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The Bible Salesman: A Novel Review
During his hilarious and scary adventures we learn of Henry's fundamentalist youth, an upbringing that doesn't prepare him for his new life. As he falls in love and questions his religious training, Henry begins to see he's being used--that the fun and games are over, that he is on his own in a way he never imagined. User Submitted The Bible Salesman: A Novel ReviewsNovember 19, 2008 Edgerton fans will be disappointed, others may not This is not to say that this is a poorly written book, or that the story is not interesting. It is to say that fans that have followed this writer know that he is capable of delivering so much more. "The Bible Salesman" hardly holds a candle to "Raney" and "Walk across Egypt." The submersion effect in "The Bible Salesman" is minimal coming off more like a quaint and cute tale that we observe from afar rather than being on the front row up close to the action. This book reminded me of John Grisham's "Bleachers." Perhaps this was a story that the author always wanted to tell, but probably should have shelved it in favor of something more dynamic and stirring. Yet knowing that his publisher would publish it anyway, went ahead and wrote it. Good for the author, good for the publisher, not so good for devoted fans. Even the jacket hype put me off. "The 'burial tuck' alone should make 'The Bible Salesman' a classic." The dead cat with a dead snake in its mouth and the subsequent action was at best amusing, and far from anything that will ever be deemed "classic." Also, I found Henry Dampier's final act in the book totally unbelievable and completely out of character, which may have been only used as a convention by the author to set up the reaction of the cops not buying Henry's story; to what, make it funny? I'd say that if the reader really wants to get inside the seamy underbelly of the violent South, onto those dark back roads that no one travels at night, where unspeakable horrors abound, read something like Robert Paul Blumenstein's "Flirtin' with Jesus." That book is scary, not "The Bible Salesman." I will certainly read Edgerton's next book, and even the one after that. Edgerton is a great writer; however, "The Bible Salesman" is not a great book. November 3, 2008 Pretty Good, I Guess A good book, nicely written. But it lacks any real punch. The plot is a nieve young semi-con artist is conned by a real criminal - but it all turns out well in the end. The characters are drawn well initially, but fail to be developed or deeply explored. No reason not to read it, but not one I'd recomend as a "must read" either. October 14, 2008 Not Edgerton's best I'm a big fan of Edgerton, particularly his earlier books _Raney_ and _Walking Across Egypt_. I found this book lacking. It has its moments, but on the whole, it's not his best work. I'm glad I used a gift card to purchase it, so I'm not out anything. If you can, wait for the paperback edition--it's not worth the hardcover price. October 13, 2008 Bible sales is only incidental This book is little more than a series of adolescent anecdotes loosely knitted together by a thin and largely implausible plot. The description of the neighbor lady who could throw her voice to her cats was tedious and her son with the goiter simply became grotesque due to the young protagonist's facination with the condition. October 2, 2008 Left wanting more This Southern tale set in the 50's blended adventure and place wonderfully - like the rest of Edgerton's books. I found the families interesting and the character's well developed but not belabored - you felt like you knew them just enough. I wanted the story to go on a little more - I wanted to find out more of Clearwater's background and what happened next in Henry's life. Which is a good sign in a book - you are left wanting more (rather than relief that you've finally finished). If this is your first book of Edgerton's you are off to a good start with many more great books to come. September 25, 2008 Comming of age in the south.. Reviewed by Danelle Drake for Reader Views (9/08) Like a tall glass of ice-cold sweet tea.. . "The Bible Salesman" is a slow Southern treat! Spanning time between the early 1930s through the 1950s we look into Henry Dampier's coming-of-age in the South. Being raised in the household of Aunt Dorie and Uncle Jack due to his father's sudden death and his mother's decision to head out on her own, Henry is always surrounded by family. Aunt Dorie is focused on raising Henry to be a God-fearing follower of the Antioch Baptist Church. Uncle Jack preferring sharing nursery rhymes and comic-books while smoking a cigarillo. Venturing out on his own selling complimentary Bibles, (he