Customer Reviews

Mermaids in the Basement

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I gave this book a five star rating because I could never find a good "stopping place". You know how you tell yourself that you'll put the book up at the end of the chapter? Well, I couldn't help myself; I just had to keep reading. It has elements of romance, drama, and suspense along with a few laughs. I highly recommend it. :0)

Michael Lee West lives on a farm near Lebanon, Tennessee, surrounded by her husband and a large variety of animals, both farm and domestic. This hardly qualifies her to write sophisticated, comic romances set in surprising locales. But she's done just that in novels like "Crazy Ladies" and "Mad Girls in Love."
Now, she has surpassed herself with "Mermaids in the Basement," the story of a woman who has to go home to comfront all the ghosts of her past. What she discovers, however, is a very-current mystery and an old trunk that turns out to be sort of a Pandora's Box...it releases even more mysteries of her past.
All this is written in a wonderfully witty style. How can you resist a book that opens: "If I had not read the cover story in the March 2, 2000, National Inquirer, it's doubtful that I would have gone to Alabama and ruined my daddy's engagement party, much less sent the bride-to-be into a coma."
West is a very Southern writer. Her swift prose paints authentic portraits of people, places, and things Southern. You'll swear you can smell the magnolias. But there is no Southern Gothic here, despite the unpleasant events at the heart of this book. This is a romantic South peopled by ladies and gentlemen you wish were real.
West's prose is simple, and her style seems to be simple as well. That's deceptive. While her work is witty and romantic and very easy to read, there are all sorts of things going on under the surface.

From Chapter 1 when you first meet Renata DeChavannes you will not want to put this one down. You become quickly drawn into her life, her feelings and emotions.

As she begins to face her past, going home to the South, you are caught up in each chapter. Each character will inspire empathy and possess charming attributes. I would be surprised if you don't find a common trait with each one you encounter.

This story has many layers and as I unfolded each one I found the story to be intriguing, charming, and amusing.

This was my first read of Michael Lee West. I found it to be an excellent read, full of surprises and hard to put down. I look forward to the next one.

Carrying twenty extra pounds is enough of a load, but Renata DeChavannes rationalizes that she has earned every pound. Five months ago her mother and stepfather died in a plane crash leaving Renata bereft. Recently the National Examiner ran a feature about her boyfriend award winning movie director Ferguson Lauderdale having an affair with actress Esme Vasquez while filming on location in Ireland Joyce's Ulysses. Finally her father Louie informs her that he is marrying again for the nth time with someone younger than her.

However, all that goes on the back burner when Renata obtains a message from her late mom insisting she go "home" to learn her "dirty secrets." A chance to escape Hollywood and her current case of writer's block, Renata leaves for the Alabama's Gulf Coast. There she will do her mom's bidding while seeing the steel magnolia make that tungsten magnolia triad of her grandmother Honora DeChavannes, Renata's former nanny Gladys Boudreaux and longtime friend former actress Isabella D'Agostina McGeehee.

Although the myriad of subplots needs a scorecard (or perhaps a flow chart) to keep track of, fans will enjoy this amusing slice of southern life. The women including Renata's late mother come across as fully developed formidable people while the men especially her boyfriend and her dad seem emaciated in comparison. Still readers will appreciate this humorous but discerning look at you can come home even if a major part of what made it home has passed on.

Harriet Klausner

Ms. West never fails to make the South come alive. As other reviewers have already said, you can smell the gradenias & taste the mint juleps. Soutern stories are my favorite & Mrs. West is one of the best. I loved all the characters, even Isabella, and thought her tricks very creative. Only the South could have such eccentric characters and Mrs. West can bring them alive. I just wish Mrs West could write faster & give us more great southern stories.

After reading about half of this book, I have returned here to re-read what in the world I might have found here that convinced me to buy this book. And I bought it without even downloading a sample first (to my Kindle). Another review mentions mistakes that an editor should have caught - but it's more than that. The mistakes are the kind that reveal huge problems in the whole construction of a story about people that are very difficult to relate to.

As a plot vehicle (I guess), the author has conjured up an uncle's birthday party in another state that the whole family flies off to attend. One chapter begins telling us that the birthday party is in the evening, and goes on to describe what the family does in the mean time. Then the first sentence 2 paragraphs later tells us it is now 2 hours before the "rehearsal dinner". The writer obviously started to make this plot vehicle a wedding, and then decided it should be a birthday party (because there's already a wedding elsewhere in the book - another tortured plot scheme). Wow. Forget an actual professional editor - did the author even have someone else - anyone else - read through the book first?

The characters are conveniently ultra rich people, and the conflict in the piece seems to revolve around past family infidelity (a shock to the tender psyche of the 30-something protagonist) and whether the main character's famous boyfriend is having an affair with the star one of his movies. I'm not sure of much more than that because I really don't care enough to continue reading.

I wish I'd read the reviews more closely.

I'm a city girl who has never been to the south, but reading this novel has given me fantastic insight into the world of these southern belles/gentlemen. The plot and various stories within the story were brilliantly woven! This type of book would make a marvelous movie. So many different types of characters that seem to fit perfectly into the scenario. I love this book!

Michael Lee West has beautifully written an engaging tale of a young woman's quest to uncover the secrets of her eccentric southern family. It tells the story of Renata DeChavannes, a screenwriter struggling with career problems and the tragic loss of her mother. When a tabloid article suggests her film director boyfriend is having a fling, a heartsick Renata seeks consolation at the Alabama gulf coast home of her grandmother. Her mother's old trunk reveals the full story of her parent's love, marriage and divorce. Unveiling these secrets allows her a deeper understanding of her family, herself and her estranged father. Ms. West's magnificent writing brings the poignant story to life. Her beautiful descriptions delightfully evoke all the charm and culture of the South. The characters are intriguing, endearing and provide many laugh-out-loud moments. I absolutely loved this captivating story and found I could truly relate to these characters in many ways. You simply must read this compelling page-turner!!

I just love Michael Lee West. I've read almost all her books, and this one did not disappoint! My absolute favorite genre of book is Southern Fiction, and 'Mermaids...' is about as southern as it gets.

I won't re-hash the story since it's already been done here many times, but this is absolutely a page turner! I was a little surprised at just how much Renata had forgotten about her own childhood, and the difficult, tumultuous relationship between her mother and father, but listing to Honora, Gladys, and Isabella (my personal favorite!) re-tell them for her was a treat.

As for the ending, I'll admit, I saw it coming a mile away. There was certainly no surprise there, but I was pleased with it. Apparently, some characters from her previous novel 'Mad Girls In Love' make an appearence...unfortunately I read that book so long ago I have no recollection of what it was about, which was a bit of a bummer. I tried to remember Bitsy's side of her marriage to Louie, but just couldn't, so you may want to read that book first, though it's definitely not necessary. Overall, a great southern read, and as always, I look forward to Ms. West's upcoming novel's!

I am a fan of southern writers who are GOOD writers and bring up visions of childhood. I loved this book, and found that I couldnt put it down! The older women in this story remind me of the Ya-Ya's somewhat but more sassy. I could smell the ocean and the humidity from the gardenias and magnolias in the writing... it pulls you in and I found myself angry when my herion was angry, sad when she was sad, moved when she was moved. Its worth a read. I also recommend Girls Who Ride In Trucks.