Review: The Priest and The Peaches

Title: The Priest and The Peaches
Author: Larry Peterson
Series:--
-Challenge: N/A
Publisher: Tribute Books
Publication Date: December 21, 2011
How Received: For Review
Rate: 5

Summary ( as quoted from Amazon)Historical fiction novel set in the Bronx in the mid-1960s
Take a seven day journey with the five, newly orphaned Peach kids, as they begin their struggle to remain a family while planning their dad's funeral.
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.

My thoughts:
The Priest and The Peaches is a simply stunning read. The story begins with Pops, the father of five children (Teddy, Joanie, Dancer, Beaker, and Joey) falling severely ill due to too much drinking, and being transported to a hospital immediately. The next day, he dies. This leaves his children as orphans, for their mother died a few years prior to this event. This leaves the two oldest children, Teddy and Joanie, in charge of caring for their younger siblings, and causes them to quickly usher into adulthood. Over the course of a week, with the help of their beloved priest, Father Sullivan, The Peach children must follow their Faith, accept the trials and hardships of becoming an adults, and most of all, learn the importance of family. I loved the realistic characteristics that both Joanie and Teddy posses. As they are thrust headfirst into a whole new world of responsibility, while still being teenagers, they often get frustrated and make childish mistakes. But still, they always try to do the right thing, and they are extremely admirable for having that trait. Dancer, Beaker, and Joey are all exceptional young men, who, even in their difficult and distressing situation, managed to maintain their innocence and simultaneously growing into more matures versions of themselves. Father Sullivan was honestly my favorite person in the whole book! He was wise, funny, and most of all, never wavered in his faith in God. I also really enjoyed the secondary characters, such as Joanie's boyfriend, Scratch, and Teddy's girlfriend, Sarah. They were both very important in helping keep the Peach family together, and they were always ready to crack a joke when laughter was much needed. I even liked Beatrice Amon, the Peach's downstairs neighbor - she surprised me greatly. I disliked her behavior in the beginning very much, but let's just say that not everything is a it seems. By the end I absolutely adored her! With excellent writing and equally excellent characters, Peterson has created a story that is absolutely unforgettable - I definitely recommend picking up The Priest and The Peaches today!
5/5
~Moujnir

The Priest and The Peaches is available at the following sellers:
For Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006P0EYI8/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=tributebooks-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B006P0EYI8

For Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-priest-and-the-peaches-larry-peterson/1108051518?ean=2940013858190&itm=1&usri=the+priest+and+the+peaches&cm_mmc=AFFILIATES-_-Linkshare-_-dcSBhG3Rj8w-_-10:1

From iBookstore: http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/the-priest-and-the-peaches/id491711271?mt=11&ign-mpt=uo%3D4

From Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/116166?ref=tributebooks

And last but not least, for PDF: https://www.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_flow&SESSION=5say6PJBpvsyCokgn9rFMsU--4ndX1eaBOECwzl0y5_g3nuHhJOgGX3j8rG&dispatch=50a222a57771920b6a3d7b606239e4d52