sambo that I think most folks can relate to. If you read Run With the Horsemen, you'll be already be quite attached to the little guy from the start.
Dr. Sams' books need to be on any list of best southern literature.
Moving on now to When All the World Was Young....
Dr. Sams' books need to be on any list of best southern literature.
Moving on now to When All the World Was Young....
February 27, 2012
I read this for the second time because I remembered loving the trilogy. I had books 2 and 3 on the shelf so re-read this, the 2nd in the series. It was as wonderful in this encore reading as I remember it being. The story is of a small, young country Georgia boy who goes to University in Macon. While there, Porter Osborne, Jr. grows up. His friendships, capers, close calls, revelations and evolution make for a funny, poignant tale. I laughed out loud and cried quietly but left the book with a wonderfully optimistic feeling that Porter will be OK. I am on a mission to find the first in the trilogy - Run With the Horseman - so I can re-read that before I dive into the final volume - When All the World Was Young.
July 29, 2022
This book is a complete picture of a southern boy's college experience, set just before WWII. It was very funny, very honest, and quite realistic, as far as I can tell. It was a story in a world that I know (from a different angle) and felt even more like home than the Rick Bragg book I recently read, Where I Come From.
January 15, 2008
My Favorite of the Trilogy -- the first hooks you, this one is the beginning of the man...
But you have to read all three to ensure you capture the essence of what it takes to be "Raised Right"
But you have to read all three to ensure you capture the essence of what it takes to be "Raised Right"
October 19, 2022
This book is an excellent, funny, and engaging tale of college shenanigans. Worth reading as there is some superb writing within.
Read this in preparation for the final book in the trilogy which was given to me. According to my rules of reading, I must read all books given to me.
Read this in preparation for the final book in the trilogy which was given to me. According to my rules of reading, I must read all books given to me.
December 6, 2025
What a fun read, and quite unexpected. Following along on the devoutly Baptist Porter "Sambo" Osborne's journey in Willingham was nothing short of hilarious. It is one of those books that you want to keep reading because it is light hearted and yet so well written. From young boys taking practical jokes too far, to American bigotry, and unusual friendships, this book has it all.
April 4, 2008
The Whisper of the River is as fine a work of American Literature as I have ever read. No survey of 20th Century American Novels is complete without it. No student of Southern United States fiction should overlook it.
In Run With the Horsemen Ferrol Sams presents the reader a mountain of a man (Porter Osborne, Jr.) In The Whisper of the River Ferrol Sams presents the reader a mountain of a book. And it is hilarious.
The conclusion of Run With the Horsemen was hopeful, optimistic and exciting. As a result, I couldn't wait to read the second volume The Whisper of the River. Not only did I sense it would be an enjoyable tale, but I could only imagine what a brilliant prankster like Porter Osborne, Jr. would pull once he was off at college. The Whisper of the River did not disappoint.
One of the many amazing aspects of this book is the staggering growth it reveals. Growth of both the main character and the story's author.
The reader follows Porter Osborne, Jr. leaving his small insular rural community of Brewton County, Georgia for college in Macon, Georgia, his four years of undergraduate blossoming and ultimately to medical school at Emory in Atlanta. While Porter physically grows into manhood he also sets sail on intellectual, emotional and spiritual voyages of discovery. He wrestles with issues of personal identity, family, social status, race, gender, politics, honor, integrity and faith.
Author Ferrol Sams writes of all this in something far beyond the narrative style of Run With the Horsemen. In this volume, Sams delivers a complex story of rich detail marked by artistic flourishes. He is no longer merely a charming southern recantour. With this book, Ferrol Sams emerges as a literary author of the first rate.
The episodes that transpire in The Whisper of the River cover the wide spectrum of human experience. And most are overwhelmingly humorous. Laugh out loud funny. No reader who enjoys tales of college humor will be disappointed.
The cast of characters populating the story are diverse, complex and presented incisively. Stereotypes and cliches never blemish the proceedings. The author is faithful to the genuine humanity of each individual appearing in the story. The result is a remarkable achievement.
And no review of The Whisper of the River could be complete without praising one of the greatest characters to ever spring from the page of a book: Boston Harbor Jones. (Dwell on the symbolic significance of that name for a while.) Boston Harbor Jones is the Heart of this book. And a mighty Heart he is. Serving as Porter's friend, confidant, enabler, supporter, protector, surrogate father and (most importantly) friend, Boston Harbor Jones ties the story together, delivers several of the most hilarious passages ever printed, delivers one of the most brutally honest meditations on "Race in America" I've ever read and serves as the pivot point to the next volume of the trilogy.
The conclusion of The Whisper of the River is dark and foreboding. As a result, I am apprehensive about moving to the third volume (When All the World Was Young). Not only do I sense it will be a darker tale, but I also have a hard time believing it could be any better than The Whisper of the River. Very very few books are better than this one.
While it's conceivable one could read The Whisper of the River without first reading Run With the Horsemen, I would not recommend it. For the reasons stated above (and many others), reading Run With the Horsemen is essential to understanding and appreciating the magnificence of The Whisper of the River.
