Haywood SmithBesprekingen

Linwood Breedlove Scott's life has officially hit rock bottom. Her husband of thirty years has run off with a stripper. The IRS has taken everything but her coffee table. And her hot flashes are four-alarmers. The only thing that could make being flat-broke and fifty any worse is having to crawl home to her parents' house in Mimosa Branch, Georgia...which is exactly where she's headed.

Lin's barely prepared for the loony bin that greets her, from her controlling, eighty-year-old mother and shockingly blunt father to her long-suffering Aunt Glory and her deranged Uncle Bedford who is convinced a cannibal lives under the furniture. Nor is she ready for the instant love-hate attraction she feels for her handsome new next-door neighbor. Trying to navigate her way through the second act of her life with nothing more than a prepaid calling card, a broken heart, and plenty of Prozac, Lin's about to discover that it's never too late for old friends, new romance, the ties of family, and a second chance to survive it all on the road to becoming the person you were always meant to be...


After a painful betrayal and divorce from her husband of 30 years (who got engaged to a 22 year old stripper whilst still being married, and racked up $200,000 of debt before clearing out) Lin finds herself returning to the parental home in Georgia as the only place she has left. Having gotten married at 19 - as a way of escaping the Southern madness of her family - Lin has never really grown up or learnt to look after herself as number 1. Therefore her emotions on the reality of staying with her parents under the circumstances are that of the 19year old Lin when she left, with all the tantrums and petulance that comes with it. Nearing menopause, and used to Air Conditioning, she has forgotten how to deal with the heat of Georgia in summer, and is often out of her comfort zone, both physically and emotionally.

By accident more than design, she ends up covering at the neighbourhood drug store when one of the staff goes down sick and that gives Lin the money and the confidence to settle in, convert her parent's garage apartment into something useful, all whilst getting her real estate licence. It also gives her the excuse to stay away from her family - many of who are getting old and more than a little demented in their old age.

The work brings her not only in contact with much of the local community, but also with Grant, the druggist, an attractive man who is home to clear up his father's estate and store before selling it. Viewed through external eyes, Mimosa Branch politics is greedy, corrupt and racist, and it is soon clear that something needs to be done - and it is for Grant and Lin to be in the thick of things. The Mayor and his cronies are suitably intimidating and threatening and you can understand why the fictional characters of this town feel unable to change the status quo.

The story is told by Lin in the first person, and there is a little bit of casual conversation in the style ("more of that later" and "did I tell you...." kind of thing). It happened enough to be noticeable, and it was borderline annoying - but not quite annoying to turn me off completely. Lin certainly grows up in this story - certainly not the 50-going-on-19 who first turned up at the beginning, and she manages to work through what it means to be a single woman of a certain age.

After being very much in the forefront of the book at the beginning (to show how mad the house is), Lin's parents and Uncle soon disappear from the story about half way through, even after a heart to heart with Aunt Gloria in the car - with the air con on - which demonstrated to Lin she's not the only outsider in the family and many people make sacrifices to be with the people they love. Lin has to deal with her being newly divorced at 50, living in her parents' rambling run down home, and having a teenage crush on her employer which she hasn't decided if she will ever act on or not. Trough this time, she comes to realise that she has buried herself away from her family, not realising how much she has missed out on. She has always thought of her brother as a wastrel and unreliable, but his help and patience whilst clearing the garage, whilst following the tenets of the AA that has allowed him to let go of the things he cannot change.

So this is a book about a "coming of age" that is 50 years in the making and what it means to be a woman, a daughter, a sister and a friend. I know some reviewers dont like Lin as a character (serves me right for reading reviews BEFORE I read the book!), but she's a flawed character who has some redeeming characteristics and it is a satisfactory book in the end.

