Alabama Books

Having been reared in Clay County, Alabama, I have read the book more than once. Grundy has done an outstanding job of portraying varying perspectives of life in this rural county which remains filled with people who are genuinely concerned for one another's well-being. While times have changed, the book brings clearly into focus a treasured way of life which continues to exist today in this area. The book consists of interviews with people from a number of different walks of life who have, through their own experiences, a deep love and respect for life in Clay County, Alabama. This book is a heartwarming reminder of times past and present and of the important things in life.

I would have thought more people would be rating the actual reading of this book, rather than the content. I have loved this book since I read it in high school and have read it several times since then. I have listened to it read by Roses Pritchard and now by Sissy Spacek. Sissy does a terrible job reading: no expression and several mispronunciations. I was embarrassed for her.

I never received this book. Today is July 20,2008. It was ordered back in June.

I love this story. The first I read this was in 8th grade. Years later, I read it again and it still moved me. A wonderful book written by a wonderful author. This is one of those stories that make you think and move you. It is so much more than it seems.

I had never read this book before, but it is awesome! I really enjoyed it and would suggest it to anyone interested in a captivating read.

This is my all time favorite book, wonderful on so many levels. At the end I cried for the loss of the characters in my life. Simply extraordinary.

This book is a must read for people of all ages. The relationships and insight of an African-American family during the 1960's is exceptional. I highly recommend it for grades 3rd-8th.

Birmingham, Alabama in 1963 was still troubled by the violence and was in the heart of the civil rights movement. The author has dedicated this book to four African American girls who died in the Church bombing in Birmingham of that year. The author in his first novel which is an impressive achievement writes about life in Flint, Michigan and growing up there in the wintertime in 1963. His mother would rather raise the family in the warm south, particularly her home state of Alabama. The book is really written for young adults but any adult can read this book and appreciate the realistic dialogue and situations of the Watsons, an African American family, in the midst of the Civil Rights movement.

This is my favorite book! The Watsons Go To Birmingham had me laughing out loud. The book is very clever and has great use of figurative language. I have read many books by Christopher Paul Curtis, but this one is his best! Buy it!!!

The Watson Go to Birmingham-1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Copyright 1995
Fry Reading Level: 7th grade
Pages: 210
Genre: Juvenile Fiction

The author builds up anticipation of the much-expected trip of the Watson family to Birmingham, Alabama. The first half of the book allows the reader to become familiar with the family. Curtis uses humor to engage the reader and provide a highly positive tone about the African American family that lives in Flint, Michigan. The dynamics of the family appear to be usual. There are the parents, one from Flint and the other from Birmingham. The two brothers Kenny (the narrator) and Byron have an interesting love-hate relationship. Kenny is cross-eyed but very bright and respected by teachers at their school. Byron is the "King" of the school, yet he is in danger of repeating grades. Although Byron is the coolest guy in the school this reputation does not affect the relationship of Kenny and the other children. Kenny remains the smart boy with the eye problem that teases his older brother when he has an opportunity to win that upward battle. Joetta is the smallest Watson. Her personality is determined and strong even as she challenges her mother about burning Byron's fingers because he has a pyromaniac period in the household. The relationships between each family member is revealed as the parents, determined to save their wayward son- Byron, plan a trip to Birmingham to show their children how the world really works for African Americans.
The book is an easy-read for 6th, 7th, and 8th grades. The book is not recommended to teach structure or correct grammar. There are some words that are intentionally mis-spelled to help with the tone of the author and the mood of the book. When the family uses southern slang and encounters that when they arrive in Birmingham the grammar is really bad. Students should be aware of the figurative language that is used in the book, as well as the humorous purposes of certain phrases. Foul language and cursing is used in the book particularly with Byron and his mischievous friend Buphead. It is not encouraged to have younger readers use this book due to the certain level of maturity necessary to accept the language and its purpose- to entertain.
This book is highly recommended. The author uses vocabulary and imagery to humor and entertain the reader. A shift does take place when the family arrives in Birmingham and the children notice the differences between Michigan and Alabama. The church in the black community is blown up; an active hate crime against the African American community. The author captures the dynamic of the African American family well and portrays positive and caring relationships between the parents and the children throughout the novel.

