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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
Maybe 3.5. It was a quick fun read for vacation. I had just read another of her books and liked her voice. I found this one and dove in. This is older and I think that Jackson has improved her voice over the years. Similar themes to The Almost Sisters.
This is the story of a woman, Lena, who doesn't lie (or uses her own odd logic to tell only the truth), fornicate (no really for like 10 yrs), or go home to Alabama. We all know what this means.....something brings her home to Alabama.
Lena has a traveling companion as she head to see her white, racist family for the first time in 10 years.....you guessed it, her black boyfriend, Burr. But surprisingly this isn't the main plot of the story. Why hasn't Lena gone home in 10 years? What will happen when she returns and how will everyone react to Burr?
For a book that I found after circling the same library isle for a half hour, it was more intriguing then I could have hoped. Its just what I needed to a read in a time when I could not find anything to sink my teeth into. It moves well and just when you think you have the secret figured, well you really didn't.
This was my first Joshilyn Jackson and it will not be my last.
Lena has a traveling companion as she head to see her white, racist family for the first time in 10 years.....you guessed it, her black boyfriend, Burr. But surprisingly this isn't the main plot of the story. Why hasn't Lena gone home in 10 years? What will happen when she returns and how will everyone react to Burr?
For a book that I found after circling the same library isle for a half hour, it was more intriguing then I could have hoped. Its just what I needed to a read in a time when I could not find anything to sink my teeth into. It moves well and just when you think you have the secret figured, well you really didn't.
This was my first Joshilyn Jackson and it will not be my last.
Great book. Fun, quirky, nice balance between popular and literary fiction.
I expected this book to be "fluffier" but was very pleasantly surprised by its depth and storyline. I really enjoyed it!
Some writers can flip back and forth between present and past and make it seamless and interesting, others can't. Fortunatly for Joshilyn Jackson she can! I really liked this "mystery". It's not supposed to be one but that's how I believe it ends up! The main character, Lena (or Arlene in her former life), has made some deals with God but when it appears he breaks the deals she breaks. Along for her ride into freedom is her on-again, off-again boyfriend who loves her truly and deeply and enough to stick by her side. The book flips back and forthe between present and past until the two meet. It was a good read, the story was engaging if not a bit off of reality. In real life I can't see how the story would have played out the way it does but it certainly seems or feels real enough. This is a strength of the author's. In your head you know it couldn't really happen this way but yet, it seems so real that maybe it could. Now that I have read this first book from Jackson I am more than ready to read some of her other works.
Gods in Alabama by Joshilyn Jackson.
I am reading through the backlist of Jackson's work, and though this one is very highly rated it was a bit too quirky for me. The racist So. Baptists, illegitimate births, rapist high school boys , and crazy relatives were hard to take. That said , the core story and flashbacks were well written and the murder mystery plot was great. Jackson does emotion so well, and she delves into the cause and effect of all actions--past and present -- before she comes up with the resolution. All in all the book was enjoyable.
The audio version is great, Joshilyn Jackson reads her own work with a good pace and accent.
I am reading through the backlist of Jackson's work, and though this one is very highly rated it was a bit too quirky for me. The racist So. Baptists, illegitimate births, rapist high school boys , and crazy relatives were hard to take. That said , the core story and flashbacks were well written and the murder mystery plot was great. Jackson does emotion so well, and she delves into the cause and effect of all actions--past and present -- before she comes up with the resolution. All in all the book was enjoyable.
The audio version is great, Joshilyn Jackson reads her own work with a good pace and accent.
I thought I had this book all figured out by chapter 3 and was disappointed, but I powered on. Turns out I was wrong anyway! I enjoyed it, but I’m not sure it will stick with me.
It was a solid Okay. I don't regret it but I also didn't love most of it. 3.5 stars bc I always feel generous when I finish a book :)
I really didn’t care for the first two-thirds of the book, but the last third, including the plot twist, had me engrossed and staying up way too late.
I think the listopia category of quirky southern literature is spot on for this book. There are a few things that are kind of peculiar about this book but so much that I did enjoy. I'll definitely try another by the author.