Fine as Frog Hair

By: Ashley Fontainne

Narrated by: Homer V Jones

Length: 1 hr and 6 mins

Publisher's summary

Can the past heal the future?

Ninety-year-old Marvin Hermesch is determined to find out.

After sneaking out of the retirement home on a hot and humid Sunday afternoon, Marvin embarks upon a journey. His memory is deteriorating fast, and he's having difficulty recalling the face of his deceased wife, Ruthie.

As his short-term memory slips, it awakens memories buried deep from his younger days and vivid nightmares of his youth, including the horrors of World War II.

Armed with an empty journal, some water, and his trusty old truck, Marvin heads to his childhood home in the backwoods of Grant County, Arkansas for one last journey; one final battle.

Marvin fights to regain control of his mind and body by confronting the tragedies of the past in hopes of healing the future.

©2016 Ashley Fontainne (P)2016 Ashley Fontainne

Sweet

Sweet old storytelling style. Subject matter of An old man escaping from his nursing home. To enjoy his last night in his old childhood home is bittersweet. Love the rich narrators telling. Perfect for the character. I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

Fine as Frog Hair

This was a wonderful short story!An old man in a nursing home decides to take one last trip in his old truck, into the past.Homer V. Jones narrates it wonderfully.I was provided this book free by the author, narrator or publisher.

Fantastic story and very good narration

At 30 pages this is a really fast, easy read. What made it a little difficult for me is the fact that my grandmother is going through the same issues that the main character is; losing their mind and trying like hell to keep it.

Ashley Fontainne writes this in such a way that the reader takes the journey with Marvin as he remembers his life and is journeying one last time to his childhood home. It is a bit of an emotional roller coaster but somehow still manages to find the happiness out of every moment in Marvin's life.

The characterization of Marvin and his lifelong friends and family really take center stage but you can also tell that Ashley either lives in the south or has a great deal of knowledge about it. She brought the south to life and Homer V Jones is able to put a voice to it.

Fantastic story and very good narration. I love Homer's voice. He has moments where he adds a bit more gravel to show Marvin's age and it works wonderfully.

Short but really great book that is worth everyone's time!

Audiobook was provided for review by the author.

Please find this complete review and many others at my review blog

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Marvin Escapes the Confines

Marvin is tired of the four walls of the retirement home and he longs to see his childhood home in the backwoods of Arkansas. He misses his sweet wife, Ruthie, and can't remember her face. He's 90 years old, and the nightmares of WWII haunt him. So he makes his escape and gets into his old beat up pick up truck and heads for home. I love his country sayings and his spunk. This short tale is a good one and well worth the listen.

An emotionally well penned reminiscence story

Ashley Fontainne does not disappoint in this short but well written story of a man who reminiscences through his life and is surprised at what he finds during his journey. I was not sure how I would enjoy this somewhat oddly named book at first glance, however taking the journey alone with the main character was one I enjoyed. As the story moves, you begin to understand what made him who he was along with the many points of pain and suffering he faced growing up.

Spending many summer months on a farm in the southern United States at my Memaw’s house, I could relate to the story in more ways than one. Ashley tells an excellent story in a rather brief number of pages, but I do not regret taking the journey with Marvin and learning about his life. If you are looking for a light-hearted story that takes you on an emotional roller coaster ride, I would recommend reading or listening to this book.

With regard to the audiobook narration, I have to say it is also up there with many of my other favorites. This is the first I have listened to any material by Homer V Jones, but I think he hit a homerun reading this book. At first I was unsure if I was going to enjoy his voice or not, but by the end of the book I have to say that I would see and hear Marvin in no other way. Jones is able to capture the character's inflections, expected voice, and even the accent I would expect from this man.

Thank you Ashley for creating it and Homer for bring it to life in audio form.

This book was provided to the reviewer by the Author, Narrator, or publisher in exchange for a non-bias review.

What a way to go!

Would you consider the audio edition of Fine as Frog Hair to be better than the print version?

I'm sure. The narrator breathes life into the story, reminiscing and sounding just like an elderly man.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The ghost of Memaw, his maternal grandmother. She was a total spitfire, and reminded me in some ways of my own grandmother.

What about Homer V Jones’s performance did you like?

He has that old-time conger voice down pat. He also really nailed the crotchety old woman voice, and the loving wife voice really well.

Who was the most memorable character of Fine as Frog Hair and why?

I'm expected to say the old man, Junior, whom the book is about, but my answer is Memaw. She helped him get past a lifetime of anger and resentment, so he could heal his soul and finally move on.

Any additional comments?

I received a free copy of this book, and agreed to provide an honest review.

A time to live; a time to die

As the title Fine as Frog Hair indicates, this is a southern story. The selection of the narrator is perfect. Fine as Frog Hair is a nice sweet short story, but based on other reviews I found it less significant than most reviewers. The story is worthwhile, but not exceptional.

Empathy for Characters

This was an interesting and quick read. I liked that you felt as though you knew the characters quickly and were invested in what happened to them. It was also nice to have a different approach to a life review/reminiscence story.

I enjoyed the narrator's narrator voice. The main character's voice seemed was a little strange, but it may have actually fit the character well.

This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBoom