Teresa Neumann

Don't make the mistake I did and be "Turned Off" by the Title. It is really a very Good Book!
Be sure to enter the the Giveaway at the end of this posting.
Book Details:
Book Title: A Year in the Company of Freaks by Teresa Neumann
Category: Adult Fiction, 515 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: All's Well House
Release date: Dec 21, 2015
Tour dates: Sept 11 to 29, 2017
Content Rating: PG + M (Little violence and profanity, no f-words, no sex, but some drug use)
Book Description:
It's 1972 and a seismic clash-of-cultures is rattling northern California. In the redneck town of Trinity Springs, rumors of hippies migrating up from San Francisco have residents bracing for an invasion. When Italian-American hometown boy and Berkeley graduate Sid Jackson is busted for growing pot on his deceased parents' farm, locals suspect the assault has begun. Will a crazy deferral program devised by the sheriff keep Sid out of prison? Or will a house full of eccentric strangers, a passionate love interest, and demons from his past be his undoing?
A "disarmingly appealing" tale of discrimination, transformation and restoration, Freaks is bursting with intrigue, drama, comic relief and romance. Reviewers agree this five-star, coming-of-age classic "very much reflects the attitude and mood of the times."
Praise for A Year in the Company of Freaks:
“This coming of age story will draw the reader right in. Teresa Neumann demonstrates how much she values relationships in her writing … a precious skill. I held my breath all the way through to the final few pages. Five stars!” — The San Francisco Book Review
“As it relates to the complicated clash of culture and counterculture, Freaks acts as an authentic, strongly Seventies book. Northern California works as a strong presence in the novel that is vivid and omnipresent, but never overwhelming. Sure to intrigue and entertain, Freaks will have its digs in you before you realize how involved you’ve become.” — The Manhattan Book Review

MY REVIEW (LAWonder10):
This is a tale created from the havoc of the seventies. Sid, a graduate of Berkley, protests and defies all he was raised to believe. He has inherited his family ranch, but defiles it by illegally planting Marijuana on it and is caught doing so. Will the Sherriff and his Godfather be able to keep him out of prison with the plan approved by the judge. Can Sid really "follow the rules" long enough to stay out of prison and gain his inheritance?
Included in the plan, he must give room and board to four boarders. Unable to pick his own roommates, the sheriff is also limited to his choice of interviewees, which results in a very peculiar and unlikely group of renters.
The characters are developed well, each with a unique and interesting personality. The background scenes are portrayed well and are easily pictured in one's mind.
The book Title and Cover are questionable, yet truly depicts the story well.
This is an interesting, sometimes touching, tale of a small community near San Francisco, where a town strong in history and community, are having to experience change and non-traditional values.
A Year in the Company of Freaks, seldom fails to keep the reader captured within the content's pages. The drama contains conflicts and various attitudes and situations.
**Reader Beware: this novel contains profanity and adult situations.

*This book was gifted me with no stipulation of a positive review. This is my honest review.… (mehr)

In 1972 the hippie movement was still going on, the Vietnam war was starting to wind down and there was lots of change and discrimination. In the small town of Trinity Springs, cultures collide as hippies start to migrate from San Francisco. Trinity Springs California is the type of town where everyone knows your name, people work hard, change happens slowly and hippies aren’t welcome.

One of the people who wants out of Trinity Springs is Italian-American Sid Jackson. He was a student at Berkeley but got busted for growing pot on his deceased parents’ farm. Now he has to spend a year on probation and can’t leave the Trinity Springs area. In order to make a living, Otis the town sheriff and friend to Sid’s parents finds boarders to live on Sid’s farm and pay rent. Now Sid has to live in a house of misfits, try not to break his probation and figure out what he wants to do with the rest of his life.

A Year In The Company Of Freaks is a coming of age tale that can also be labeled as historical fiction. Sid and all of the boarders in the farmhouse are young and trying to figure out what they want from this world. They are also facing a certain amount of discrimination from the town because they are very different from the people in town. Even within the house they face discrimination because they are all unique. One of the tenants named Mika is going to a church school and gets referred to as a Jesus freak and is treated like an outsider. We also have a biker trying to win custody of his daughter and a Vietnam veteran who has trouble socializing and suffers from PTSD. There is also the problem that with the exception of Mika, all the people in the house do drugs and if Sid gets caught around it he will be breaking his probation and get thrown in prison.

This book is a character study in what people were like in the early seventies and the hardships they faced. Sid does dress like a hippie but doesn’t really fit into the movement. There is one good scene where he goes to a bar and the waitress gets upset with him because of how he looks, seeing him as a draft dodger. Also I felt for Mika in the way she gets ostracized for being religious. The only ones who are supportive of everyone is Otis and his wife Pearlie who are quick to give advice or provide warm meals.

Everyone in the house changes a lot over a year, especially Sid who is now forced to deal with the loss of his parents and his own doubts as to whether he can keep from getting high or not. I enjoyed watching the characters grow and the support they get from Otis and Pearlie. In particular I liked when they point out how true friendship is sacrifice and if it comes easy it’s not real. This is an idea you see proven among the people in the farm-house, nothing is easy for them. I enjoyed this book much more than I thought I would, it’s a long book but I was so into the characters that it seemed like a quick read. The story is about life itself and it’s something anyone can relate too.… (mehr)

If you are looking for a smash hit book to read, than, look no further than A Year in the Company of Freaks! This was one of the easiest books for me to read. Instantly, I was transported back in time. A time before I was born but it was like I was there. Everyone was great from Sid to Sheriff Otis Skinner and his wife, Pearlie, as well as the rest of the gang: Ketch, Mika, Eliza, and Woolf. They were all so easy to connect with including Ketch. He had some rough edges that needed smoothed over in the beginning but he really was a nice guy. In fact, it was actually the people of Trinity Springs that brought the negative vibes. Instantly, they were judging Sid for his physical appearance; even though he had came from Trinity Springs. I guess some things don't change like today's society. Yet, we should change for the better.

Otis and Pearlie did steal some of the lime light from the gang. This is only because they were so kind and personable. Everyone could not help but fall in love with this couple. Despite all of their different personalities, Sid, Mika, Ketch, Eliza, and Woolf were like one big family. As I said prior, this is not only a smash hit book but if you came from this era growing up or love a good book with fully developed characters, you will fall in love with this book.… (mehr)

We learn about what life was like in Italy at that time. You can read the book in a form of a diary or as someone is telling a story in a storytelling. You can learn the secrets of this family. You also learn a bit about Italian culture. You will learn what Italian culture was at that time in history.

Most of this story is about Egisto and his wife that he married before going to America. Tough as soon as her children when to school. She decided to go back to Italy. The book really does teach us lessons that were going on in Italy.

You also see the family deals with her and the rest of the family. Egisto father was fond of his niece Bianca. Egisto knew the war was coming to Italy. We learn about Armida and her what she decides. She is going to need to make a choice. I feel bad for Armida and Egisto children especially when Armida gets a bit strange.

We learn what the vineyard is about and it meaning to the family. I really like the fact it was told somewhat in a form of a diary. You also learn about each family member that's in Egisto life. It mostly takes place in Italy and his Italian family members. The author did a really good job of showing us what it was like during World War 2 era. You see the reliant of the Italians after the war and shows how the family was back together when Egisto returns.… (mehr)