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archivesgeek's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
timna_wyckoff's review against another edition
3.0
I liked this a little better than this author's first book. Nothing too deep, but good storytelling and interesting characters.
jgintrovertedreader's review against another edition
4.0
Nonny Frett is caught between. She was born into the Crabtree family and secretly adopted into the Frett family, two groups that have been fighting since time immemorial. She wants to divorce her husband but she's caught between lust and lassitude. She's frequently caught between what she wants to do and what she feels like she has to do. How appropriate is it that she lives in a town called Between, Georgia?
I enjoyed this. Parts had me laughing out loud, I was worried sick in other places, and I was ready to slap some characters around in still others. It felt like a real slice of someone else’s life. The whole Hatfield and McCoy thing was a little over the top, but it made for a good story, and gave Nonny a good backdrop against which to grow into herself.
Nonny is thirty years old, but she hasn’t really found herself yet. She’s constantly dissecting herself and her behavior, looking to see if she’s more Crabtree or Frett in the whole “nature vs nurture” dichotomy. She tends to float along in life, either choosing not to make decisions, or content to let others make them for her. In all honesty, I related a little too much to her, so I liked watching her become who she was always meant to be.
I loved Nonny’s mother. She was born deaf and has lost her sight by the time the book takes place. There's no word of complaint from her though. She's actually the rock of the family. She's an artist, she's wise, and she takes care of business. Her sister Bernese would argue, but Stacia is the one they rely on to keep them anchored.
Nonny’s family is practically all women. She has an aunt Bernese that is a holy terror. She’s supposed to be going through a “bad patch” in the book, but since that’s all I saw of her, I didn’t like her at all. Nonny’s birth grandmother, Ona, is possibly even worse. She’s mean, she’s drunk, she’s manipulative, and she’s lonely. It’s a bit of a lethal combination. But even these two manage to grow, and I found myself seeing through their eyes a little by the time everything was over.
This would be a good book club book. There are lots of things to discuss here, the various ways that females relate to each other and hurt and heal each other being chief among them. Life in a small town and that whole “nature vs. nurture” thing would invariably come up as well. Any red-blooded women are probably going to talk about the men in the book too. Oh my! I’m a sucker for a fictional man with long hair, especially if I get to “watch” him let it down, literally and figuratively. Is it a little steamy in here? ;-)
After all the good stuff I just said, I can only bring myself to give this three and a half stars. There’s no real reason except that I enjoyed it while it lasted, but I don't think I'll remember it very long. I do recommend it if you're looking for a family drama with touches of humor.
I enjoyed this. Parts had me laughing out loud, I was worried sick in other places, and I was ready to slap some characters around in still others. It felt like a real slice of someone else’s life. The whole Hatfield and McCoy thing was a little over the top, but it made for a good story, and gave Nonny a good backdrop against which to grow into herself.
Nonny is thirty years old, but she hasn’t really found herself yet. She’s constantly dissecting herself and her behavior, looking to see if she’s more Crabtree or Frett in the whole “nature vs nurture” dichotomy. She tends to float along in life, either choosing not to make decisions, or content to let others make them for her. In all honesty, I related a little too much to her, so I liked watching her become who she was always meant to be.
I loved Nonny’s mother. She was born deaf and has lost her sight by the time the book takes place. There's no word of complaint from her though. She's actually the rock of the family. She's an artist, she's wise, and she takes care of business. Her sister Bernese would argue, but Stacia is the one they rely on to keep them anchored.
Nonny’s family is practically all women. She has an aunt Bernese that is a holy terror. She’s supposed to be going through a “bad patch” in the book, but since that’s all I saw of her, I didn’t like her at all. Nonny’s birth grandmother, Ona, is possibly even worse. She’s mean, she’s drunk, she’s manipulative, and she’s lonely. It’s a bit of a lethal combination. But even these two manage to grow, and I found myself seeing through their eyes a little by the time everything was over.
This would be a good book club book. There are lots of things to discuss here, the various ways that females relate to each other and hurt and heal each other being chief among them. Life in a small town and that whole “nature vs. nurture” thing would invariably come up as well. Any red-blooded women are probably going to talk about the men in the book too. Oh my! I’m a sucker for a fictional man with long hair, especially if I get to “watch” him let it down, literally and figuratively. Is it a little steamy in here? ;-)
After all the good stuff I just said, I can only bring myself to give this three and a half stars. There’s no real reason except that I enjoyed it while it lasted, but I don't think I'll remember it very long. I do recommend it if you're looking for a family drama with touches of humor.
bethbarron's review against another edition
3.75
This was a sweet read. The characters are a little over the top and the southern phrases are plenty. One of the supporting characters has Ushers syndrome, which was a unique addition. Overall, I really enjoyed this. It's not going to blow your mind but it's nice.
judithdcollins's review against another edition
3.0
A book about rivalries (which are quite popular in the South) and small deep south towns. Of course Joshilyn Jackson gives the audio book some great humor as she narrates, and includes likeable characters (Hatfields vs. McCoys), quirky, and fun banter between all parties. An array of independent women, outspoken, sassy, and families which stick together and protect their own. The book is about total family dysfunction; however, is a heartfelt story and of course as always, entertaining --loved Bernice!
Jackson does a job explaining Usher’s Syndrome and the independence of people who are deaf-blind. The details of the interpreter’s life, and differences between city and county life. I would highly recommend her latest book “Someone Else’s Love Story”, “My Miraculous”, as well as “Backseat Saints”-currently reading “God’s In Alabama” and loving it!
Jackson does a job explaining Usher’s Syndrome and the independence of people who are deaf-blind. The details of the interpreter’s life, and differences between city and county life. I would highly recommend her latest book “Someone Else’s Love Story”, “My Miraculous”, as well as “Backseat Saints”-currently reading “God’s In Alabama” and loving it!
barbaraskalberg's review against another edition
4.0
This book made me very happy. :) It didn't hurt that the author sounded like Reese Witherspoon from Sweet Home Alabama reading it.
ridgewaygirl's review against another edition
4.0
Between, Georgia tells the story of Nonny, from her birth in Bernice Frett's entryway, through her quiet upbringing by two spinster sisters, one deaf and the other subject to crippling bouts of anxiety, and her attempts to divorce her feckless husband, who is still trying to get his band some traction. Nonny is also the center of unrest in her small town. Born to a frightened, teenage member of the shiftless and criminal Crabtree family, but raised by the prominent Baptist Frett family, Nonny's existence heightens the tension between them.
Joshilyn Jackson's books are marketed as pleasant women's fiction, but to consider them as such is to ignore her biting wit and deep understanding of what it means to be a Southerner. These are strong women, molded into steel, but with that thin coating of perfect manners to hide the sting of their words. There are people getting by on cheap booze and disability checks who have as much kindness in them as the woman who is raising her granddaughter to be quietly terrified that her friend who goes to the Methodist church is going to hell. All that in a charmingly-told story of eccentric people in a small town. Jackson writes with both love and a clear eye.
Joshilyn Jackson's books are marketed as pleasant women's fiction, but to consider them as such is to ignore her biting wit and deep understanding of what it means to be a Southerner. These are strong women, molded into steel, but with that thin coating of perfect manners to hide the sting of their words. There are people getting by on cheap booze and disability checks who have as much kindness in them as the woman who is raising her granddaughter to be quietly terrified that her friend who goes to the Methodist church is going to hell. All that in a charmingly-told story of eccentric people in a small town. Jackson writes with both love and a clear eye.
hatrireads's review against another edition
3.0
This was an Audible listen for me and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Great fun story for a long car ride. Engagingly read by the author.