Looking Back... In an effort to transfer my book journal entries over to this blog, I'm going to attempt to post (in chronological order) an entry every Friday. I may or may not add extra commentary to what I jotted down in these journals.
Fiction
1990 Longstreet Press
Read in February 2000
Rating: 2/5 (Fair)
Publisher's Blurb:
From the author of Mad Girls in Love comes this lively multigenerational tale of six charming, unforgettable Southern women -- a novel of love and laughter, pain and redemption.
Though she was born in Tennessee, Miss Gussie is no country fool. A woman who can handle any situation, she has her hands full with two headstrong daughters who happen to be complete opposites -- dour Dorothy and sweet Clancy Jane. Hoping money will heal childhood wounds, Dorothy marries the owner of a five-and-dime, while Clancy Jane gets into a mess of trouble, running off with a randy tomcat who pumps gas at the Esso stand. And then there are Gussie's granddaughters, the smart but plain Violet and fancy-talking Bitsy -- a new generation whose lives will reflect a nation's tumultuous times. From Tennessee to New Orleans, from psychedelic San Francisco to a remote Southwestern desert ranch, this funny, poignant novel spans more than four decades as it vividly recounts the universal loves, sorrows, and joys of women's lives.
My Original Thoughts (2000):
Held my interest enough to finish, but rather depressing. I didn't care for any of the characters and had no sympathy for any of them. One was rather irritating. Definitely not as good as The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood (to which it was compared).
My Current Thoughts:
I have no recollection of this book.
I remember everyone talking about this book twenty years ago. I had to look it up to learn that I (apparently) read it, too, in 2009, and that I rated it, like you, as fair, but I, too, remember nothing about it.
ReplyDeleteDeb, I gave the author another try in 2017 and read Consuming Passions. Didn't do much for me, either.
DeleteI thought I'd like this book until I read your thoughts. Sorry you didn't enjoy it!
ReplyDeleteVicki, I tried another book by this author (Consuming Passions) several years ago and didn't care for it, either. It did have some interesting recipes, however. My review that book is here.
DeleteI can't recall ever hearing about this book but I remember when the Ya-Ya book came out so many books were touted as the next one. I guess it happens all the time and most recently we've seen a slew of thrillers as the next "Gone Girl".
ReplyDeleteIliana, I loved the Ya-Ya book, so I'm sure that's why I picked up this one. You're right about this sort of thing happening a lot. I have certainly had my fill of Gone Girl-type books!
DeleteYou sound like me, when I look back at books I read 10 or more years ago, even some I supposedly liked, its all a blur LOL - Snowflower and the Secret Fan was one I loved but all that stuck with me was the painful foot binding ordeal.
ReplyDeleteDiane, it's interesting how I can remember details of some books (even those I read many years ago), but others are just a blur. Transferring my old reading journal entries onto my blog has been fun, though.
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