Customer Reviews

Georgia Bottoms: A Novel

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Mark Childress does it again. He fires an opening salvo that grabs your funny bone and won't let go. But for careful readers there's more meat to the matter. An assessment of conservative values in small town American lampoons the usual suspects and points a wicked finger at sex, drugs, religion, and the ties that bind. And since we're south of the Mason Dixon line, he can't help but take the pulse of race relations and throw in a status report on gays and lesbians for good measure. You'll be highly amused but won't be able to ignore his overarching theme of what makes each of us an insider or an outsider and how we can cross that line in the blink of an eye. His characters race by the mile markers that define our lives -- work, gender, race, sexual preference, religion, wealth, and parental affection or lack thereof -- trying hard to give us a reason to exist in the cosmos. As usual, this writer is slyly subversive - first seducing you with broad humor and then daring you to think.

I'll be honest. I'm a huge Childress fan and have relished all of his novels from the first word to the last (if you haven't read "Tender," well...), so it is hardly surprising that I enjoyed Georgia as much as I did. I loved her and the steamy town from which she hails, drawn with a drawl that few have captured so well or to such fine effect. This is a wild ride that displays Childress's sleight of hand at every turn -- who else can stab so deeply into damning Southern truths while still making the place so embracing and enticing that you want to leave right this minute and go see it for yourself. And, a word to the wise: savor the last pages, even though you'll be tempted to race to the end. You'll be glad you did. A great, wonderful ride through charming insanity wrought with the adept touch of a master.

A seven-drawer locked dresser....one for each day of the week. What is in each drawer?....well, all the things Georgia needs to make her nightly lovers believe they are the only one....pictures of their mother, their favorite clothes, anything to make them feel "special." When one of the lovers' wives finds out about the affair, nothing to do but empty that drawer....oh well......done.

Georgia had enough of this worry for now...she had her September luncheon to think of. She couldn't disappoint the ladies...they looked forward to this luncheon each year, and she certainly couldn't let them know how poor she really was.

She hadn't always been poor, and she hadn't always been the pillar of society either....but then a letter arrived from someone who was keeping a secret for 20 years and who she told there was NO contact allowed whether it was in writing or through a phone call....this definitely wouldn't work for her. Things were not turning out the way Georgia had planned. Everything ALWAYS went her way...she couldn't have this happen. She will just send more money this time....yes...send more money and it would be taken care of, but then she found another letter as she was cleaning and that changed everything even more. What will she do now? She knew...she always had a plan....and what a great plan. You will love the book....it was funny and had everyday situations that at times we all have to deal with.

This book had me laughing from the first page....I knew she was another Scarlet O'Hara even before the author commented about it. I really enjoyed the book, and will definitely be reading his other books. 5/5

I enjoyed this book, and it main character Georgia. I like the way Childress developed the character of Georgia, and also Georgia's mother. It isn't my ususal type of reading, so a bit "fluffy" for me. I don't mean that in a demeaning way, just thought of it as a fun and entertaining read.

The first couple of pages were sort of off-putting, for me anyway, since Georgia is an atheist who never misses church and is having an affair with the preacher. I didn't think I was going to like her character enough to read the book, but I'm glad I stayed with it. The book is full of interesting people- her best friend, Krystal, the men in her life, her Mama who hates black people. I know- that sounds terrible, but she has dementia and is very funny. And when Georgia's black 20 year old son shows up- Mama really heats things up. So I kept reading and finished the book in a day.

Two things that were handled in a way that was so subtle that they almost could have been missed, but had a great deal to do with the story. The events of 9/11 was one, and without giving away the ending, I was stunned by the last couple of paragraphs. I certainly didn't see the ending coming-- I had to re-read it twice. I love surprises like that in a book. It shows me that the author wasn't just writing an entertaining book but he incorporated actual events into the story at the end without even mentioning what they were. Good job !

Georgia Bottoms is a delicious, frothy read. Mark Childress shows brilliance in developing Georgia's long-suffering debutante character, her no-account brother, and a mother with dementia. Childress, born in Monroeville, Alabama, depicts the fictional southern town of Six Points with wit and a sharp edge only a true insider can wield.

Yes, there's the initial shock value:

- Georgia's "creative" means of supporting her family

- A cast of unhappily married men who contribute to her cause

- Plenty of colorful language

- And observations aplenty regarding race relations, gender, tradition, and wealth

As I reminded my husband ... it's FICTION! (Love you, honey xoxo)

The story begins with Georgia revealing that the Bottoms family is destitute. Georgia alone is left to uphold the family's genteel image and pristine reputation. On the exterior, she is a perfect daughter. Georgia attends church every Sunday, sells handmade quilts for a modest profit, and is known for hosting lovely parties.

But, Childress, being a master of entertainment, throws challenges at Georgia with the accuracy of a circus knife thrower. Behind her perfectly groomed exterior, Georgia keeps an obsessive work schedule to rival Oprah's, obsesses about finances, and approaches life with a determination worthy of a true steel magnolia.

Georgia's constantly evolving schemes and cover-ups are dizzying. You know for certain she's no fool when she manages to avoid public embarrassment by fainting in the aisle during Sunday church service. The day a man from her past shows up in Six Points (and it's not who you think!) Georgia's true guilt, anxiety, and conflicted nature are revealed to the reader.

