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Book Reviews of And Ladies of the Club

And Ladies of the Club
And Ladies of the Club
Author: Helen Hooven Santmyer
ISBN-13: 9780425174401
ISBN-10: 0425174409
Publication Date: 4/1/2000
Pages: 1,184
Rating:
  • Currently 4.1/5 Stars.
 30

4.1 stars, based on 30 ratings
Publisher: Berkley Trade
Book Type: Paperback
Reviews: Amazon | Write a Review

22 Book Reviews submitted by our Members...sorted by voted most helpful

Luluette avatar reviewed And Ladies of the Club on + 47 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 7
I have a well-worn and well-loved copy of this book that I won't part with...I read it over and over again. I've read it at least once every two years for over a decade. I've loaned it out as well - everyone who has read my copy has loved it. A wonderful story full of intertwining characters and plots. I highly recommend it!
reviewed And Ladies of the Club on + 121 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 6
This is an an oldie but a goodie. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and recommend it to anyone craving a "can't put it down" read!
NewRuth avatar reviewed And Ladies of the Club on
Helpful Score: 5
The story of the founding members of the Waynesboro Women's club from 1868 to 1932. Interesting historical perspective.

This is one of my all time favorite books.
reviewed And Ladies of the Club on + 59 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 4
This book provided the inspiration for a group to start our very own book club. A lovely story covering generations of readers. I loved it!
reviewed And Ladies of the Club on + 2 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 4
From a historical perspective it reviews the lives of a group of women from just after the civil war until they all die. What struck me was how much families are different from 1932 until the present, and how little they changed in the time leading up to that. Seldom do we currently see people growing up, marrying, moving in with their in-laws, and staying in the same community, but that is how it was in small town Ohio. The characters are so alive, I could barely put the book down. It is hard to describe how wonderful this book was to read except to say, at the end I wanted more.
reviewed And Ladies of the Club on + 625 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
Undoubtedly this book has a slow beginning. But it is definitely worth the effort. The author brings a whole town to life - Waynesboro, Ohio. Each and every character is described so vividly that I felt as though I actually knew these people. The book follows post-Civil War "Waynesboro" (a fictional name for a real city - Xenia, Ohio) through the next 50 years of the townspeople's lives. The main group of characters are the members of the Waynesboro Ladies Club.
reviewed And Ladies of the Club on + 5 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
Although this book is over 1000 pages, I started rationing myself as I neared the end because I couldn't stand the thought of it ending.

One gets completely absorbed in the life of a small Ohio town in the second half of the 19th century. The characters became my friends.

And as a bonus I learned so much about such things as rope making, ladies' clothing, the Civil War, Reconstruction, economic policy, race relations, the practice of medicine, immigration, suffragettes, religious practices, etc.

I know - you're probably thinking is sounds so boring reading about the members of ladies' literary society but you are so wrong!
reviewed And Ladies of the Club on + 16 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
This is a very long "Gone with the Wind" type story, from the prespective of anti-slavery Ohio. It's a nice, gossipy read.
hazeleyes avatar reviewed And Ladies of the Club on + 331 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Ms. Santmyer wrote this book over a long period of time. The story encompasses basically one town -- her home town -- in the midwest but could have been almost anywhere in the United States. It is an autobiography, a history, and a charming fictional account of the families whose efforts built the community. I read it many years ago but it remains one of my favorites.
reviewed And Ladies of the Club on + 195 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
a wonderful book, written over a 60 year period starting at the end of
the civil war and ending in the depression..a celebration of small town life that involved me so emotionally that i cried and was enthralled as i read the events that shaped their lives..loved it
reviewed And Ladies of the Club on + 141 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Set in a s,all Ohio town and spanning 60 years,"...and Ladies of the Club" centers on the members of a book club and their struggles to understand themselves and each other, and the tumultuous world they live in,(1864 -1924). 1176 pages 3.5 stars
reviewed And Ladies of the Club on + 34 more book reviews
wonderful thick read
reviewed And Ladies of the Club on + 191 more book reviews
This classic novel covers the chaotic aftermath of the Civil War to the threshold of the New Deal.This tale tells the story of two women in a small Ohio town and the other members of the Waynesboro ladies' literary society.
reviewed And Ladies of the Club on + 37 more book reviews
Miss Santmyer was in her 90's when she wrote this classic tale of friends and their families. A very enjoyable, lengthy read.
ajmtym2003 avatar reviewed And Ladies of the Club on
From jacket: from the chaotic aftermath of the Civil War...tells the warm, intimate yet epic tale of the lifetimes of two women in a small Ohio town and the other members of the Waynesboro ladies' literary society.
reviewed And Ladies of the Club on + 16 more book reviews
This book is a fabulous sweeping saga. A bit of a slow start, but give it a chance. One of my top 10 favorite books for sure.
reviewed And Ladies of the Club on + 298 more book reviews
This one was very interesting was not able to guess how things were going to end and I like that about a book..
reviewed And Ladies of the Club on + 52 more book reviews
Although the ISBN on this listed the book at a hardcover edition, it is a paperback. It is a looooooong story...over 1100 pages. If you have the time and patience to read about a handful of women who start a literary club in 1868 and follow them and their families through 1932, this is the book for you. It is well-written with much period detail and very likeable characters.
toni avatar reviewed And Ladies of the Club on + 351 more book reviews
Once you get past the slow beginning, this is a great read.
sslowe avatar reviewed And Ladies of the Club on + 80 more book reviews
This book came highly recommended by my sister. I could not get through it. I keep telling myself that I will go back to it and try from where I left off, but it is probably too big for that to ever happen.
reviewed And Ladies of the Club on + 88 more book reviews
Book Description - Amazon
A #1 New York Times bestseller--and an American classic--now in trade paperback...

A groundbreaking bestseller with two and a half million copies in print, "...And Ladies of the Club" centers on the members of a book club and their struggles to understand themselves, each other, and the tumultuous world they live in. A true classic, it is sure to enchant, enthrall, and intrigue readers for years to come.

"A great novel that is American to its core...so gently memorable, so bursting with life, that those who abandon themselves to its pages will find it claiming a permanent place close to their hearts." --New York Daily News

"A warm, evocative, often hilarious picture of society, culture, politics and family life." --Atlanta Constitution

"A warmly human story...never flags from first page to last." --Publishers Weekly

"It is hard to think of a better place to spend the summer than in [Helen Hooven Santmyer's] world." --Cosmopolitan

"Should not be missed by anyone who has enjoyed the works of Sinclair Lewis, Thornton Wilder or even Laura Ingalls Wilder."--UPI

About the Author
Helen Hooven Santmyer was born in 1895 and lived in Xenia, Ohio. In addition to her career as a writer, she worked as an English professor, a dean of women, and a librarian.
reviewed And Ladies of the Club on + 48 more book reviews
1433 pages