Going Home

By: John Isaac Jones

Narrated by: Tom Zainea

Length: 24 mins

Publisher's summary

Archie Johnson thought he was prepared to meet his death in the electric chair. The sentence had been read; he had had his last meal and the prison chaplain had asked God to have mercy on his immortal soul.

Then, just as they were strapping him into the chair and about to pull the switch, he suddenly realized there were a few things he wanted to do before he left this earth. This is Archie's story.

©2016 John I. Jones (P)2017 John I. Jones

A wishlist of last things to be done

Set in 1961 Alabama, it’s time for Archie to finish out his sentence: death by electrocution. As he’s walked into the room and then strapped down, he really narrows down the things he wishes he still had time for.

Back in Peach Tree, Georgia, he’s got family, friends, favorite places, and Big Betty (a prostitute who he favors). Considering the book’s description, I wasn’t expecting this tale to be, well, so gentle. Archie was once a very questionable person with some anger issues but he doesn’t come off that way now. I do appreciate the author giving us little nuggets of info as to why Archie was on death row and some of the tussles he had been in over the years.

That description of the peach pie was mouth-watering. I really want pie now, but not just any pie. I need pie that someone’s granny made, not store bought pie. Jones has a way with words that elicits these more subtle emotions from the reader.

The ending was a little surprising but fitting. Archie had to pay his dues before he could get to any reward. This is a tale fit for all company and gave me a little chill. So if you like a lunch-time story with a little bite to it, this would be a good fit.

I received a free copy of this book.

The Narration: Tom Zainea was a really good fit for this book. He had the southern dialects down as well as keeping each of the characters distinct. His female voices were believable too. I think he also liked the description of the peach pie because I swear he was also pining for a slice by the end of that little scene. There’s some subtle emotions going on in this story and Zainea did a good job capturing those as well.

A well written and pretty good short short

Going Home is a well written (and narrated) short story of a man facing his mortality as he is strapped into the electric chair. The story itself was well done, but I kept awaiting a big revelation or redemptive event, but it never occurred…and then it was over. Could have used a little longer format and a little more oomph.

May sound like I didn’t like it, but I did. Just needed it a wee more “juice” to make the work pop. It is obvious the author knows how to write and I would definitely read and/or listen to more of his work.

*I received a complimentary copy of this audiobook from the author and have voluntarily left this honest review.

Loved it!

I even loved/hated the twist at the end. how can such a short story be so detailed and so good?

great job again John Jones!
the narrator did a fine job telling this story to me!
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Most of it's meaning will already be within you.

Tackling the question of corporal punishment, this story portrays the long walk of one convicted criminal on death row who's time is up. It follows him as he obtains a gubernatorial pardon based on a legal issue. He travels home and exhibits some new values he's adopted as he interacts with the characters of his old life. Is it too little too late? Or, is it too late even though it's not too little?

It's a good story worth your time to listen too.

I was given this audio book at my request in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Going Home

Would you do things differently if you were given a second chance? Can 11 years in prison change a man? This was a very thought provoking short story about what happens to a man as he is taken from death row to the electric chair.

Another powerful short story by John Isaac Jones.

Going Home

A good story!You may be surprised by the ending!Won't give anthing away. Tom Zaines was a wonderful narrator.“I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.

Very Deeply Moving Surprising Short Story

Going Home is a surprising deeply moving short story by John Isaac Jones. At only 24 minutes long it is hard to explain too much of the story without giving it away. It is about a man on death row waiting for his final appeal with a witness who can help overturn his whole case. For a short story, I truly loved this one and plan on listening to this again. I highly recommend this story.

This is the first time that I have heard a performance from Mr. Tom Zainea but I greatly enjoyed his performance. He did a great job with all the characters in this short story.

This review copy audiobook was provided by the author/narrator/publisher free of charge via Audiobook Boom for an unbiased review.

Good under evil; 24 minutes spans a lifetime

What a powerful short story. Having listened to several of John Isaac Jones' other works, I knew I was in for a tale laced with depth; this did not let me down. I have to admit that I did figure out where this story was headed (not always the case with this author), but in no way did it spoil my interest. In fact, in this case it peaked my interest as I realized exactly what the main character was going through. As the title and cover illustration suggests, Archie Johnson has a seat reserved for his final trip home. As we can only imagine, despite the evil deeds one may do, somewhere inside there are good, sweet memories. The question is; does our life really flash before our eyes before we go home?

The narration in this listen was close to perfect in cadence and just gravelly enough to fit the setting. Between the tone of voice and the descriptive writing, the scenes can be vividly pictured in the listeners mind. I would highly recommend this short story to anyone and especially those that enjoy an introspective look into the mindset of a killer at a crucial point of his life.

A review copy of this audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in return for this unbiased review. If you found this review helpful, please take a moment to click yes below.

Second chance

I thought this was a well written story. Something that I'm sure people have thought about, if not this is a great way to plant the seed. Have to say that I didn't think the end was a twist. My assumption was that the story being told was exactly as it was. Narrator was great.

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.

Simple and dosent overstay its welcom.

Normally I am not one to listen to much under 6ish hours, but going home seemed interesting so I gave it a go anyway. As expected the story was exceedingly short, but did a good job to draw you into it in the short amount of time it has. To be honest I'm not sure the book could have been much longer and not suffered for it, something I never thought I would have argued for a half hour book. Tom Zainea did a splendid job of giving life and personality to the protagonist in such a short span and total kudos to him for that feat. Overall its a charming book that while certainly no epic tale I cant say that I didn't enjoy its short trip with me.