Outstanding book that discusses a black family making visit to Birmingham. The book is REALLY humorous and engaging. The book touched on the tragedy of the four little girls who died needlessly in Birmingham. I was thinking that the book would have discussed more racism in Flint. Racism in this country was everywhere and not just in the South. It amazes me that the Watson family never experienced any racial bigotry in Flint. Sundown towns were towns were if you were black, you had to be inside before the sun went down. If not, a person could be lynched for being outside. The book celebrates family and the tight structure of family.

Good one!A+****

This is one of the best well-written books I've read in a long time. His powerful story of a ragged, poverty-filled childhood with an abusive, neglectful, alcoholic father is very compellingly told.

Bragg's focus is on his strong and yet victimized mother. The only nagging thing that bothered me is Bragg's adulation of his mother to the point that he neglects the fact that she bears some responsibility for continually going back to the loser and exposing the kids to the financial and emotional depravation that occurred.

I will read his other books because the writing is so crisp and clean.

In this first volume of his trilogy of family memoir, Rick Bragg (b. 1959) takes us to rural Alabama's deep south, and through his deft story-telling introduces us to his people and their ways. With Shoutin' and his two subsequent bestsellers, Ava's Man (2001) about his maternal grandfather and The Prince of Frogtown (2008) about his father, Bragg has earned an avid readership. It's easy to see why. His family of origin epitomized the poorest of poor white trash. His grandfather could neither read nor write, his grandmother dipped snuff, they picked the banjo, danced a jig, cussed like sailors, drank their homemade moonshine like it was water, and brawled at the slightest insult to defend "honor." Bragg spent one semester in college, then started writing, first high school sports, local stories, anything. In 1993 he won a prestigious Nieman fellowship as a journalist to spend a year at Harvard, and in 1996 he won a Pulitzer for feature writing at the New York Times.

Shoutin' works well at many levels, but it's especially about embracing one's family with all its blessings and curses. Bragg introduces us to his violent alcoholic father who repeatedly abandoned his family until his early death at age forty-one, his two brothers, and most of all to his mother Margaret. In his telling, she's a hero's hero. She was effectively a single mother who raised three boys in destitute circumstances. She picked cotton and did other people's laundry at night, swallowed her pride and accepted welfare, and slept on the sofa in their tiny shack. His chapter on taking her to New York City for his Pulitzer award is worth the book alone. She had never been on a plane before and didn't own a suit case; for her few trips before then she stuffed her clothes in paper bags.

In an interview Bragg once described Shoutin' as a failed effort at revenge. His attitude toward his past is deeply ambivalent. On the one hand, he's deeply proud, as every person should be of their family. With brutal honesty he describes the angry chip he's carried on his shoulder about the endless putdowns and insults about his people. He'd prove the cultural snobs wrong, by God. On the other hand, his journey leaves rural Alabama as only a distant reflection in his rear view mirror as his professional reporting takes him around the world. The revenge he savored would come, he thought, when he finally saved enough money to buy his mother a real house for cash. And he did; it would be "a house of healing." But the day she moved in his two adult brothers brawled in the front yard, and his mother returned to her shack before settling in to the new house. And so, he admits, life and the power of place are far more complicated and rich. Bragg has now come full circle; today he teaches writing at The University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa.

Destined to be a Southern classic, Bragg's "All Over But the Shoutin'" rings true. It is not only a well-written, journalist's memoir, but offers readers who aren't from the South an insightful look at why Southern men often act as they do.

