Customer Reviews

The Red Hat Club

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I've lived in the Atlanta area for sixteen years and I thought I might be bored by the familiar in Red Hat Club. References to locations and landmarks, like Piedmont Ave, The Varsity and AJC. I questioned the use of the Jenny Jones Red Hat reference as been there done that. I sort of even resisted, trying to be aloof and objective, certainly not wanting to be swayed by all the things I had in common with the protag, Georgia; same age, similar life questions and experiences. I wanted to be cool and sophisticated and not invest anything in the other characters, Teeny, Linda, Diane and SuSu either because I prefer to believe that modern Southern women are not stereotypical airheads.

My ploy didn't work. I was putty in Haywood's hands by the end of chapter two. From then on, I just relaxed and enjoyed it and before it was over I found I was not only invested in the women of the Red Hat Club, I felt as though I could have fit right into their tight circle and would if they'd invite me.

I read for many reasons, pleasure, stimulation, information. But sometimes it's good to curl up on a rainy (North Georgia) Sunday and read an easy, lighthearted tale that tugs at your own memories of misspent youth and lost dreams. Sometimes that's all I need. But if I can turn the last page feeling I know the characters and wishing to read more about them, the author has done her job and what more can you ask of a work of fiction?

I was and she did.

THE RED HAT CLUB is an amazing book that takes you through the lives of five women (who met in high school) and how they stick together through marriage troubles, kids, abusive husbands, cheating men, going-nowhere jobs, and middle age. They belong to a group called THE RED HAT CLUB where they where purple suits and red hats and meet for lunch once a month (this club is a real thing across America). I love the way the women band together to bring justice to a cheating husband, and how another has to face the one man she still fantasizes about (not her husband!) after all these years. It's just such a treat to read a book about the bonds of female friendship. Get this book and get one for your best friend, too!

An inspiring story about 5 women who have been friends forever. The story takes place in Atlanta, GA, where the ladies meet monthly for a day spent eating, drinking, talking, and reminiscing. The characters have spent a lifetime sharing happiness, tragedy, failure, and success and the book has time flashes of when the women were very young and just getting started in Life. There is a wonderful surprise ending. I highly recommend this book and I enjoyed reading it very much. I can't wait for the sequel.

I thought it would be really cool to be part of a society that wore red hats in public. Being part of a club where one could identify another club member because they are wearing a certain item of clothes while in public, fascinates me. But then I started reading the book. I found the characters non-believable. The rules of the club, do overs and make overs were just too restrictive. Life is not about squashing dialogue with your friends because you are too uncomfortable or too polite to say what is on your mind. The scene about catching Harold in the act truly stretched my imagination. The amounts of money thrown around boggled my mind. And the ending? It reminded me of the last episode of Seventh Heaven.

One of the best books I've ever read. I was rooting for, and amazed by, the friendships that withstood decades of misunderstand, or was that understanding? A beautifully written novel that gets to the core of female friendships. I would highly recommend it to all women who have been married. Do yourself a favor and read this book.

Don't take this book seriously. Enjoy it for what it is -a funny, improbable story that celebrates friendship and made me laugh out loud at the situations and characters the author created. This is the story of 5 Southern women who have been friends since high school and are now over 50. They have all had their difficult times but have had each other for support. It's surprise ending and over the top story line make it perfect for when you want to lighten up. Yes, it isn't perfect. I had trouble keeping the 5 friends separate at first but that doesn't really matter. If you want a perfectly crafted book, find one of the classics but if you just are wanting a good, funny read , pick up this book. I gave it a 5 star rating because of the joy it brought me and everyone I gave it to. Laughter rates 5 stars in my book every time. I am also a huge fan of the Anne George Southern Sisters books. I was terribly saddened at her passing.The Red Hat Club is even more unbelievable and funnier. I was glad to find something to raise this Northern woman's spirits. I am now nearly finished the sequel which I think is even funnier than the first.

When she plotted this read about a very tight knit group of five, a team since high school when they were Mademoiselles, I do believe this savvy Atlanta native, Haywood Smith, just tapped into the current fad among baby boomer dames, the Red Hat Society.

There is none of the open, all accepting concept here. This is exclusive, initiated society, bred from the high school clique, and the need to have an exclusive circle of friends above marriage, family and greater causes.

"The Red Hat Club" is a gossipy chic book with fantasies of the passion-filled, aged hot babes, all wives and mothers, who maintain a record of comfort in the presence of one another.

Talk about a long history of girls' night out!!!

Their loyalty across the irritating quirks of one another is admirable, shades of "Ya-Ya Sisterhood".

Their success at sharing the wealth of the rich Jewish member is fanciful to the nth degree. A bit like the novel "The Last Girls", but these Southern dames are closely linked to their high school, not college, youth, and therein lies the romance and improbability.

Yes, this is fun for those who long for things as they might have been. But great literature? Hardly!

If you choose it, as I did (from the sales shelf of SAM's before attending the organizational meeting of a Red Hat Society branch), be forewarned. This might be a temporary escape, just for the fun of it. But the truth is, not all Southern women need a club of women to find self-fulfillment.

You might wish to save your money to buy a red hat to wear, and just let someone pass this tome to you as a loaner.

I picked this up at my local used book store, just because of the cover and it sounded interesting. glad i did. it turned out to be funny and hardwarming. i could relate to these ladies(even being a little younger!)and found my self wishing i had such a group of wonderful, funny and just plain great ladies in my life. that's ok, I bought the sequel and laughted and enjoyed just as much. i just wish there were more books.

I just loved this book and the characters. A nice easy read that made me smile. I miss them now I've finished and wonder what they'd be up to next, just like old friends.

Ok, this is a book about five friends who grew up together ~~ and is about feminine friendships ~~ but it's a fun book to read! It's perfect for a weekend of lazy reading (it doesn't even take that long to read by the way!) ~~ and it's just fun. So what if it is about a current trend ~~ women friendship? And so what if some of it is predictable? It doesn't matter ~~ it is just a fun book to read!

This book is about Georgia, SuSu, Teeny, Diane, and Linda ~~ five women who became friends once they were teenagers ~~ they went through everything together, college, weddings, pregnancies, toddlerhood, and so on. However, this book focuses on their mid-life crisis. It starts with Diane discovering that her husband is cheating on her and bought a condo with his mistress. SuSu is your sassy character, Teeny is the mysterious and quiet friend who isn't all that she appears to be. Linda is happily married to her husband for all these years and is gloriously rich. Georgia secretly pines for her first boyfriend from high school who had disappeared suddenly in her youth. She thinks she's bored with her marriage to stable John, a professor at Tech. And these are their stories. Funny, sassy, and just hilarious in some places. It's a story of revenge and finding a way to get even as well. It is a story of friendships in the south ~~ and about women growing older together. It is just pure fun.

I wish I had discovered Haywood Smith earlier ~~ she is a fun author to read. She has an ability to say things that you secretly wish you could say and get away with. This is a perfect book to read while you're in the slumps ~~ somehow these women's problems may make your problems not too bad after all. It is pure escapism ~~ and sometimes, we read to escape.

3-12-05