160 books
—
10 voters
Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.
Start by marking “The Front Porch Prophet” as Want to Read:
The Front Porch Prophet
by
What do a trigger-happy bootlegger with pancreatic cancer, an alcoholic helicopter pilot who is afraid to fly, and a dead guy with his feet in a camp stove have in common? What are the similarities between a fire department that cannot put out fires, a policeman who has a historic cabin fall on him from out of the sky, and an entire family dedicated to a variety of decease
...more
Get A Copy
Hardcover, 308 pages
Published
July 1st 2008
by Medallion Press
(first published January 1st 2008)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Reader Q&A
To ask other readers questions about
The Front Porch Prophet,
please sign up.
Be the first to ask a question about The Front Porch Prophet
Community Reviews
Showing 1-30

Start your review of The Front Porch Prophet

While The Front Porch Prophet is described as a humorous work of Southern fiction about two young men who come of age in North Georgia, it is at times as serious as a rattlesnake. In those moments, the author does not hold back when it comes to the tough issues of broken relationships, death and dying, divorce and a myriad of other not so pleasant moments along life’s journey.
A.J. Longstreet and his friend Eugene Purdue have been through a lot since their carefree childhood days spent playing fo ...more
A.J. Longstreet and his friend Eugene Purdue have been through a lot since their carefree childhood days spent playing fo ...more

Nov 23, 2008
Ken Medernach
rated it
it was amazing
Recommends it for:
anyone with a thirst for a great read I own a copy that I want to keep and re-read
'Front Porch Prophet' kept me between tears, that is tears of human emotion and tears of laughter.
Up in the Northwestern corner of Georgia, live a folk like everywhere in Appalachia, torn between the old ways and the new, life in the country and "just makin' do" and the life in the 'mill town', these are the folks that Ray captures and inserts in the lines of "The Front Porch Propet", I say that Ramond captures these characters because no one could "make them up" , he hsd to have been there.
Ray ...more
Up in the Northwestern corner of Georgia, live a folk like everywhere in Appalachia, torn between the old ways and the new, life in the country and "just makin' do" and the life in the 'mill town', these are the folks that Ray captures and inserts in the lines of "The Front Porch Propet", I say that Ramond captures these characters because no one could "make them up" , he hsd to have been there.
Ray ...more

This book surprised me. When my E-Reader was new and short of titles, I worked to fill it up. Since this was a Nook Free Friday selection, I figured why not. So a quick down load, then the passage of a year, and suddenly I’m reading an amazing story. The first thing that appealed to me was the fact that the story is set in the Northwest Georgia Mountains and has a wonderfully slow country feel. The characters are full and complete and even the minor characters have depth. The two main characters
...more

This book would have so much more enjoyable if some of the language had been cleaned up. The writing style is excellent, I just don't enjoy the 'F' word, I think it's crude and unneccessary. The story is about A.J. and his best friend Eugene and various family members and others in a small GA town. Mostly the wild escapades of the two. Eugene lives up on a mountain in a cabin, A..J. is married and lives in town. Some rather wild things happen such as a house being moved by helicopter and the por
...more

I can hardly do this book justice, but I will try. If you are curious about this book, you truly need to sit down and absorb it. I can assure you that it will not be what you are expecting.
Atkins is a genius with words. His writing is Mark Twain, William Faulkner and Stephen King rolled into one.
Yes, I said Stephen King. I do not care for King's subjects and foulness, but I can't help but admire his way with words and describing scenes. Atkins has that same aptness, without the foulness.
Upon fi ...more
Atkins is a genius with words. His writing is Mark Twain, William Faulkner and Stephen King rolled into one.
Yes, I said Stephen King. I do not care for King's subjects and foulness, but I can't help but admire his way with words and describing scenes. Atkins has that same aptness, without the foulness.
Upon fi ...more

This was a free download for the Nook a while back and it sat there on my Nook kind of rotting. I finally got around to reading it this week, and I was pleasantly surprised. The reason why I was putting off reading it was because I wasn't entirely convinced I was going to like it, but the more I read, the more I realized it was right up my alley. A book about a terminal cancer patient and his (and everyone elses') coming to grips with the finality of his condition? What more could an aspiring nu
...more

A book to be read and absorbed. Mr. Atkins is definitely a "word craftsman." The characters were indeed, characters. Lots of back stories, very excellent character development. I especially loved the ever-changing names of the local diner.
I think the overriding theme of the book was loyalty to friends, and promises made, and how to fulfill them.
My very favorite character in the book was Rufus. Somehow I thought in the end he would end up not so much among the living, but Mr. Atkins surprised m ...more
I think the overriding theme of the book was loyalty to friends, and promises made, and how to fulfill them.
My very favorite character in the book was Rufus. Somehow I thought in the end he would end up not so much among the living, but Mr. Atkins surprised m ...more

