Seashells, Gator Bones, and the Church of Everlasting Liability: Stories from a Small Florida Town in the 1930s

Toad Springs #1

by Susan Adger

In 1930s Toad Springs, Florida, a three-legged gator with Jesus's birthmark draws pilgrims while the town's residents navigate church scandals, family secrets, and failed businesses. Through authentic voices in genuine dialect, these interconnected tales reveal how ordinary people survived the Depression with humor, faith, and resilience. From teenage betrayal to beauty shop disasters, from prison-trained preachers to secret knitters, Susan Adger weaves an unforgettable portrait of Old Florida that will make you laugh, cry, and feel you've found a community of friends.

228 pages, Hardcover

First published May 31, 2013

About the author

Susan Adger, M.Ed, is a mother, former social worker, web designer, and fifth generation Floridian. She's the author of two humorous books about 1930s Florida, drawn from stories told by her grandma, including her debut novel, Seashells, Gator Bones, and the Church of Everlasting Liability.

She also cowrote the memoir A Quiet Voice about Vietnam veteran Eugene Hairston and his struggle to overcome addiction, post-traumatic stress disorder, and homelessness.

In a few of her personal adventures, Susan has found fossils in the Peace River in Florida and on Rainbow Mountain in Alaska, tramped for two days through a Philippine jungle to get medical supplies to the natives, and gone zip-lining through the jungle canopy in Costa Rica. She’s sipped high tea at the Prince William Hotel in Hong Kong, trekked to the remains of an ancient castle in the Czech Republic, and gone skydiving. She currently resides in Dunedin, Florida with her two cats, Jasper and Killer Girl.

Reviews

[Patty Day · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. When I first started it, I wasn't sure what I would think, but Ms. Adger's characters drew me in immediately. Her character development is excellent. Told in the voice of backwoods, central Florida residents, some easier to love than others, I laughed and I cried. Seashells, Gator Bones, and the Church of Everlasting Liability is one of those books that I just didn't want to ever end. Just FYI, I've given several copies of this book to friends.

[Allyson Stevens · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Seashells..." is a collection of essay's chronicling the growth, life, and decline of a small Florida town, and though I found it to be well written and even entertaining, I did not find it satisfying. The stories were amusing, the characters were unique and definitely people I could imagine living together in such uh... harmony, and I enjoyed the original way the story was told. I really enjoyed the way Adger kept the essays focused on the characters and not on the town, it ensured that we got the information without getting too much information or description heaped on us all at once. But again, I was not satisfied by the way it came together or the way it ended, simply because I'm not one to like it when a book ends with most of the conflicts left unresolved. Every chapter is a single slice out of one character's life, and maybe they get brought up again later, but oftentimes they only get briefly mentioned if at all.

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick Summary:
From the scraps of paper found in an old, Great Depression Floridian town called Toad Springs, Susan Adger weaves the tales of the town’s inhabitants throughout the years. From the new Preacher with a questionable past to the rocky father-son relationship of Landis and Wilton and the unfortunate secret shared between them, Adger shows what makes this town quintessentially Florida, from the characters’ happy sunshine in their successes to the bitter sadness residing in the swamps of their darkest days.

To Read or Not to Read:
Read. Definitely give this book a strong consideration. The prose is beautiful, the stories are entertaining, and there is just something special about a Florida town where strawberries, scandal, salvation, and fertilizer recipes can all come together in one book.

What I liked:
Seashells is full of the quiet dignity of the ordinary. It revels its simplicity, and its simplicity is alluring. Seashells makes its characters so human; they are people, just plain people, showing their heart to the reader from the hopes and dreams that Elsie Lou has of a life with Galen to the despair and failure of Gladys Heppner to ever fit in. The book is written with a Southern dialect, and though that frustrated me in the first few pages, I was quickly drawn into the stories themselves, as it just felt right.
What I also liked a lot was how an incident glossed over in a previous story would become clarified in, and sometimes even become the central focus, of the next story– in all, Seashells is composed of 14 such interrelated stories. There are some tales that are downright funny like what happens to Iona’s hair in The Beauty Shop at Carrie June’s, and others tales that often ended up being unexpectedly sad like that of childhood friends Rusty and Worthy. The tales shifted between humor and sarcasm, and tragedy and happiness–interwoven between religion, marriage and family, they compile a pleasant mix of what life is and can be for a plethora of people and situations in this town, and I loved the homely feeling of completeness that it brought me.