On the one hand the book is a rags-to-riches story about a poor white boy from the cotton fields of northeast Alabama who reads, works and writes his way out of poverty; from being a small-town sportwriter all the way up to to heading the Atlanta office the New York Times and winning the Pulitzer Prize. Like visiting with an old friend and having a glass of ice-tea and an all-afternoon, after-funeral conversation under the shade-tree in the back-yard back home, Bragg recounts his career via the Talladega Daily Home, the Anniston Star, the Birmingham News, the Miami Herald, the LA Times (very briefly), and the New York Times. Running throughout are stories and themes of: the homeless in the mean streets of Miami; the class-structure and deaths, rapes and tortures of Haiti (which he covered two or three times for the Miami paper and the NYT); his year at Harvard as a Nieman Fellow; covering Harlem and the violence experienced by the storeowners from robberies and murders; covering a tornado that hit on a Sunday morning near his hometown in 1994 (and the resulting shock to the faith of those who lost loved ones in a church that day); and, the 1994 Smith murders in Union, South Carolina and the Oklahoma City bombing.

That said, the real theme of the book is his love, concern and focus on his relationship with his mother back near Jacksonville, Alabama, his two brothers -- one older and one younger -- and, how to regard the life and his relationship with an abusive, hard-drinking and usually absent father. Having roots in the Sand Mountain area myself, I can attest to the fact that there must be something in the water (and moonshine) around there as meanness, drinking and sn snake-handling Sunday-morning gospel religion are "par-for-the-course." There's a tightrope facing folks around there trying to rise above their circumstances - it heads upward and, instead of a net, those who slip, fall into a hard life of factory-work, or worse yet, no work at all. Then, clutching for a Bible or the bottle -- and, sometimes both -- men and their families work like hell to survive.

This book will become a must-read for anyone interested in Southern area studies, Southern literature, or just understanding the Southern psyche. While we're all different, I have to admit that the "Southern man" I see throughout this book is similar to those of my own family, and men I've known all my life -- a different breed, with a hard, determined drive to succeed be it through books, muscle or whatever. And, as Bragg points out, though we're every bit as smart in our own way as well-schooled intellectuals, don't mess with the chip on our shoulders -- as that very well may bring out a bit of the rattlesnake that lurks in our dark side.

While not easy to read from cover-to-cover over a few days, it's a great book to place on the bedside table to read a few pages at a time.

I bought this book based upon all the hundreds of positive reviews but almost instantly regretting the purchase. I found Mr. Bragg's writing style annoying. What works in a newspaper article doesn't seem to work for books. Mainly, I found the one liners coy (I think they were supposed to be zingers that put the chapter in perspective or gave it an ironic twist, or tried to overdramatize the chapter.) Whatever the reason, I hated the last lines of each chapter and felt they were smug and insulting. Really, please let me make my own emotional discovery at your words, don't insult me by forcing me to have the same emotional discovery you had when you wrote them.

Another annoying Mr. Bragg's has is another dramatic writers trick of starting many sentences with the same words. For example, the following string of sentences:
"He never said he was sorry.
He never said he wished things had turned out differently."
He never acted like he did anything wrong."

This trick is over used and jolts the reader out of the story. If you don't know what I mean, go to the library and read the prologue. Ugh.

Usually I stop reading a book that is this annoying but it was the only book available to me and I was stuck with it.

I have never read, heard, seen a better picture of the South than that in the first five pages of this book. Not the Scarlett O'Hara fictional Old South, but the real red clay and hard rocky ground of the Upland where the overwhelming majority of people live.
This should be mandatory reading for anyone who trying to understand the current presidential election. You'll learn more about who these people are and why they do what they do than you will by listening to any political pundit or blogger.
It's also a great read. Bragg is a skilled and honest writer who is not afraid to show the whole picture, warts and all.

This book is hilarious! It had me laughing out loud the entire time. It's a must read, for those of you who can handle it.

Chelsea Handler is great at telling stories. I laughed out loud a lot. She really gets herself into hysterical and sometimes sticky situations. Sounds like she's living a pretty interesting life. I can't wait for a 3rd book...

This book is hilarious. I briefly saw another reviewer's comments on the title of the book and it not necessarily following through with an actual one night stand in many cases. But SO WHAT! The book is great. I adored it and found my self laughing out loud.