In Run With the Horsemen Ferrol Sams presents the reader a mountain of a man (Porter Osborne, Jr.) In The Whisper of the River Ferrol Sams presents the reader a mountain of a book. And it is hilarious.
The conclusion of Run With the Horsemen was hopeful, optimistic and exciting. As a result, I couldn't wait to read the second volume The Whisper of the River. Not only did I sense it would be an enjoyable tale, but I could only imagine what a brilliant prankster like Porter Osborne, Jr. would pull once he was off at college. The Whisper of the River did not disappoint.
One of the many amazing aspects of this book is the staggering growth it reveals. Growth of both the main character and the story's author.
The reader follows Porter Osborne, Jr. leaving his small insular rural community of Brewton County, Georgia for college in Macon, Georgia, his four years of undergraduate blossoming and ultimately to medical school at Emory in Atlanta. While Porter physically grows into manhood he also sets sail on intellectual, emotional and spiritual voyages of discovery. He wrestles with issues of personal identity, family, social status, race, gender, politics, honor, integrity and faith.
Author Ferrol Sams writes of all this in something far beyond the narrative style of Run With the Horsemen. In this volume, Sams delivers a complex story of rich detail marked by artistic flourishes. He is no longer merely a charming southern recantour. With this book, Ferrol Sams emerges as a literary author of the first rate.
The episodes that transpire in The Whisper of the River cover the wide spectrum of human experience. And most are overwhelmingly humorous. Laugh out loud funny. No reader who enjoys tales of college humor will be disappointed.
The cast of characters populating the story are diverse, complex and presented incisively. Stereotypes and cliches never blemish the proceedings. The author is faithful to the genuine humanity of each individual appearing in the story. The result is a remarkable achievement.
And no review of The Whisper of the River could be complete without praising one of the greatest characters to ever spring from the page of a book: Boston Harbor Jones. (Dwell on the symbolic significance of that name for a while.) Boston Harbor Jones is the Heart of this book. And a mighty Heart he is. Serving as Porter's friend, confidant, enabler, supporter, protector, surrogate father and (most importantly) friend, Boston Harbor Jones ties the story together, delivers several of the most hilarious passages ever printed, delivers one of the most brutally honest meditations on "Race in America" I've ever read and serves as the pivot point to the next volume of the trilogy.
The conclusion of The Whisper of the River is dark and foreboding. As a result, I am apprehensive about moving to the third volume (When All the World Was Young). Not only do I sense it will be a darker tale, but I also have a hard time believing it could be any better than The Whisper of the River. Very very few books are better than this one.
While it's conceivable one could read The Whisper of the River without first reading Run With the Horsemen, I would not recommend it. For the reasons stated above (and many others), reading Run With the Horsemen is essential to understanding and appreciating the magnificence of The Whisper of the River.
October 1, 2019
This is the second book of the Porter Osborne Jr. trilogy by Ferrol Sams. In this book Porter goes off to a Baptist College in Macon which was also where his father went to school. Porter has many academic challenges and matures as a student and as a person both physically and psychologically. He develops a deeper understanding of religion, women, racial and gender inequities, social expectations, and what he wants to do with his education. He experiences much more diversity than he was ever previously exposed to in his tiny home town and begins to have more mature outlooks although he still pulls off some amazing practical joke stunts that nearly get him expelled.
February 21, 2019
Okay, I'll admit that I skimmed some of this. It was really, really long! I remember reading and really enjoying the first book in this series many, many years ago. This entry covers the main character's college years. I enjoyed the references to local places/names that I recognized, and I did enjoy the character's journey from naive country boy to more educated, more "worldly" young man. His internal arguments and rationalizations made me laugh out loud. I just would have enjoyed it more in a shorter book!
September 20, 2015
This was like being with my dad again---who was born in Alabama, went to Emory undergraduate-late 1930's and was a fraternity man, went to WW2 ,and then back to Emory Law School. It was like hearing him speak---so much so that finishing the book was almost like losing him again. He was Porter! It was a dead on portrayal of how life was in the south in that time and even later on. To me the book is a treasure of history.
August 14, 2019
There’s literally no plot to this book. If it wasn’t required reading for school I would’ve DNF’d it 6 weeks ago. That’s how long it took me to finish. 6 weeks. I usually read a 500 page book in about one. Also, why is it so long???? I felt like there was no point to anything I was reading the whole time I was reading it. I got to the end and I was right. There’s no action, climax, or resolution. I don’t understand why this book gets such great reviews, but to each his own.
June 3, 2009
Though I was unsure at first and it started slow, this book is like a painting in words. I'll never forget it. The characters have left their splendid imprint.