What I Didn’t Like:
Sometimes I felt like the sense of time through which the story was told was a little skewed and confusing, and I would have liked to have had a list of the characters and who was related to whom, friends with whom, and so forth. It could be a little hard at times to get the full impact and meaning of one story if I forgot what that same character had done in a different prior story beforehand. Also, the prologue and epilogue felt a little forced as they tried to give the stories a context from a future person’s perspective that the stories didn’t really need. And finally, as with most short story books, some stories were certainly more compelling than others, and there were a few stories (most notably Sorrie May’s) where I was disappointed in how little I learned about the characters involved.

For more great reviews, check out TsundokuReviews.wordpress.com

*Please note that this is an honest review and that I received an ARC copy to write it.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having moved to Florida a few years ago, I am generally enthralled with stories of what went on way back when in the state. This book generally fills my wishes. The author, using a scrap of paper with a few words on it as the basis of her book/story, brings us the story of Toad Springs, FL. Set in the 1930's, this is the story of traveling salesmen, an ex-con pastor, beauty parlor misadventures that lead to some interesting repercussions, to name but a few. This is the way life was way back then. I found most of the tales rather humorous and interesting. However, the stories do not necessarily have to take place in some small Florida town, but could take place in many towns across the South and Mid-West. After a while, I found the cutesy dialect of the characters and the storyteller tiring and a bit much, but it did lend an air of authenticity. This is a book the reader can take and read in one sitting or can read in dribs and drabs over a period of time. It brings humor to the reader's life. It brings the reader a slice of life in a small town back before the modern electronic conveniences that define our lives were here. It almost makes the reader nostalgic for an era when life was simpler and more straightforward. However, it can also help the reader appreciate life today. I received this book to read and review from Library Thing.

[Angie Lisle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I usually praise books that stay true to dialect but this one drove me bonkers, using "would of" instead of "would've. A lot of work went into keeping the dialect consistent and, to be fair, I come from Appalachia in the modern world and that phrase was drilled out by early teachers (I still use it in speech but to write it...I'm haunted by a memory of a teacher making us write "would've = would have" a hundred times).

The story is set in the 1930s, standing as a testament to the changes in the ways of life from then to now. I can't go into that without giving spoilers but I loved the transition between various character perspectives - it makes the town more realistic. I'm very interested in seeing what Ms. Adger will do with different sets of characters in future books.

I loved the way the story was told, with one character's tale bleeding over into the next character's tale until the entire community is painted in your head. The characters are vivid and well-developed but the plot is anticlimactic in that readers know the fate of the town as soon as we learn of its origins.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review.

[Big Otter Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good if you like short stories and quaint small towns. This collection is a mostly charming set of "life remembered" tales from residents of Toad Springs, Florida. Living there in the 1930's has impacted these people in the usual ways. This book reminded me of Mama Makes Up Her Mind by Bailey White. Very southern, very rural and while everyone knows everyone else, there are still some secrets to discover. I thought Adger did a good job with the characters but sometimes the accents and speech patterns were just too much and Florida started to read like deep in the heart of Alabama. The stories here were all readable with a few winners and a few clunkers like any short story collection. All in all an easy book to pick up when you need a quick read and easy to put down and move on. 3 stars. I received a copy of this book-this is my honest review

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

In _Seashells, Gator Bones, and the Church of Everlasting Liability_, Susan Adger tells stories about a place, time, people, animals, plants, and land in the town of Toad Springs, Florida in the 1930’s. I can sense the hard work of making these stories. Susan Adger is a storyteller who gave me the joy of feeling that the people are real, the buildings are real, the weather, the heat, the alligator bones – all real. I heard conversations and saw inside private rooms in her stories, but for me the people and environment of Toad Springs live on beyond the stories. Like a local boy who leaves town in search of more than the home town can give, I have left Toad Springs and I live far away, but the stories have left memories for me. I was there. I saw all manner of goings on. The great thing is that I feel like I am as real to the people of Toad Springs as they are to me.

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished reading Seashells, Gator Bones, and the Church of Everlasting Liability by Susan Adger and let me tell you it is a book I will read again! Seashells takes you back to another place and time in the south through scraps of papers and other's memories. A preacher with a questionable past, sewing circles, gator farming, raising strawberries & oranges, a beauty parlor in the kitchen, friends & enemies, and more. I laughed and cried as I read the stories of these characters. I was disappointed when I reached the end of the book because I wanted more, I hope to see a sequel to this book by Susan.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review, rather it be good or bad.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book of interconnected stories full of quirky Southern characters from the town of Toad Springs, FL, set in the early 1900's. If you like Fannie Flagg books, you should enjoy these tales, told with warmth and humor! Some of the characters will frustrate you, others will have you rooting for them from the beginning, but the inter-weaving of their lives and stories, and the rich dialogue of that time and place can't help but engage the reader. The only thing I would have liked that wasn't in the book was a reference guide to who's who, how they are related, etc., since there are many characters and keeping their relationships clear in my memory was a challenge at times. I was sorry to see it end ~ hope there are more stories to come from Toad Springs, FL!