This is a thoughtful "boomer" romance, based on the health problems the author has. She has created two very likable adults who are struggling to get healthier. One protagonist, Cassie, is widowed and has just been diagnosed with fungal related arthritis. The other, a divorcé named Jack, has COPD which is aggravated by mold and fungus as well. The two meet at the office of their new specialist. They both are stunned by the high cost of the healthcare, medications, and supplements the doctor orders, but they both feel that this is a last resort so they remediate the mold in their houses and begin a new regimen. Cassie realizes that her late husband's health insurance is running out and she decides that she needs to remarry if for nothing else the insurance. So begins an unlikely relationship which buds over the course of the story. The characters are interesting and and story is very readable. Note that there is a strong Christian message in this story as both of the characters speak often of their faith and utter prayers throughout.

Very light reading.

Heartwarming middle age story about new beginnings, family, faith, and friendship.

I love stories involving lifelong friendships like these. That's one of the reason's why Divine Secrets of the Ya-ya Sisterhood will always be one of my favorite movies. I absolutely LOVED the 12 Traditions (or rules) of the Red Hats. The story itself was just okay - but I would have liked for it to have had more depth. I guess because it is supposed to be such a "feel good" story, it was kept pretty light- but I know that these types of sisterhood bonds are forged from going through emotional highs and lows with one another, personal tragedies and triumphs, secrets and scandals, and this story barely scratched the surface of that.

I love stories involving lifelong friendships like these. That's one of the reason's why Divine Secrets of the Ya-ya Sisterhood will always be one of my favorite movies. I absolutely LOVED the 12 Traditions (or rules) of the Red Hats. The story itself was just okay - but I would have liked for it to have had more depth. I guess because it is supposed to be such a "feel good" story, it was kept pretty light- but I know that these types of sisterhood bonds are forged from going through emotional highs and lows with one another, personal tragedies and triumphs, secrets and scandals, and this story barely scratched the surface of that.

I listened to this audio book and it was nothing short of enchanting. The author and the reader combined to make a wonderful experience for me. The characters were so true and so real that I am sure I will be thinking about them and wondering how they are doing for a long time to come.

Howell Widdington is a Southern Gentleman in the worst way until his brain tumor inducing stroke. He wakes up a different man and it's fascinating to see how his world and his family evolve around the changes.

Hope I remember them all. I know who in my life is and who isn't.

rabck from Mysscyn; Widowed Millie's sons are a mess, literally, and when one moves into her basement, she needs a solution. With the help of her read hat friends, she starts a Bachelor's Survival Class -and the results are nothing that she expected, but are spectacular

Very light reading.

Actually, I'm not sure if I finished this. I just know I don't want to try to read it again. Premise is good, but it was just too frothy.

Only okay Southern chick lit. Lin Breedlove Scott is a confused 50-something newly divorced woman forced to move back home. It would be better if the Grant relationship had just stayed friendly, but I think the author threw in the "hot romance" aspect as a way to entice readers. It doesn't. If she's supposed to be on a journey to growth as an adult, she shouldn't do half the things she does. Her moral compass is off.

Historically interesting 1590 on the Scottish marsh borderlands. The author did a wonderful job of explaining the details of some of the daily activities. The main character The Black Bastard- was a fair, hardened man with 4 dead wives and 7 children, and after a robbery no way to provide for them. He is a difficult man, who must control his men and not show weakness. Fortune shines upon his family when an 'Englisher' women washes ashore. She looks to be from a wealthy family and he will use her for ransom. One problem, she is the most stubborn women, she willna speak, nor give her name.
The adventure that the two have is a viscous battle of wills. She thinks the Scots are barbarians, he thinks the English are evil. The war begins. Life happens they start to view the other as perhaps decent. Things go very bad, then they get worse, then everything is blown by a revelation that may be the end.
A good entertaining read.

This is book three in the Red Hat Club series, but you don’t have to have read the previous volumes before reading this one (I certainly haven’t). Georgia’s only daughter, Callie, has just announced her engagement – to a totally unsuitable man! Or so Georgia thinks.