A friend of mine told me I just HAD to read this. I had no idea who Chelsea Handler was, but I trusted my friend would not recommend a ridiculous book. This is one of the most ridiculous books I've ever read, but I loved every minute of it. Hilarious!

The book was an easy read...Finished it in a couple of hours... It was funny. Was I ROTF LMAO?... eh..Not realy..But ...it was pleasant and produced some giggles..

I read this book maybe 10 years ago and saw the movie version again (not as good as the book) this evening on HBO. So I picked up the book again and remembered how I love this book and considered it as one of my favorite. I love the 4 main characters (esp. Ruth & Idgie) as well as the secondary characters, Big George & Sipsey. You could really feel the love, devotion and depth of their friendship. This is a must read. A classic!

Fried Green Tomatoes by Fannie Flagg was not only insightful for me, but inspired me to live my life to the fullest. I do believe that this could very well be the most inspiring book I have ever read. This novel has multiple stories going on at one time, giving the reader different points of views. It starts in a nursing home, with a daughter in law that is not so exited to see her mother in law every weekend. She stumbles upon an old woman by the name of Mrs. Threadgoode, who is eager to have someone to talk to, and starts to reveal the story of her younger life in Whistle Stop, Alabama. Intrigued with Mrs. Threadgoode's tales, Evelyn, the daughter in law comes to visit the Rose Terrace Nursing home on a regular basis. Throughout all the visits, Mrs. Threadgoode helps Evelyn through many of life's challenges, including menopause.
One theme that I established from this fantastic novel was "There is a gem in every rock.". Mrs. Threadgoode is a major example of this, the nursing home being the rock, and Mrs. Threadgoode being the gem. Through listening to Mrs. Threadgoode's stories, Evelyn is able to conquer challenges in life such as sugary eating habits, and is able to set a foundation for a bright future. Another theme I captured from this novel was to "treat everyone as an equal". Idgie and Ruth, two of the main characters in this book, are in a homosexual relationship, though everyone in Whistle Stop treats them equally. In today's world, I think this value is somewhat overlooked. An additional example of this is when Idgie let's the homeless man work for her in the café, even though he doesn't appear to be the most charming and well kept human being.
Fannie Flagg characterized Idgie as a spunky, fun-loving woman who changed over time. Towards the beginning of the story, Idgie is somewhat impulsive, wild and a little immature as shown when she runs off and proclaims love at the age of fifteen. As Idgie grows, not only physically but emotionally, she becomes more understanding and blossoms into the sort of person that people come to for there problems, or look to, to brighten their day. Another well developed character is Evelyn. In the beginning, Evelyn is anxious, stressed and somewhat disturbed. Mrs. Threadgoode teaches Evelyn to deal with her stress, making Evelyn more patient, and eager to take on life's challenges.
The point of view this novel was written from was third person omniscient. This made the novel even more interesting because I was able to see the thoughts of all of the characters in every different story, clueing me in to the little hints leading to the main plot. I believe Fannie Flagg uses this to give the reader the extra insight.
Over all, I enjoyed this book. It offered an insight into the past which as a teen, I don't see much anymore. This book was hard, and sometimes impossible to put down, and inspired me to re-think my morals and how I judge people. I would highly suggest this book to women and girls high school aged and up for a page-turning, good time.

I loved the movie "Fried Green Tomatoes," and am very glad that I saw it before I read the book, as I believe my opinion of the movie would have been much lower had I reversed the order. The book is fantastic; Fannie Flagg has truly captured the many different eras that this book covers. One would think that her narrative would be confusing, the way it constantly shifts in time; however, it makes perfect sense when you are reading it. 80-something Ninny Threadgoode is living in the Rose Terrace Nursing Home to keep one of her friends company. Evelyn Couch is a depressed housewife who visits her mother-in-law, also a resident of Rose Terrace. While Evelyn's husband Ed visits his mother, Evelyn is befriended by Ninny who tells her tales of Whistle Stop and its cafe, and the assorted characters that were part of her life. Evelyn is eventually lifted from her depression by the positive, spiritual, and spunky spirit of Mrs. Threadgoode.