cut out the page that said they are free) Henry is picked up by car thief, Preston Clearwater. Preston gets Henry unknowingly involved in a car-theft ring portraying it as a FBI undercover job. As the two men travel up and down roads throughout the South, Henry will experience many firsts and you will laugh out loud. Clyde Edgerton draws you in and holds you captive. Absorbing the description of Henry undressing in front of a mirror and checking his hangings because they always looked bigger in a mirror than when you looked down, to Henry's first use of a protective, you will be laughing out loud. With the unlikely plot, creative characters, and Henry's Bible revelations you will be stuck to your seat until you read the final page of "The Bible Salesman." September 24, 2008 Intriguing Characters I didn't find this short novel nearly as humorous as David Sedaris did, but then I'm not David Sedaris. Still, The Bible Salesman is a an enjoyable read with some interesting characters. The most intriguing is Henry Dampier, the 20-year-old Bible salesman of the title. He is naive, innocent, and gullible, but awfully smart for someone who thinks stealing cars is all in a days work for your everyday FBI agent. The smart part is revealed in his dead-on critique of the many contradictions in the Bible, like the first two chapters of Genesis which says first God created the animals, then man, but later reverses the order, man coming first. Maybe poor Henry just has his mind too cluttered up with religious mysteries to notice that his mentor and employer, supposed FBI agent Preston Clearwater, is actually a criminal mastermind. It's that dichotomy of experience that makes Henry's plight so humorous as the unlikely pair make their way across the South stealing cars, safes, and other sundries while Henry pines for his first real love and the thief of his virginity. Dave Donelson, author of Heart of Diamonds: A Novel of Scandal, Love and Death in the Congo September 22, 2008 Not Up to Edgerton's Standards Gosh, I hate to be so negative, but this book was a lackluster performance at best. Edgerton is usually a quirky, humerous writer, but to me this was not particularly humerous. OK, maybe a bit quirky, but still disappointing. I found it very sloooooow going, so slow, in fact, that I gave up about three fourths through. It simple didn't seem worth finishing and I have a bedside table full of tempting conpetitors. So, sorry but, for me, this one was a loser. September 21, 2008 As a Long-Time Edgerton Fan, I'm Mystified by This Let me preface this by saying that I'm a long-time Edgerton fan. I've relished every minute of every previous book he's written. Reading The Bible Salesman was an unbelieveable disappointment. My best description for this novel is a simple word: boring. I don't mind excessive detail when it's well-written and/or makes a relevant point, but this was mindless, excruciating detail with no purpose but to make me say, more than once, "Let's get on with it." If you love Edgerton, as so many of us do, and feel you must read this book, I sugggest you order it from the libray or you may feel cheated, too. Hopefully, his next endeavor will be back to his old standards. September 21, 2008 Oh, for those good old Bible selling days! This book is a read-aloud one, especially if the audience, maybe the person next to you in bed, recalls times when life was centered around Sunday church with a hymn-loving, "belt it out," Sunday School superintendent. At least that is what I was consistently drawn back to as I read this delightful novel. The reader will love Henry who attempts to figure out the contradictions he has met along the way in the Bible. In fact he really didn't have to go far to find them. Twenty-year-old Henry is out on the road, selling Bibles, ones he has obtained for free and from which he has to clip the page saying so before he can walk up to a door to sell his Bibles. And, of course, Henry meets Mr. Clearwater, a man Henry in convinced is an FBI agent which, of course, he is not. I particularly loved the dialog with the very sparse--underline very--descriptions of scenes. It was a delightful journey, although I do agree with a couple of the reviews here that a few places could have been shortened with some editing. How interesting that David Sedaris endorsed this book. The prose is unlike Sedaris prose, but the humor is just as wicked. Although Henry is sure to be a favorite character, the character I loved and wanted more of was the one who taught others how to sell Bibles. I think this is the guy who is now teaching the ministers of the religious right his snake oil pitch. For more The Bible Salesman: A Novel reviews click here.
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