The novel covers several months of Georgia commiserating with her pals in the Red Hat Club as she worries about the great mistake her daughter is about to make, and does her best to put a smile on her face and get through the rounds of parties, showers and dinners in the couple’s honor. There are two subplots, including one friend’s long-lost cousin (a Jewish American Princess from Manhattan with nowhere else to turn) and anther friend’s grandchild (a charmingly precocious five-year-old who steals every scene she’s a part of).

The writing is repetitive. How often to I need to be told that John is a “big brain” or that Wade is an alcoholic bad boy? The subplots did little but fill pages. Smith doesn’t seem to trust her readers to figure anything out for themselves, because even the most obvious reference is explained in detail. And Georgia’s constant worrying just irritated my last nerve.

Still, it’s a fast read and there were a couple of entertaining (if totally implausible) moments.

Excellent adventure of a group of feisty females. (Caveat-- The sequel "The Red Hat Club Rides Again" is a disappointment, as much of "The Red Hat Club" is basically used for a large part of "The Red Hat Club Rides Again.")

Brief, humorous booklet. The advice pretty self-evident but nicely worded/presented.

Haywood Smith delivers again with southern charm, southern food and southern religion.

rabck from booklady331; a rollicking good time with the Mademoiselle's. Flitting between their college years, and current day, they deliver some comeuppance to a philandering husband. And then turn around, a one of them really gets away with fleeing and fleecing her abusive husband.

Usually I like smiths books, but this was awful.

The friendship of a group of women from the south is the focus of this hilarious novel about friendship through the decades. Haywood Smith offers unique, well developed characters with whom middle aged women can relate. The story about their relationships is told in both flash backs and as well as the present, with a strong and often funny connection between the two. I listened to the audio book, read by the wonderful Cynthia Darlow.

The basic premise of this book is amusing enough -- after experiencing astronomical expenses for an unusual health condition, a relatively newly widowed Cassie teams up with an equally ill Jack to fight insurance companies in the health care equivalent of a green card: finding a new husband with healthy insurance benefits to have and to hold and cover her health care expenses.

It may sound a little mercenary, but it was all handled in a humorous, tasteful manner. Cassie and Jack's relationship and understanding of each other was a nice plot element to watch. This was a nice gentle, read, that was perfect for my back porch in the summer. The thing that pushed this novel from a three to a four was Haywood Smith's descriptions of what life is like when you have a serious, but relatively unknown illness. Smith gave Cassie the illness that she, herself, has: a congenital degenerative arthritis, compounded by systemic fungal infection. In my case, it's an allergy to natural rubber/latex and resultant airway disease. Both illnesses are not commonplace, and often cause blank stares when mentioned to others. Both necessitate huge lifestyle changes, both in terms of what can be in your home, how to clean, what to eat, etc.

So, because I thought Smith presented a glimpse into a world I know very well, and for the character, Jack, for having a heroine who is physically flawed, and for fun shout outs to the Atlanta area (which I am familiar with), I added an extra star.

A fun read about a fifty something widow with failing health who finds a cure for her symptoms through costly doctor's visits, a strict diet and "mould remediation" in her home. The bills for maintaining her health are absorbitant, so she decides to seek a partner who has good health insurance. A fellow patient, who is a university professor becomes the ideal partner. This amusing novel is about their journey towards each other.

This was just fine to listen to while I was chopping hedges---light, funny, a group of women doing silly things together over many, many years---remembering the past as they tackle a present problem.

Review reflects the abridged version!

I was expecting a Ya-Ya Sisterhood kind of story about four sisters forced to spend 3 months together at the family cottage. It started out that way, then suddenly became a cheesy romance. Horrible abridgement: for most of the middle the sisters are barely mentioned as the plot focusses on the romance (that had no real surprises). Characters had conflicting characteristics, random events (like finding two dead bodies and moving them to a park???). It started off fine, but then got ridiculous.

A Really cute easy read. Colorful charatures with true lives...