Only when Georgia falls for a new suitor, and allows her fiercely protected emotions to get in the way, do the hairline cracks in her grand plan really start to show.

If you liked Crazy in Alabama, Georgia Bottoms will surely satisfy. Georgia Bottoms boasts plenty of secrets, a suspicious trail of money, and a cast of characters who all appear to be something they're not.

Mark Childress handles his heroine with humor but, in turn, dares the reader to think beyond social norms and stereotypes. How far should a person go to save face? What price should one pay to maintain one's status in a community? Should a person who's built a lovely façade to help her family lose everything when the walls crumble? Is it ever too late for redemption? Finally, Childress suggests this: while it's necessary to make amends with people we've hurt, it is equally important to forgive ourselves.

Georgia Bottoms is a story about discovering one's true self and deciding to live a life that's honest and true.

[...]

Georgia Bottoms is beautiful, full of southern charm and goes to church every Sunday. She also cares for her elderly mother and sells hand made quilts all around Six Points, Alabama.

But she is also a woman with a secret life. She entertains some of the town's finest male citizens at night. Six different men and each has his particular night of the week and the night is customized to his particular tastes. They have all been trained to leave her a "gift" to help Georgia take care of herself and her mother. Plus each gentleman caller thinks he's the only lover enjoying Georgia's company.

Things start to fall apart when Georgia's minister, Mr. Saturday Night, decides to confess his sins to his wife and the entire congregation one Sunday morning. She manages to cause a diversion to stop this confession, but knows if she doesn't do something quickly her entire private life will become public knowledge. She has to protect her mother and herself. Six Points, Alabama will never be the same.

Yes, I loved this story so much. I think it will definitely become a sort of Southern Classic. It is funny and heartbreaking. The entire town seems totally dysfunctional and perfect together at the time.

It amazed me that Georgia was able to keep up this ruse as long as she did, but Mark Childress is such a great writer I bought the whole thing, hook, line and sinker. Maybe it's the Alabama heat that drives what would almost be called insanity of this town, but I loved it, each and every word. I may be a little biased here because I live far from the south but have learned that pastors can be some of the most hypocritical persons on the earth, so I had no trouble buying into this pastor's story or the replacement.

Childress has created a strong be it offbeat heroine. I had read several reviews before I read this book and some people actually hated it and hated Georgia. After reading it myself I decided those who panned this book must not have had much of a sense of humor, this book is comedic look at not only southern life but life anywhere. Every word may not be politically correct but with some minor changes like a long cold winter instead of a long hot summer this could easily have taken place in North Dakota as Alabama. Do any of really know what is happening behind the closed doors of our neighbors?

This is a great book to "escape" with and it will definitely tickle your funny bone. It is my first book my Mark Childress but it most definitely is not my last!!!

Disclosure of Material Connection: This book was my personal collection. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 : "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

I read this book while I was relaxing on a cruise recently and I loved it so much that it was hard to put down! The characters were endearing and even though Georgia was not "main stream" as far as her evening activities were concerned, she was endearing and you were rooting for her all the way!

"I know Rosa Parks when I see her ."

I love the lapidary resolve of this phrase, even if it isn't precisely the theme of Mark Childress's fine new novel Georgia Bottoms.

Like one of the greatest southern novels ever, Dog of the South by Charles Portis, Mr. Childress writes with a detached, nearly orphic point of view. His title character, Georgia Bottoms, makes her living recreating the sex fantasies of a series of Southern-archetype lovers, a taciturn old sheriff, a Baptist minister with a superb anti-gravity hairdo, a wise Atticus of a lawyer, etc., one for every day of the week. Most of the time, Georgia sweetly and nervously makes a superhuman effort to main the artificial status quo of their various dreams. To her, the earth is an ant farm, and overall she admires the tireless felicity of the ants. But her private intent, once she states it to herself, is to abandon her do-nothing hillbilly haystack of a burg and move to New Orleans which she envisions in a Grand-Ole-Opry daze as the Paris of Dixie. When she finally (together with her Flannery O'Connor family: brother-convict, delusional-mother, dunce- mulatto son) gets down to epic Highway 10, (SPOILER ALERT!) they comes upon the evacuation of the City that Care Forgot. However, Georgia doesn't recognize the disaster; Hurricane Katrina, like beads, is just another part of New Orleans' ant farm charm!

At the end, the main characters, like the people who will read the novel, are helplessly left in the wake of George W. Bush's ineptitude. (Did Mr. Childress give Georgia Bottoms her initials by design? ) Georgia's great gift is the gift of believing that these horrible things cannot possibly be happening. This belief keeps her heading straight into the storm. Like the mythically insensitive narrator of Dog of the South, this ant will own the farm.

Mr. Childress has, as far as I know, avoided sequels, which is something of a pity. I would love to see Mizz Georgia face down the Obamapocolypse This is not my point of view, but you know what I'm talking about. (We all know Rosa Parks when we see her.)

...for the rest of us it is a window on their soul. I married into a Southern family and the author must know my in-laws, I live in a small Southern town (alone, now) and the rhythm of daily life is the same as in that book. I don't know who is doing the heavy lifting for the preacher, the banker, the doctor and the judge in my town but judging by their heavy breathing and longing looks somebody needs to.

The book is funny, the characters are a little over the top (not much) but, hey, it is fiction and very entertaining.