Stories Found in my Rearview Mirror: A collection of short stories about how things were a lifetime ago

by Floyd Gardner

268 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 1, 2020

Reviews

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read most of this book with a smile on my face! Mr. Gardner, like my parents and me, grew up on a farm in northeast Iowa. My mom and dad were about 11 and 15 years older than Floyd, respectively. His farm years were in the 1940s and 1950s, so his earlier memories of farming with horses were reminiscent of my parent's early days, and his stories of farming with tractors in the '50s were pretty similar to my growing up days in the 1960s and 1970s. His memories of farm and family life are very entertaining, humorous and heart warming. His descriptions of Navy life are also interesting, and I learned about new things, like sea-going tugs.

There were also moments that brought tears to my eyes, especially the story of his dad getting the news of Japan's surrender in WW II, and when Floyd hit his rock bottom before getting help with alcoholism. I'm glad his recollections concluded with happily-ever-after for him and Laurel.

Floyd Gardner has a great memory, and a wonderful story telling ability.

[Jenni V. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I chose this book from the "Iowa" section of the library as something my husband and I could read together. Although most of his 'Iowa" stories are about his hometown of Ossian, I found out randomly through a friend's Facebook post that he currently lives in the same town we do. He is still active and writing; I've seen his Facebook posts shared by multiple friends recently, especially speaking against our governor's current push for public funds for private school vouchers.

My husband grew up on a farm and even though he's much younger than the author, certain aspects of farm life remain the same (plus he works for John Deere) so he had a lot of familiarity with the stories. The author also had many experiences not related to farm life as he was in the military and trying out different careers so we never knew what was coming next; he seems to have lived a million different lives in all his travels.

It was a good book to read together a few stories at a time and I'm sure this book is an absolute treasure for his family because of the memories he's shared. Some of the stories may be a little too "I guess you had to be there" for a general audience but overall we really enjoyed winding through his life.

Find all my reviews at: https://readingatrandom.blogspot.com

[Laura Duffield Biegger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful read about farm life/adventures in 40/50's Iowa. Brought into current century with RV travels and a variety of post retirement activities.

[Tyler Granger · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic read even though it is written by a hippie leftist who tells wild cowboy stories and salty sailor jokes.