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laurenscholle's review against another edition
4.0
this was cute but god the ending made me want to sob
sksrenninger's review against another edition
3.0
More like 3.5, but I rounded down.
Fifield's characters are incredible: wonderful, weird, well-rounded, and so true to life. They're a lively and lovable cast.
The story has a lot of potential, but I personally felt like it got lost in everything Fifield wanted to say. The chapters don't really segue into each other as well as I would have preferred; it reads more like a collection of episodes than one driving story arc (and I don't think that was the intention). More than one chapter in the middle of the book starts with "the next day was Sunday" without being preceded by, you know, Saturday, and a similar thing happens with chapters that open with "their next game" or "their fourth game." It also happens with the characters themselves; their relationships seemed to develop offstage (one day Jake is buying books about AA because he doesn't yet understand Rachel but wants to; the next, they are having dance parties).
On the whole, though, charming characters won out. It also reminded me of two of my favorite books from last year, Kitchens of the Great Midwest and The Coincidence of Coconut Cake: all three evoke a fantastic, tender sense of the Midwest. (Is Montana in the Midwest? Let's call it anything in the US that doesn't touch an ocean.) So, read those if you liked this!
Fifield's characters are incredible: wonderful, weird, well-rounded, and so true to life. They're a lively and lovable cast.
The story has a lot of potential, but I personally felt like it got lost in everything Fifield wanted to say. The chapters don't really segue into each other as well as I would have preferred; it reads more like a collection of episodes than one driving story arc (and I don't think that was the intention). More than one chapter in the middle of the book starts with "the next day was Sunday" without being preceded by, you know, Saturday, and a similar thing happens with chapters that open with "their next game" or "their fourth game." It also happens with the characters themselves; their relationships seemed to develop offstage (one day Jake is buying books about AA because he doesn't yet understand Rachel but wants to; the next, they are having dance parties).
Spoiler
Also, the ending felt gratuitously tragic. Why throw that in there?On the whole, though, charming characters won out. It also reminded me of two of my favorite books from last year, Kitchens of the Great Midwest and The Coincidence of Coconut Cake: all three evoke a fantastic, tender sense of the Midwest. (Is Montana in the Midwest? Let's call it anything in the US that doesn't touch an ocean.) So, read those if you liked this!
colleengeedrumm's review against another edition
3.0
I loved Jake - we share a penchant for thrift stores. The characters were interesting, rowdy, and made me want to sit in a bar and walk around a trailer park. There was a lot going on in this book. Many issues were covered and if this is what a small town is like, life can be both very good and very bad.
Thanks to Simon & Schuster for a free copy for an honest review.
Thanks to Simon & Schuster for a free copy for an honest review.
geekwayne's review against another edition
4.0
'The Flood Girls' a debut novel by Richard Fifield is a story about the strange characters that inhabit a small town. It made me think about the town I grew up in.
The book revolves around three characters. Rachel Flood has come back to town after leaving a wake of destruction nine years ago. She is clean and sober now, ready to make amends, but people in town are still not ready to forgive her. Rachel's mother, Laverna, own's The Dirty Shame, the only bar in town. She is none too thrilled to have her daughter back. Rounding out the threesome is young Jake, who lives next to Rachel and spends his free time and money buying flamboyant clothing at the local thrift store, collects rosaries, and listens to Madonna music on his walkman.
There are a variety of weird characters in town, like Red Mabel and Black Mabel. All the volunteer firemen are named Jim. There are a group of female miners that hang out at the bar and get in fights. The softball team is called the Flood Girls, and they are notoriously bad.
The book made me laugh out loud and cry. I could see the ending coming from quite a way away. The writing style is good, but the book leans pretty heavily on stereotypes. There were a few small twists along the way, but I was hoping for something more to happen. Still the story of Rachel making amends and fixing up her dad's old trailer, Jake trying to find his way, and Laverna and her violent friend Red Mabel made for a fun read.
I received a review copy of this ebook from Gallery, Threshold, Pocket Books, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.
The book revolves around three characters. Rachel Flood has come back to town after leaving a wake of destruction nine years ago. She is clean and sober now, ready to make amends, but people in town are still not ready to forgive her. Rachel's mother, Laverna, own's The Dirty Shame, the only bar in town. She is none too thrilled to have her daughter back. Rounding out the threesome is young Jake, who lives next to Rachel and spends his free time and money buying flamboyant clothing at the local thrift store, collects rosaries, and listens to Madonna music on his walkman.
There are a variety of weird characters in town, like Red Mabel and Black Mabel. All the volunteer firemen are named Jim. There are a group of female miners that hang out at the bar and get in fights. The softball team is called the Flood Girls, and they are notoriously bad.
The book made me laugh out loud and cry. I could see the ending coming from quite a way away. The writing style is good, but the book leans pretty heavily on stereotypes. There were a few small twists along the way, but I was hoping for something more to happen. Still the story of Rachel making amends and fixing up her dad's old trailer, Jake trying to find his way, and Laverna and her violent friend Red Mabel made for a fun read.
I received a review copy of this ebook from Gallery, Threshold, Pocket Books, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.
janewhitehurst's review against another edition
3.0
While I thought The Flood Girls was well-written, and at times engaging, I could not connect enough with any of the characters to really make me love it. I finished the book because it was a bookclub pick, but if I wasn't required, I probably would have been fine putting it down unfinished. The novel tells the story of women and a young adult in a small Montana town. It is narrated by 3 characters, Rachel, Laverna, and Jake. Rachel is a recovering alcoholic who has returned home to make amends to her mother, Laverna, who owns the most dangerous bar in town. Jake is Rachel's neighbor, who is twelve and sticks out like a sore thumb. I found Jake to be my favorite character as he dresses only in vintage suits, loves Madonna, and loves reading books super inappropriate for a twelve year old, but of course, (and very predictably) he is killed off 15 pages from the end of the book, taking with him any love I had for the story.
jbarr5's review against another edition
4.0
The Flood Girls by Fifield_ Richard
Story of a woman who returns to her home after her mother has kicked her out of the house.
Small town, less than 1000 people. Lavinia runs the town. Rachel hopes to turn things around after being away 9 years gone.
Story goes back in time to when Jake was a teen and he would peek into others windows.
Rachel is back as she's inherited her dads mobile home but there's not much that works there. She also has to take over for her mother at the bar...
Lots of drama in this town...
I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).
Story of a woman who returns to her home after her mother has kicked her out of the house.
Small town, less than 1000 people. Lavinia runs the town. Rachel hopes to turn things around after being away 9 years gone.
Story goes back in time to when Jake was a teen and he would peek into others windows.
Rachel is back as she's inherited her dads mobile home but there's not much that works there. She also has to take over for her mother at the bar...
Lots of drama in this town...
I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).
vll295's review against another edition
3.0
This book was recommended to me by fellow blogger Melissa. I enjoyed reading about the small town and the shenanigans that take place. The book has a lot of quirky people who do quirky things. There are parts that will make you laugh, others that will make you want to read quickly, and others that were just good. I enjoyed this book.
mariesreads's review against another edition
3.0
Funny and leisurely paced, until the sucker punch at the end. It was a bit jarring and out of place with the tone of the rest of the book, but this was still an enjoyable read.
imabima's review against another edition
4.0
Crazy cast of characters and I ended up loving them all. This was a great read, and I loved the small-town-everyone-knows-everyone's-story. It was such an interesting ensemble and made for a great story.