From Publishers Weekly
For 30 years, six Southern college friends—the Same Sweet Girls—have been gathering for a biannual reunion. As King's wry, touching novel begins, the girls are nearing 50 and coming to terms with the life decisions they've made. Corrine Cooper gains renown as a folk artist, but battles clinical depression with the help of a manipulative psychiatrist who later becomes her husband; Lanier Brewer is separated after a brief, ill-advised fling; exotic Astor Deveaux, a former Broadway dancer, flirts wildly with men but remains with her husband, a famous painter 33 years her senior; Julia Dupont is trapped in a passionless marriage and an overscheduled life as Alabama's first lady; Byrd and Rosanelle round out the group. When one of the SSGs becomes terminally ill, the remaining friends are spurred to resolve their own problems before she dies. Corinne, Julia and Lanier rotate as first-person narrators, but King (
The Sunday Wife) does little to distinguish their voices, and the parade of characters and stories can be hard to follow at first. Once the names fall into place, however, the story's gentle Southern humor and warmth shine. It isn't all iced tea and tomato pie—King tackles some troubling issues—but the characters are true to life, and readers will sympathize with their struggles.
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Patricia Kalember masterfully narrates this story of college pals who remain lifelong friends. She portrays each of the women, who voice alternating chapters, with gentle Georgia and Alabama accents, and perfectly characterizes "Miss Cotton" with an exaggerated drawl. As they help each other through abusive marriages, divorces, and illnesses, Kalember portrays their sorrows with touching emotion. She easily transitions to a lighter tone as the group reenacts its delightfully silly queen contest. She gives special attention to the author's directives, applying appropriately condescending airs to a couple of "holier than thou" characters and actually yawning on cue. Listeners will enjoy Kalember's strong performance as they applaud the growth and strength of the Same Sweet Girls. J.J.B. © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine--
Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