September 20, 2019
The Whisper of the River is the second book of the Porter Osborne Jr trilogy. I read Run with the Horseman at least 20 years ago and loved it so much that I picked up the second book which then sat on my bookshelf while life took over. To me, The Whisper of the River is not only a coming of age book, but a depiction of life in the South in the prior to the US entering WWII. While Porter is navigating college at the age of 16 in a sea of 18 and old young men, the reader is learning about social disparities - economic, racial, religious, and gender. Political views are debated - isolationism, communism. The value of education, particularly for women. Porter's father was rather progressive for the times, believing that an educated woman "...is a better wife, a better mother, she's going to raise better children. Every woman who gets educated improves America and is an investment in the future." Though he may not have thought of women having careers, it was an importing influence on Porter and his respect for women and the value of education for all. Throughout The Whisper of the River, Porter matures and shows great promise of being a respectable man. I will have to read #3 sooner that I read #2.
June 25, 2023
The Whisper of the River takes place in Macon, Georgia in the late 1930’s and ends when Pearl Harbor is bombed. Porter Osborn, Jr. is only 15-years-old when he leaves his home in rural, southern Georgia and travels to Willingham University in Macon. He is the youngest and smallest of the freshman class. But he has been Raised Right and is sure he will find his way in his studies. Porter has a good heart and tries to do the right thing, makes a lot of friends and gets a reputation as a trickster. I had a problem with some of his tricks – there really isn’t anything funny about humiliating people. If you are a cat-lover, you may want to skip this one. Students had to provide their own cats for dissection and end up stealing them from folks that lived around the college.
On the whole, I still enjoyed the book and think it provided a glimpse of what life used to be like on college campuses – especially in the south.
On the whole, I still enjoyed the book and think it provided a glimpse of what life used to be like on college campuses – especially in the south.
October 28, 2017
I won't give plot overview because you can get that in a lot of the published reviews. I will, instead, tell you how the book affected me which is how I usually judge a book. I wish Goodreads allowed half point ratings - this book, for me was a 4.5. I did not want to put the book down - which tells me right away that I really like the book. I had emotions from laughter to tears - another means of judging. This book dealt with a wide range of human values and emotions and American cultural differences. It was a wonderful book.
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May 3, 2020I love Ferrol Sams' writing He brings alive the old south, by this time (1938 & fast disappearing). He has a knack for the vernacular and is a keen observer of mores and culture. He is also an excellent writer and thus I enjoy his dialog and his descriptions.
So why didn't I finish? The book blurb said the book had 'ribald humor' and it sure does. Unsavory scenes and descriptions I don't want staying in my memory. Eventually the raunchiness, and the swearing (especially the f-word), got to me and I abandoned the book a third of the way through. Regretfully, but firmly.
So why didn't I finish? The book blurb said the book had 'ribald humor' and it sure does. Unsavory scenes and descriptions I don't want staying in my memory. Eventually the raunchiness, and the swearing (especially the f-word), got to me and I abandoned the book a third of the way through. Regretfully, but firmly.
December 26, 2023
Ferrol Sams is a heck of a storyteller, much like his character, Porter Osborne, Jr. "The Whisper of the River" continues Porter's story from "Run With the Horsemen," carrying him through college. While it sometimes strays into territory that might be considered far fetched, and isn't quite as good as the first in this series, "The Whisper of the River" remains entertaining throughout and a thoroughly enjoyable reading experience, especially for lovers of what used to be called Southern Fiction.
June 27, 2017
I did not enjoy this as much as Run with the Horsemen. The ending bumped up the rating from three to four. I was worried Sambo would never grow up and it makes me happy how he aged through college. I will read the third book of the trilogy, When All the World Was Young, but I think I'll take a break for a while and read something other than the boy/Sambo/Porter.
July 4, 2017
The saga of Porter Osborne, Jr continues as he attends college. Adventures and pranks, peer pressure and romantic affairs, the story of coming of age in a south Georgian college right before WWII. The rich and witty writing with which Sams weaves his story is memorable and leaves you feeling intensely a part of Porter's life. Can't wait for #3.
June 27, 2018
This was a wonderful book, the second in the trilogy, Porter Osborne Jr., The first was Run with the Horseman. This book was special because it happened in my home town. Mercer University (Willingham), Tatnall Square Park, Chichesters - all became alive again for me. I've ordered the third book, but I'll wait a little while before I start it. Ferrol Sams is a great Southern writer.
May 4, 2024
I remain to be pleasantly surprised by this trilogy. This book specifically was really heartwarming and funny. I absolutely did not go into this read expecting to be laughing out loud, but I did—multiple times.
As I stated in my last review, I picked this trilogy up randomly at a used bookstore, and I couldn’t be happier. Fully recommend.
As I stated in my last review, I picked this trilogy up randomly at a used bookstore, and I couldn’t be happier. Fully recommend.
January 15, 2020
A great Southern-storytelling coming of age novel set in the late 1930s. Sams gives the reader a true feel for life in the South as seen by, a sort of, social other, Porter Osborne, Jr. The author puts local color to good use without frustrating the reader with complicated dialect.
June 22, 2018
funny,poignant
September 18, 2020
One might think a story of boyish college pranks, first sexual experience, and bodily functions is not appealing. Delivered by a clever, humble guy like Porter, it is excellent!
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