The Priest and the Peaches by Larry Peterson – Book Review

When I first signed up to review The Priest and the Peaches by Larry Peterson, I actually thought I was going to be reading a children’s book.  You can probably imagine my surprise when the book opened with a scene detailing the funeral for the parents of five young children.  

Maybe it was because I had incorrect assumptions, but I have to admit that my very first impression of the book was a bit mixed.  I found it difficult to read about children being orphaned, and the author also used some humor during the funeral scene that was a bit disconcerting, but once I got my head around the “new” book I was reading, I was hooked. 

Peterson has an extremely unique writing style that I enjoyed very much.  There are not many authors that can successfully blend tragedy and comedy (although those two concepts are supposed to be very close to one another), and The Priest and the Peaches treaded the line between drama and humor extremely well. 

The book follows the lives of the five orphaned children (the oldest of whom is 18 and the youngest is just barely older than my baby daughter) over the course of several days.  During these days, the children must learn to cope with having no money, lots of bills, and very little preparation for the lives that they now face.  They find an ally in the local parish priest, Father Tim Sullivan, who tries his best to guide them through the strange, unchartered and turbulent waters of “grown-up world.” A story that is sad, funny, and inspiring as it shows how the power of family love and faith can overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles.

The author, Larry Peterson, was born and raised in the Bronx, New York. A former Metal Lather/Reinforcing Iron-worker, he left that business after coming down with MS. He, his wife and three kids moved to Florida 30 years ago. Larry began doing freelance newspaper commentary after graduating from Tampa College in 1984.

His first children’s picture book, Slippery Willie’s Stupid, Ugly Shoes was published in 2011. In 2012, his full length novel, The Priest and the Peaches was released and he is presently working on the sequel.

He also has a blog (http://www.ThePriestandthePeaches.com) where he posts weekly commentary. He lives in Pinellas Park, Florida and his kids and six grandchildren all live within three miles of each other.

Buy It

You can pick up your copy of The Priest and the Peaches by Larry Peterson at a book store near you.  Or click HERE to get your copy on Amazon.com