I've really enjoyed other books I've read by her, but didn't like this one. The protagonist was truly insufferable. I thought about quitting but wanted to find out what happened with the other, less annoying characters, so I skimmed a lot of the book. A big disappointment. ( )

Read it for a book club.

( )

One of those books that goes along nicely enough with likeable characters and enough plot to suffice, then suddenly the finish line is in sight and everything magically resolves. ( )

Magnolia Wednesdays by Wendy Wax is an enjoyable novel set in suburban Atlanta which tells the story of Vivien, a hard-driving journalist who left the South to pursue her career in the concrete jungle of New York City. She looks with derision on the land of suburbia and feels superior to the women tending to homes and children. That is, until she finds herself 41, pregnant and unemployed. In desperation, she heads back down south to live with her widowed sister, Melanie, and her two teen children. Things get interesting when Vivien takes a job reporting on life in suburbia under the pen name of "Scarlett Leigh" and begins investigating the death of her brother in law - all unbeknownst to her sister and the friends she has made in the 'burbs.

Wendy Wax has created quite an ensemble cast of characters in this book - the main characters are Vivien and her sister, Melanie but there is also their critical mother, Caroline and the members of a belly-dancing class hosted at the dance studio owned by Melanie. Each of the "supporting" cast members have their own stories which add a depth and interest to the book. Like Vivien, they each undergo an evolution as the novel progresses and it is interesting to watch how they change.

Vivien, however, undergoes the most change - both physically and emotionally. As her pregnancy progresses, she is surprised by the change in her shape and size but she also begins to notice a shift in her opinion of her suburban neighbors that she so harshly criticizes in her weekly newspaper column. Slowly, she integrates into the community she has found in the 'burbs and she recognizes that there is life beyond the big bad city.

This book is a funny, entertaining read with just enough depth to make it a truly worthwhile read. I wholeheartedly recommend it! ( )

Vivien Armstrong Gray is reaching that certain decade in broadcast journalism that can be a little difficult to breach. As one of her investigative pieces winds up more popular on You Tube and her body is becoming a hormonal mess, Vivi heads home to Georgia. This suburban life of her sister Melanie is very foreign to Vivi, but the sisters adult relationship eventually begins to flourish. Many of the nuances of any Southern novel are here, but Wax does a gentle job with her characters and they are not typecast. It's always nice to read chick-lit of women of a more realistic age and place in life. ( )