There are many differences between the book and the movie, although the overall theme of living a moral life and being just plain nice to people is central to both. The book is much more frank in the lesbian relationship between Ruth & Idgie, whereas the movie only hints at it. The ending is different between the two, and I actually found myself moved much more by the book version than the movie's version. I also found the courtroom scene of Idgie's trial to be much funnier in the book; Fannie Flagg's descriptive language of the characters brings them to life and you can picture them very easily in your head.

Do yourself a favor and read this book, even if you don't feel it is necessary because you've seen the movie. It is a rich experience that will make you want to get out your 5 pound skillet and fry up some green tomatoes!

Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe is one of my all-time favorite novels. I don't read very many books more than once. Great Expectations, To Kill a Mockingbird, A Christmas Carol, The Grapes of Wrath get read and re-read, but the book has to be spectacular because there are so many books out there to read and time is limited. Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe is one I read over and over. In fact, the first time I read it, and this is the only book this has happened with, I was so reluctant for it to end that as soon as I finished the last page, I turned back to page one to start again. It is THAT good. Highly recommended!

this is a great book.it goes into alot of detail you dont get in the movie

Gods in Alabamba was a very good book. Hard to put down! I would reccomend it to any of my friends.

From the opening lines, when the author familiarizes the reader with the gods of the title, I was hooked. I bought this book after reading, and loving "Between, Ga" and wasn't disappointed. Many reviews have done great justice to the plot so a synopsis won't be included in this review.

The book is well written; the characters are sharp, complicated and just a little on the crazy side; the plot is well conceived with a very nice mystery to solve; the story moves quickly; and the book is quirky enough to earn the "southern fiction" label it so richly deserves. (A gentle reminder to readers, southern folk aren't crazier than the rest of the world, we just embrace and accept our insanity.) If you are looking for a well written novel with a great story to tell this would be an excellent choice. If you like a book where all is not exactly what it seems, this novel hits the mark. If you enjoy a good laugh, this novel will satisfy your needs. I give this book by highest recommendation.

I really enjoyed this book. The story had captured me by the end of the first chapter, and I couldn't put the book down. I was afraid the story was going to be predictable but I was wrong. I won't give anything away about the ending, but it is definitely unexpected. Jackson's story telling makes you feel as if you have grown up in the town of Possett, AL. The characters are relatable and dynamic. A great summer read!

***Spoilers***I was one of the many who bought this book on its hype and being just twenty minutes from Alabama myself I figured I'd give it a quick peek. One good thing is that I was able to read this entire book in one night-so it's an easy read. There were a few conflicting information as far as the size of Fruiton 3 blocks but it apparently has a mall and a Wal-mart. I'm all for flawed characters but Arlene was nowhere in the realm of being likable. I early on bonded with Florence-taking care of a broken sister and her kid-all off one income and after having an incredible loss herself. With so many inter-racial marriages in my family, I didn't have a problem with Lena and Burr, but I don't think that the author did a good job in showing their connection. What exactly did they have in common? Her sleeping around-like boys think like girls and really considered someone's sister off-limits after hooking up with the other sister. Did you forget this was Alabama? Rose Mae and her high school obsession with her-dreaming about fictional car crashes-where was the author going with this? Sounds like Burr needs to rethink this marriage thing because in a short time, Arlene is going to be as loopy as her mother. The line-There are gods in Alabama started to ride my last nerve. Plus, I don't know how I feel about Jim Beverly's murder. Because when it comes right down to it, he was killed for something he didn't do. Sure, his crime was horrible-but in this case I don't think the punishment fit the crime. Still, I'll probably give this author another try, but I hope she steps up her game on character development and a less contrived and see-through plotting.

Really enjoyed this book. Hilarious & highly entertaining. Could definitely see some of my own family in her descriptions. Great southern humor! Eager to read her other books.