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Winesburg, Ohio meets Fannie Flagg, with an added dash of A Land Remembered. Vignetted stories of colorful characters help bring Toad Springs, Florida (an imaginary little town set somewhere east of Tampa, west of Orlando)to life.

As a transplant in the early 1980s from central, upstate New York to central Florida I can easily see some of these fictitious people in many of the old-Florida characters I have met in real life.

My only complaint was that it had to end. For a fun look at what life must have been life in rural Florida back in the 1930s, I would very much recommend Seashells, Gator Bones, and the Church of Everlasting Liability!

[Ellen Campbell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book of stories and this it really flowed easily. It is a collection of stories written in the 1930's by the residents of a small Florida town. They are funny characters, folksy and down home. The dialect got pretty tiring and like another reviewer, I found the use of "would of" instead of "would have", "could of" instead of "could have" annoying especially since each and every person supposedly writing these letters used the incorrect phrase. But other than this small annoyance, I really did enjoy this book and would recommend it for light entertaining reading.I receiver this book free from Librarything in exchange for an honest review.

[Sheryl Avruch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Susan Adger's stories are a delight! Her voice is authentically 1930s small town, Hillsborough County. The characters in her stories come to life in Susan's writing. As a Middle Tennessee transplant to Florida, I personally feel comfortable with the dialect--just like home, in the "boonies." Susan read a few of the stories to a packed audience at the Dunedin Public Library. Her literal voice was warm and engaging, sometimes sympathetic toward the characters, sometimes humorous. A friend of mine borrowed my copy of the book recently. She loved it, too. We're both anxious for Susan to complete her next book. Whether it's short stories or a novel, we're ready for another fantastic read.

[Brittany Stauts · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an advanced reader copy of this book. It is a quaint collection of short stories written in essay format by members of the town. Did I love it? No. In fact, I found myself hoping that some of the stories would end quicker. I didn't hate it, though.

I would recommend reading this book on a car trip or while at the beach. The characters are cute and funny. If you grew up in a small town, you will be able to relate to all the gossip and insanity. I liked how the author played with the dialect to really flavor the characters.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Seashells, Gator Bones, and the Church of Everlasting Liability" is a medley of stories; vignettes of small town life in a bygone era with quirky and often interesting characters.
The stories were often amusing and being intertwined revealed the harmony amongst the characters.
Not very enthusiastic when it comes to reading short stories, "Seashells, Gator Bones, and the Church of Everlasting Liability" has quickly reformed me.

[MsChris · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a set of short story/essays by different characters of a fiction town. Some of the stories I enjoyed, others seemed to drag. I didn't like the way that every time I started to connect to a character their chapter was over. On that note there are a LOT of characters and it's hard to keep them all straight and then you have to keep all their family trees straight to figure out who they're talking about...it got confusing really fast.

[Ann Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Captivating, eccentric, humorous and intriguing Each chapter is spun in first person, from a selected town character's perspective. I was drawn into the collective mysteries of Mango, and amazed by how different each person's version of reality could be. Funny, folksy, sometimes steamy, with twists and unexpected turns. I am currently reading it again, for the nth time, obsessed as I am with gaining more insight into this puzzle of lives as the stories unfold.

[sarah parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being from the South, I found this book to be so entertaining. Stories from each character living in the same small town, keeping the connection throughout. Each story has a life of it's own, making me bust out laughing. The author did a great job with the southern language of those times (1920's, probably still in use today). This book was a vacation away from current reality for me. It's loaded with laughs.

[Julie Gallagher · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a glimpse into the real Florida. Set in the 1930's, it's full of characters who you can easily imagine knowing and living next to, with all their human foibles. Their stories are often funny, sometimes a little sad, and I enjoyed getting to know them.

[Jeanne Hirth · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun book!!!! Thank you so much for sharing the stories of these fictional characters!! I can't help but wonder if some of them are (were) real?
Great summer vacation book!'

[Jack E. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun read. I found myself laughing out loud while following the down home characters of this well written, clever, piece of early Florida.

[Eugenia Vanek · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Florida cracker voice jumping from the pages left me laughing the entire time. This is a book that is best read outloud and can be re-read over and over.