South of the Etowah: The View from the Wrong Side of the River

by Raymond L. Atkins

Overview

Novelist Raymond L. Atkins offers a lighthearted change of pace in this collection of humorous essays. He explores a diverse range of topics as seen from the porch of his home on the southern bank of the mighty Etowah River in northern Georgia. From this lofty height he holds forth on holidays, parenthood, cars, home ownership, aging, travel, medicine, technology, ballet, movies, marriage, Shakespeare, dogs, cats, music, swimming pools, vintage television, nicknames, amusement parks, restaurants, school projects, language, computers, hair, bad jobs, William Faulkner, weddings, advertising, Broadway plays, yard work, hospitals, cooking, Elvis Presley, moving, money, art, college, dinner theater, and a variety of other subjects. Atkins lives and writes on a river, and the view from South of the Etowah is unique. It is funny, irreverent, wise, and well worth the trip. So come along! There is plenty of room on the porch, the coffee pot is on, and a cool breeze is blowing up from the river.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780881465839
Publisher:	Mercer University Press
Publication date:	03/04/2016
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	428 KB

About the Author

Raymond L. Atkins resides in Rome, Georgia, where he is an instructor of English at Georgia Northwestern Technical College. Author of four novels, his first, FRONT PORCH PROPHET, won the 2008 Georgia Author of the Year Award for First Novel. His third novel, CAMP REDEMPTION, was awarded the Ferrol Sams Award for Fiction and the 2014 Georgia Author of the Year Award for Fiction.

Editorial Reviews

In a world polluted with bad news, shallow sound bites, sadness, and terror, South of the Etowah is a breath of fresh air. Each story has that down home Southern texture so typical of Atkins’ books, but here we get to meet him in the intimate worlds of his marriage and family life, where we experience his compassion, integrity, and his imaginative and humorous twists on the day to day. I enjoyed with out-loudlaughterevery chapter of this book and the last one touched me with tears, as well. Read it. You’ll be a better person for having met him in this way. —Catherine McCall is the author of the international best-selling memoir, Never Tell

This is a man's book but it made this girl laugh out loud. From stories about an old house, hound dogs, old cars, raising kids, living in the South and visiting the North, Raymond Atkins found humor, and at times wisdom. Each chapter stands on it's own, but they flow together to paint a picture of a life well lived. Men will relate to the author's observations and understand perfectly. Wives will suspect their husbands consulted Atkins a little too often. You'll want to read it a couple of chapters at a time to make it last. South of the Etowah has a permanent spot on our bookshelf.—Holly Sullivan McClure, author of Conjuror

Reading these essays is like rocking on a porch with your best friend. Raymond Atkins knows what you are going through—he’s been there himself, and he’s ready—in inimitable Atkins style—to make you laugh about it. With lucid prose and disarming charisma, South of the Etowah exposes the ironies of marriage, parenthood, pet-ownership, car-ownership, and life-in-general in Southern culture.—Melanie Sumner, author of the novel, How to Write a Novel

Raymond Atkins is a gentleman and a scholar, and he also happens to speak Southern. With his signature dry wit, he riffs on parenting, marriage, the perils of old house and hound dog ownership, and how he sees this crazy world we live in. You'll laugh. You'll cry. You’ll have a lot more fun reading South of the Etowah than Atkins had going to Les Miz.—Sally Kilpatrick, author of The Happy Hour Choir

From back porches to lonely prison cells, celebrated raconteur, Raymond Atkins, has captured the imaginations of readers with his hearty, revealing, and often tender storytelling. This collection of essays casts Atkins, and the South itself, as its main characters. Atkins has tucked the reader inside his breast pocket, inviting them along for a romp through his experiences in the region so close to his heart—a love letter to his home.—Kimberly Brock, author of the award-winning novel, The River Witch

Simply put, Raymond Atkins is an insightful and funny storyteller. Whether talking about nicknames, dogs, or home remedies, few people can capture Southern life with his level of cleverness and hilarity. In South of the Etowah, Atkins quickly draws you in to the familiar settings of everyday life and then takes you on a whimsical ride. This sharply written collection of essays is brilliantly witty, occasionally humbling, and addictively entertaining. I just couldn’t put it down!—Jeff High, award-winning author of the Watervalley Books Series

From the Publisher