I am a real sucker for uniqueness in a book, and this one has it! There are two stories being told in parallel. Every other chapter tells one story, and vice versa. One story is a dark, sad story of a young boy staying with his uncle, an undertaker, as they experience a tremendous problem in their town with racism and violence. The other story is about his aunt who has taken off cross-country with her husband's head in a lettuce keeper and a hat box in order to appear in the Beverly Hillbillies tv show. I laughed until it hurt, and I cried hard. An amazing book with a story to tell of the place of women and blacks in the southern US in the 1960's. Truly one of my all time favorite books.

This audiobook was fun and interesting to listen to, I had to keep driving to keep listening! I am not selling this because I want to share the humorous, sad and shockingly witty story with others!! I wonder if any of this is true, Mark Chilress?? They say "Tell the truth, and no one will believe you!""
I just LOVED it!

This story is so intriguing because of the main two plots being told simulaneously. Peejoe is such a memorable character...reminds me a lot of Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird. His involvement with the racial issues teach him so much while he's growing up. He's the type of child who doesn't see color. On the other hand, Aunt Lucille is one crazy--but hilarious--broad! Her wild excursions are very entertaining, while shocking at the same time. It's neat how these two characters are going through two completely different things, yet they are both "growing up" and learning pretty much the same lesson about standing up for who you are, not letting anyone put you down, being an individual, etc. Overall, this was a great read...I'd recommend it to anyone.

For once, an author has taken me to places I've never been and has set me up to turn me upside down in the closing pages. There is NOTHING in this story that can be clearly anticipated. Justice does a crazy (and hilarious) turnabout; racism in people in high places is not carefully put away in a neat package to satisfy the transparent do-gooders in our midst. For all his awesome way with humor, Childress takes his reader on a sustained rollercoaster ride into the depths of the integration conundrum which is still very much alive in this country and the heights to which the smallest of us can go.

Part a coming of age story and part awakening--both of a woman who has been kept down by her husband and of the African American community of 1960s Alabama, Crazy in Alabama is one heck of a read.

The story's main characters are Peejoe (Peter Joseph), a 12 year old orphan who was living with his beloved grandmother (Meemaw) until his crazy aunt cut off her husband's head and deserted her children. The aunt, Lucille, is the other main character. At 33, she has six children, a dead husband and a burning desire to make it in Hollywood, which is where she heads after she has committed the grisly murder.

Childress takes on big issues (race relations, oppression of women, the media, mental illness) and displays them unflinchingly. He also shows how there are some folks--leaders (Lucille also becomes some sort of de facto leader of women's issues)--who take advantage of serious situations for their own political gain.

Childress proves himself great in this book. He writes with such deft assuredness that he makes it look easy, but it's not. Clearly a student of popular culture, he weaves details (songs, movies, television) into a fine cloth and makes us feel as though we are right there with him.

Part Southern Gothic, part Hollywood exposé, part political treatise, this book will endure. But above and beyond all that, it's a great read.

I was drawn in, right away, to the characters. LOVED the end-it was so uplifting! An easy, fun read.

What a joy to watch the main character of this book gain peace in his life. Such an uplifting, but certainly not perfect, group of characters were found in this small town. It made me initially yearn to move to a small town, then helped me to see that such characters are all around me if I only open my eyes and my heart to them.

Good characterizations and descriptions. An uplifing story, perfect for Christmas time. My elderly parents both enjoyed reading it, too.

Fannie Flagg Is the Best Writer I have come across in many years. She has a magic on par with Mark Twain. You will fall in love with her novels and I would recommend any and all. I cant say enough good things about her. Even before I finished my first book of hers I ordered all of the rest! I only hope she writes many more as they are each a jewel and a treasure. Happy reading.

This is a touching, heartwarming, picture yourself living there with those people as your friends and neighbors story. It is easy to envision all of the things taking place. This is a good spirit of the season read.