A surprising gem. Beautifully constructed, very moving, and very enjoyable to read.
Atkins gives us deeply felt portraits of life in rural Georgia, alternately laugh-out-loud funny, deadly serious, and poignantly personal -- sometimes all three at once. Don't be put off by the setting if you think you don't like "southern novels." The message and the characters are universal.
Some of the set pieces are a little too pat. Otherwise I'd give it 5 stars. Highly recommended. ...more
Atkins gives us deeply felt portraits of life in rural Georgia, alternately laugh-out-loud funny, deadly serious, and poignantly personal -- sometimes all three at once. Don't be put off by the setting if you think you don't like "southern novels." The message and the characters are universal.
Some of the set pieces are a little too pat. Otherwise I'd give it 5 stars. Highly recommended. ...more

What a wonderful book of friendship, reconciliation, family, love, and a mean dog named Rufus. Porches drop from the sky, you can't bury dogs in the people cemetery, green jello is better than the alternative at Thanksgiving, you can't really hide a school bus. Read this one, y'all.
...more

Oct 13, 2011
Benjamin Sobieck
rated it
it was amazing
Recommends it for:
fans of short quirky stories
The most fun I've had in a long time. Give this book a chance. I wanted to write a lengthy review, but I finished it too long ago. The feeling I got from it is still fresh in my mind, though. It's sad and funny at the same time. One of my new favorites.
...more

I stretched this book out as long as I could. That's what I do when I fall in love with characters. One of the best reads this year and that is saying a lot because I've read a lot of great books. Strongly suggest this book.
...more

I'm from North Georgia where this book is set and The Front Porch Prophet is the unicorn (Bigfoot?) of a novel that I look for - one that evokes the region without, as a professor of mine once called it, "too much country store." The characters are colorful but realistic, nobody kicks a good dog, and the main character, A. J. Longstreet could just as well be my dad. Heck, the town, known if it's cotton mill "famous for its denim products and its abuse of the hired help" could be my town!
Atkins i ...more
Atkins i ...more

I never usually give up on books, but this one I had to. I actually found myself skipping whole pages at a time. At first the book was awesome but then the author kept delineating from the main plot with all this nonsense stuff from the character past.
I'm all for using the past to tell a story but (an actually example from the book) I don't want to hear about the main characters Co-workers life from when he was born, then continue on to the girl the co-worker liked and he whole life story, which ...more
I'm all for using the past to tell a story but (an actually example from the book) I don't want to hear about the main characters Co-workers life from when he was born, then continue on to the girl the co-worker liked and he whole life story, which ...more

Not my usual read, but I rather liked this book anyway. I found the characters interesting and I enjoyed getting to know them all through flashbacks and the musings of the main character, AJ. More than once I found myself identifying with AJ's wife. I laughed out loud more than once and even teared up a couple of times. All in all, I'm glad I picked it up.
...more

The funniest book I've ever read. Not what I was expecting, what a fun find,
...more
...more

It was okay, giggled at a few parts. Didn't finish it all because i got bored with it.
...more

Very disappointing. Started strong with interesting characters and history woven into remembrances effectively and naturally. Left some relationships undeveloped and questions unanswered. Though the novel covers the theme of mercy killing, the characters' only real discussion of life beyond self--"the Big Imponderable" was shallow at best and offensive at worst, when , in the final chapter, terminally ill Eugene says, "...I bet if you buried a Penthouse for two thousand years, someone would thin
...more

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.

This book had been languishing on my nook for at least 3-4 years and I decided to read it because it was one of the oldest I have on my nook. What a delightful surprise! The characters in the book are so colorful and the stories and interaction between them was both funny and poignant. I highly recommend giving it a go.

Such a satisfying read. The description doesn't begin to do it justice.
...more

This one wasn't my cup of tea.
...more

I'm a sucker for a story set in a small town with a quirky cast of characters. This one was charming, laugh-out-loud funny, and moving.
...more
topics | posts | views | last activity | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Who has read this book? | 12 | 30 | Oct 03, 2012 06:13PM | |
When I read "~~~~Prophet" | 1 | 22 | Nov 23, 2008 06:47AM |
Raymond L. Atkins resides in Rome, Georgia, where he is an instructor of English at Georgia Northwestern Technical College. He lives in a 110-year-old house with a patient wife and a fat dog. His hobbies include people-watching, reading, and watching movies that have no hope of ever achieving credibility.
His first novel, The Front Porch Prophet, was published by Medallion Press in 2008 and was awa ...more
His first novel, The Front Porch Prophet, was published by Medallion Press in 2008 and was awa ...more
Related Articles
You might know comedian Colin Jost from his work as the co-anchor of Saturday Night Live’s Weekend Update, or perhaps you know him as Scarlett...
129 likes · 47 comments
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
“Hubris is when God screws you over for being a smartass.”
—
2 likes
“Gone with the Wind, a self-help manual that dealt with the subject of how best to cope with Yankees when they venture south.”
—
2 likes
More quotes…