A Delirious Summer

When we last saw the gang of Greenville, South Carolina, Jay Jarvis decided to work with his new girlfriend, Allie, in the mission fields of Ecuador, 80-year old Beatrice and her garden club were vacationing in Europe, Steve and the other single Presbyterian men were wondering how to meet women, and the single women were wondering which denomination they wanted to be the next Sunday in their pursuit to meet men. It's summertime again, a year later, and Neil Rucker is waiting for Jay to finish his Spanish final exam so that Neil can set off on his much deserved three-month summer vacation back in the states. Desperate for extra credit so as not to fail the exam, Jay tells Neil about the single women of Greenville. When Neil gets to Greenville, he finds: The single women have formed an online database of the various denominational churches in Greenville and the available men within them. Darcy ruining Sherbert's by taking men on a fast ride down the mountain. 81-year old Beatrice planting 'Tribes of Many Nations' at the Pesbyterian church. And a wacky girl named Alexis, who he makes midnight shakes with. "A Delirious Summer" fluently picks up where "Flabbergasted" left off. Ray Blackston again shows that he has talent in writing funny, offbeat, Christian fiction. Once again, Ray has written his Christian characters as human, instead of the stiff, boring, perfect "we're better than everyone else" stereotype that is so often depicted by mainstream authors. Where "Flabbergasted" was an unabashed 'coming to the Lord' book, "A Delirious Summer" is an unabashed 'finding who you are in God' book. Before the summer is out, Neil will come to understand how God is working in his life, even during Neil's summer vacation.

When I finished the first book, Flabbergasted, I was a bit disappointed because I really didn't see how a sequel or follow on could fit. I really wanted to read more about this quirky community. When I finally was able to read the second book, I was delighted at the way Ray managed to hand off the reins of the story to a new character while retaining all the continuity with the Jay and Allie storyline. I read the book on the trip back home after a week in Mexico building a house with my church youth group and it just seemed delightfully appropriate. We had just spent the week building a simple house with a very non-expert crew, so I identified very much with the closing chapters. Very much looking forward to part 3 and continued success for Mr. Blackston...

As much as I enjoyed the first book, this sequel is even better. The plot builds and so do the characters. The only drawback is that I can't wait to read the conclusion in the third novel. I anxiously await.

This book was wonderful! Great beach reading. Quirky humor without the trash! A must read for the summer.

Harmonica playing Neil Rucker is a Spanish language teacher who clambers onto roofs when he has the need for serious discussions with the Almighty. Neil has a most vexing problem-he has gone dateless for seven months, one week and one day. His furlough, and return to the States, is soon and he has one goal: female companionship. So when his worst student, Jay Jarvis, exchanges 'I know where available females live' information for bonus points on a test he is failing, Neil is on his way. He's heading for Greenville, South Carolina and the Ladies of the Quest. The Ladies are young, single, and in search of husbands. In order to accomplish their goals, they have taken to 'church hopscotch'-different groups of Ladies rotate to different churches-according to their schedule-to see where the most desirable guys are attending. Reports are made weekly, databases are kept up to date, and everyone is informed of the latest rankings via weekly email updates. The Ladies have their Quest; Neil has his. His summer turns zany as he gets to know his roommate Steve, leadfoot Darcy and her lime green, Cadillac convertable Sherbet, Lydia-the one of many rules, free-spirited Alexis, charter boat owners Preacher Smoak and Maurice, flamboyant Quilla and 81 year old Beatrice Dean, gardener, landscaper and practioner of her own version of church hopscotch. His mentor Jose of Mexico City, keeps Neil's head on straight by his words of wisdom and tangelos-his preferred prop for object lessons. "A Delirious Summer" is a funny, entertaining book that is hard to put down once you start.