In this book Howard explores the darker side of humanity in the well-cultured, steamy South. It is a story of jealousy, betrayel, and strength in characters united by a common lineage, one that has its own drive of preservation. The readers are swept along as we see just how far those dark, chaotic drives can take the weaker beings among us. We see how these things can indirectly set off a chain of events that force others to change, survive the cataclysmic fall-out that results, and how it can rip apart some relationships while forging others still stronger.

Well, I really enjoyed Linda Howard's To Die For & Drop Dead Gorgeous so I was really looking forward to this book but sadly I was pretty disappointed. As several of the other reviewers stated, the father-daughter relationship REALLY grossed me out. For one of them to think it was o.k. was bad enough but for them both to enjoy it was just disgusting.

My other complaint about this book was that I felt this book was 99% long paragraphs. I feel that if you took all the conversations in this book & put them together it would've only taken up about 15 pages or so. If that. I just got tired of reading paragraph after paragraph for pages on end.

I was extremely excited at the end when I realized that I had no clue who Jessie's killer was. I usually figure stuff like this out which I wish I hadn't so I was pleasantly surprised to see who the killer was. I was however left with some unanswered questions like why did the bad guy in this book do some of the things that he did. I won't elaborate on this because I don't want to spoil anything but I did have some things that I wish were explained better.

Unfortunately, although I've loved the 3 Linda Howard books that I've read, I don't really recommend this book unless you don't mind a really long winded book.

didnt think i was going to like this book based on the simple fact that they are cousins but Oh my what a great book would read again

There is a major yuck factor with the fact that the two main characters are second cousins. Not only that, but a father and daughter have sexual relations which result in a pregnancy! Even putting those disturbing facts aside, the characters in the book were unbelievable as anyone who would exist in real life. Roanna was said to have turned into a hardened woman with a tough outer shell who hadn't laughed in 10 years! I find that hard to believe when within two days of Webb's return, she realizes that she is a confident woman that people like and she had friends. I find that mighty hard to believe!! I don't know of any boring,stick in the mud who never laughs or smiles that actually has friends or is well liked. I am a huge Linda Howard fan, but Shades of Twilight was a miss. I guess everyone is entitled to at least one.

Roanna lost her parents at age 7. She then lived with an evil cousin Jessie who bullied and tormented her constantly for 10 years. Jessie was killed and the relatives at first believed Roanna did it, then later believed Webb did it so he left town for 10 years. He made erroneous assumptions about Roanna and acted like he hated her as he left. He was the only one who cared for her and raised her from age 7, and she felt abandoned. Other relatives came to live in the house with Roanna and treated her badly for the next 10 years. I have four problems with this book.

First, Roanna was too much of a victim and everyone else contributed to it. The grandmother should have done more to protect and help Roanna, especially when Roanna was initially accused of the murder by the relatives. I did not enjoy having the majority of the story dealing with the sadness, grief and helplessness of this victim.

My second complaint is that Roanna and Webb both lusted for and loved each other but they stayed away from each other due to making wrong assumptions. He felt like he forced sex on her, and said it wouldn't happen again. She thought he didn't like sex with her and didn't want her anymore so she said she understood and that she would leave him alone. He said you don't understand anything, but he didn't clarify. She thought he didn't want her. I don't know why he continued to stay away from her. This went on for most of the book. She was honest in her communication, but he was not. Finally when they did get together he said "I've tried to stay away from you." She said "Why." He said "God knows." Later he said "I thought I was being noble by not taking advantage of you." I never did understand his reasons. He should not have stayed away from her like that and should have been more direct in his communication with her.

Third, the author spent too much time inside Roanna's head, thinking and worrying about things. Many of these worries were based on erroneous assumptions or could have been solved. Some of this bored me.

Fourth, I was confused about cousins who shared the same grandmother being able to marry and produce offspring with genetic safety. This sounded like they were too closedly related to me, but I'm not familiar enough with genetics to know.

Sexual language: moderate. Number of sex scenes: nine. Setting: 1990s Alabama. Copyright: 1996. Genre: contemporary romantic suspense.