Bingo [Paperback]

Rita Mae Brown (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 6, 1999

In the sequel to her beloved Six of One, Rita Mae Brown returns with another witty tale of passion and rivalry in the small Southern town of Runnymede, Maryland. Newspaper editor Nickel Smith is scrambling to save the local paper from corporate extinction, even as she is engaged in an affair that would shock the town as much as it amazes Nickel herself. Meanwhile, her mother, Julia, and her aunt Louise, the infamous Hunsenmeir sisters, who’ve set the town on its ears for decades, keep an eagle eye on Nickel. No matter that she’s a grown woman and that they’re going on ninety; they need someone to gossip about! Not even the town’s weekly bingo games can keep Louise and Julia out of trouble when Ed Tutweiler Walters, an eligible newcomer, arrives in town—and has the sisters fighting over him like schoolgirls. A telling look at the foibles of modern relationships, Bingo is full of wisdom about the comforts, trials, and absurdities of small-town life and especially of our own nearest and dearest.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The author of Rubyfruit Jungle packs an astonishing number of characters and severed loyalties into this amusing, poignant tale, set in fictional Runnymede, Md., a town divided by the Mason-Dixon line, where feuds erupt with the regularity of the weekly bingo night. The queens of contention are the octogenarian Hunsenmeir sisters (introduced in Six of One ), who slug it out with repartee and second-childhood antics when both fall in love with visiting widower Ed Tutweiler Walters. Nickel Smith, daughter and niece of the Hunsenmeir sisters, has reached her late 30s with well-defined roles in the community: as a respected journalist for the Clarion and as a tacitly accepted (read discreet) lesbian. But Nickel's history comes unraveled when she falls into an affair with her best friend's husband, and the newspaper is sold to big-money interests. Along with sketches of zany homegrown characters, Brown offers unpredictable plot resolutions that reinforce her reputation as a writer unafraid of new directions. Similar to, although not as much fun as, Six of One , this is vintage Brown nevertheless. 75,000 first printing; $75,000 ad/promo; author tour.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Library Journal

The Hunsenmeir sisters, Louise and Juliafirst encountered in Six of One ( LJ 9/1/78)have been fierce rivals almost from the cradle. Now in their 80s, they're competing for the affections of the new man in town . The town of Runnymede watches gleefully as the sisters battle it out, although Julia's daughter wishes they'd pick another time. She needs all her energy to deal with two surprising new relationships and the possible loss of her job. A rowdy bingo game, an unexpected pregnancy, and the cannon in the town square combine to produce an explosive climax. Brown paints an entertaining picture of the tangled web of small-town relationships. Her cast of lovable eccentrics is the novel's real strength . A rollicking good book. Beth Ann Mills, New Rochelle
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 273 pages
• Publisher: Bantam (July 6, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553380400
• ISBN-13: 978-0553380408
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.8 x 8.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #800,672 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Rita Mae Brown is the bestselling author of the Sister Jane novels-Outfoxed, Hotspur, Full Cry, The Hunt Ball, The Hounds and the Fury, The Tell-Tale Horse, and Hounded to Death-as well as the Sneaky Pie Brown mysteries and Rubyfruit Jungle, In Her Day, Six of One, and The Sand Castle, among many others. An Emmy-nominated screenwriter and a poet, Brown lives in Afton, Virginia.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Three cheers for Runnymeade!, January 10, 2002

By 

Dianna Johnston "Compulsive Reader" (Joplin, MO) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bingo (Paperback)

Those crazy Hunsenmeir sisters are back, and this time, it's personal.... Julia and Louise, after 80+ years of sibling rivalry, still don't have it right. And when Ed Tutwieler Walters saunters into Friday night bingo, the fireworks are on autopilot. Vying for the attentions of the town's newest bachelor, Julia and Louise pull out all the stops. And often at hilarious consequences....

Told through the perspective of Julia's adopted daughter, Nickel, readers are treated to small town life in all its glory. Gossip, disputes, affairs, friendships and, yes, even pesky family troubles, run amok in Runnymeade, Maryland, and Rita Mae Brown uses every ounce of her literary talent to create this unforgettable story. I was very impressed by what I read, and despite all their cat-fighting, Julia and Louise are two women I'd love to have lunch with!

I read the first book in the Hunsenmeir series, Six of One, a couple years ago, and I truly enjoyed Bingo so much more. Funnier and more wisecracking, Bingo will have readers yearning for weekly bingo dates in the Catholic Church basement, socializing at the town square, and the chance to take your pets with you everywhere you go, even to the doctor's office during your annual check-up. Wonderfully endearing. Can't wait for Loose Lips.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointed after Rubyfruit Jungle, October 3, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Bingo (Mass Market Paperback)

I really was bored with this book. I had found a great author (and still think she is) after Rubyfruit Jungle and Six of One, but Bingo was a BIG disappointment for me. I was bored stiff and found myself reading and re-reading lines because I'd fallen asleep. Read Rubyfruit Jungle or Six Of One for some great entertainment.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars HYSTERICAL!!!! I COULD NOT STOP LAUGHING!!!!!!, October 29, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Bingo (Mass Market Paperback)

A girlfriend of mine from work lent me the book - you've got to read it she said. As I was reading the book, people thought I was crazy because I would just "bust out" laughing constantly. I could not put the book down! I knew nothing about the author, Rita Mae Brown, at the time. A few months later I ran into another girlfriend who was a "big" Rita Mae fan. She has lent me "Six of One" and I'm about half way through it - it is just has hysterical. My suggestion: Read "Six of One" first and then read "Bingo" (Have "Bingo" on your lap when you finish "Six of One" because you will not want the story to end!)