Bonnie S. (Bonnie) - reviewed Quite a surprise on 11/18/2008 + 422 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 5

I was looking for something light and fun to read, and assumed this would be a Fannie Flagg-type of book, or one like Clyde Edgerton's Walking Across Egypt, or maybe something similar to the Mama books. It started out that way, 2 fiesty, near over-written elderly ladies going on a road trip to Bessie Smith's grave...cute, almost too cute. But then it gradually changed, evolved. The bones of the story hardened, it grew muscle, adding strength to the prose, the plot. These two are more than the typical sweet yet gritty old ladies, they are women of substance. The trip itself became incidental as we relived their lives through memories, right up to the end. A surprising novel, a satisfying read. I'd definitely read more by this author.

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