Of Foster Homes and Flies

By: Chad Lutzke

Narrated by: Michael C. Gwynne

Length: 2 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's summary

A neglected 12-year-old boy does nothing to report the death of his mother in order to compete in a spelling bee. A tragic coming-of-age tale of horror and drama in the setting of a hot New Orleans summer.

©2016 Chad Lutzke (P)2016 Chad Lutzke

Critic reviews

"Lutzke is firing on all cylinders. It's a lean, mean, emotional machine. Coming-of-age presented in a fresh direction. Bearing tremendous emotional weight and heart. It made me cry." (John Boden, author of Jedi Summer and Dominoes)

"Disturbing, often gruesome, yet poignant at the same time, Chad Lutzke's Of Foster Homes and Flies is one of the best dark coming-of-age tales I've read in years. You'll laugh (sometimes when you know you shouldn't), you'll cry, you'll find yourself wondering how soon you can read more of this guy's work. Highly recommended!" (James Newman, author of Midnight Rain, Ugly as Sin, and Odd Man Out)

" Of Foster Homes and Flies by Chad Lutzke is a lovely addition to the coming-of-age subgenre. He creates in the character of Denny an authentic young man with passions and foibles, someone easy to relate to and root for. The novella hits all the right notes you expect out of a coming of age tale, while also providing a plot that has originality and surprises." (Mark Allan Gunnells, author of Flowers in a Dumpster and The Summer of Winters)

A Gripping Coming of Age Tale

This was my introduction to Lutzke’s writing and will certainly not be the last piece of fiction by this author that I’ll read. Though short in pages, Of Foster Homes and Flies is a gut-wrenching, unflinching tale of neglect, love lost, and the seemingly bleak light at the end of the tunnel. Lutzke packs a ton into such a short piece.

Great story!

Great narrator and a really good story! This is the second short story I’ve listened to by this author and I enjoyed both thoroughly! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A perfect novella...

An incredibly powerful coming-of-age story that sticks with you.

This was the first thing I’ve read by Chad Lutzke, it will NOT be the last. At first, I was trying to figure out just what the genre here was. By the time it ended and I was wiping the tears from my eyes and literally saying “THAT WAS AMAZING” out loud to an empty room, I realized the best way to define this book is “emotional horror”.

There are no creeping boogeymen, no monsters, not even any real human villains, other than we get the impression that the boy’s mother may well have been one of sorts. But the way this builds the tension up to a fever pitch as the boy is hoping to place or win the coming spelling bee while his mother rots in their living room takes you to places of childhood fear and angst that all happen on an emotional level. It was truly brilliant.

The prose was perfect for this. I really felt like I was reading a memoir written by a child, but without any lack of sophistication on the writing front at all. It just connects to you the way your kid’s story might if they were pouring their heart and soul out to you. Masterful seems too trite, but I guess I’ll use it, because that’s what this was.

Not a word is wasted in this brief–but perfectly executed–masterpiece. Every note rings true, and I can’t imagine a single person not adoring this, regardless of taste. It’s that good.

The narration was as good if not better than ANYTHING I've ever heard, and I listen to about 100 audiobooks a year. It's as perfect as the book.

Don’t miss this one. I finished this days ago, and I cannot stop thinking about it. I’ll likely revisit this one several times, which is not something I do very often. 5/5-stars.

Pop Tarts of the Blueberry Variety

What a wonderful little book. The story line, the characters, everything comes together perfectly. It will keep you wondering what will happen next. It is a very fast read but it has so much to offer.

tragic

Sad little story, failry well written and fairly well read. Will look for more from both author and narrator.

🌟This Story Did Fly💫💥

A young boy lives alone with his alcoholic mother & finds himself alone with the one goal of completing the yearly school spelling bee. When things take a turn for the worse he's forced to grow up fast & hide a secret.🤫🤐

A story with sadness, hope, friends & creepy some too.😱🤢

I was actually pleasantly😍surprised, because many books that I have gotten free tend to either: 1. Have awful narration or
2. Be an awful story....or both. This story, though short was actually really good and very different than any other short story I've read or listened to.

🌠The narrator was great & easy spoken. Delivery of all the proper emotions where needed was perfect for me. He made it very easy to get attached to the main character and even relate to at times.

The writer was great!🤩 The development of each character was well done, not to much & not to little. The story was not drawn out & long winded, making it very easy to listen to and even get attached to the characters in one way or another.

Very well done in every way! ⭐👍
No, I was not asked nor told to do this review & yes I got the book for free...BUT I did NOT have to do a review, because if I didn't I could lose my account.
I did this review because the narrator & author DESERVED my review & because, like I said....Rarely do I find a free book that I can actually give a great 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 to!!

5 star for narrator & yes, I recommend him for any book reading. 👍🤩
5 star for story & yes, I recommend the author's (Chad) other stories. 👍❤

Of Foster Homes and Flies

This was a good story. It was not really horror in the traditional sense, but it was a dark coming-of-age tale. I didn't know what to expect and it kept me guessing which was odd for a book that is not really written with that in mind. I liked the characters and I enjoyed how the story unfolded. It was strangely believable.

Wow, sad but moving story

I was really surprised by how much of a great story can be packed into such a short book. This was an excellent coming of age story that really makes you stop and think about family and what is important in life. For some it could just be getting a ribbon from the spelling bee, for others it could be having a loving family. Personally I think it is all about pop tarts, but that is me. Besides how great the story was, the writing really impressed me. I felt like I was able to smell the decay and hear the flies buzzing around. One aspect that I think really worked for the story was the timing. Obviously it had a small town feel, but also had a 1980s vibe that reminds me of simpler times. Michael C. Gwynne did a great job with the narration. I really liked his voice and how he told the story. He really breathed life into it. I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.

Loved it...

being from N.O. I could actually visualize some of the areas mentioned in the story. Really enjoyed this coming of age tale.

Excellent!

I was on the edge of my seat for the protagonist the entire read. A great story!