Reviews

The Kudzu Queen by Mimi Herman

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mitskacir's review

3.0

Picked up this book while browsing at the bookstore because of it's beautiful cover. It was a lot of fun to read a book by a North Carolinian about the state! I was hoping to get a little bit more historical understanding of kudzu's presence here, as it's inescapable as you drive down the highways. While this book obviously revolves around kudzu, it doesn't really give much insight into why it was so heavily promoted and the story doesn't span long enough to see the repercussions of it's cultivation. While the book was interesting and readable, it did feel a bit superficial or juvenile (not really in a bad way, but I did wish it was meatier), mostly focusing on the Kudzu King's larger than life persona and the Kudzu Queen competition. The ending wrapped up very neatly, in kind of an American Girl story way - our plucky protagonists cleverly saves the day! Mattie's changing feelings toward Mr. Cullowee as she learned more about him were told to us rather than felt by the reader, and her horny teenage feelings were kept very PG (while Glynis was unfortunately vilified for hers). Overall, this was very enjoyable and would definitely suggest it to a younger audience.

jostelljes's review

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emotional funny sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

schitten's review

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4.0

I really enjoyed this book. It's the type of book that keeps you interested but also gives you a good feeling the whole time you're reading. The way that the landscape and setting is described sets the stage perfectly for imagining the story as it takes place in your mind. Overall this story could be described as a coming of age tale about a strong young woman and a snake oil salesman :-)