The Same Sweet Girls [Abridged, Audiobook] [Audio CD]

Cassandra King (Author), Patricia Kalember (Reader)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 19, 2005

The new novel by the celebrated author of The Sunday Wife chronicles the lives of a tight-knit group of lifelong friends.None of the Same Sweet Girls are really girls anymore and none of them have actually ever been that sweet. But this spirited group of Southern women, who have been holding biannual reunions ever since they were together in college, are nothing short of compelling. There's Julia Stovall, the First Lady of Alabama, who, despite her public veneer, is a down-to-earth gal who only wants to know who her husband is sneaking out with late at night. There's Lanier Sanders, whose husband won custody of their children after he found out about her fling with a colleague. Then there's Astor Deveaux, a former Broadway showgirl who simply can't keep her flirtations in check. And Corinne Cooper, whose incredible story comes to light as the novel unfolds.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

For 30 years, six Southern college friends—the Same Sweet Girls—have been gathering for a biannual reunion. As King's wry, touching novel begins, the girls are nearing 50 and coming to terms with the life decisions they've made. Corrine Cooper gains renown as a folk artist, but battles clinical depression with the help of a manipulative psychiatrist who later becomes her husband; Lanier Brewer is separated after a brief, ill-advised fling; exotic Astor Deveaux, a former Broadway dancer, flirts wildly with men but remains with her husband, a famous painter 33 years her senior; Julia Dupont is trapped in a passionless marriage and an overscheduled life as Alabama's first lady; Byrd and Rosanelle round out the group. When one of the SSGs becomes terminally ill, the remaining friends are spurred to resolve their own problems before she dies. Corinne, Julia and Lanier rotate as first-person narrators, but King (The Sunday Wife) does little to distinguish their voices, and the parade of characters and stories can be hard to follow at first. Once the names fall into place, however, the story's gentle Southern humor and warmth shine. It isn't all iced tea and tomato pie—King tackles some troubling issues—but the characters are true to life, and readers will sympathize with their struggles.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

King, wife of Pat Conroy, is carving her own niche as a southern writer. In her third novel, six very different women meet at a small Methodist women's college in Alabama, and continue their friendship by getting together twice a year as a group they call the Same Sweet Girls. Now no longer girls, they are swiftly approaching 50, and their story is told by three of the group whose lives are at a crossroads. Julia comes from wealth and is now the first lady of Alabama. Corrine has risen from poverty and depression to become a renowned gourd artist. And Lanier, a former jock, is famous for making monumental mistakes. Although her friends would never think it, Julia is stifled by her political life and haunted by her past. Corrine is trying to establish a relationship with her son and facing health problems, while Lanier has ruined her marriage by having an affair. Avoiding the maudlin, King brings her sympathetic characters to vivid life and explores the bonds of friendship. This winning tale should make her a household name. Patty Engelmann
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Audio CD
• Publisher: Hyperion; Abridged edition (January 19, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401399193
• ISBN-13: 978-1401399191
• Product Dimensions: 5.8 x 5.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (52 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,476,505 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Same Sweet Girls - Different Review, January 13, 2005

By 

Haley Parnham (NJ) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Same Sweet Girls (Hardcover)

I wasn't very impressed with Cassandra King's first book, THE SUNDAY WIFE, and I expressed that opinion here. But for some reason THE SAME SWEET GIRLS appealed to me so I thought I'd give it a try. I'm glad I did. I love southern fiction and wasn't disappointed this time. The relationships between these six women are complex and unpredictable and I liked that. They are all very different as individuals and different in terms of what they're doing with their lives. This is no "Desperate Housewives" - it's better (and I like Desperate Housewives for the most part).

Being a fan of Michael Lee West (Crazy Ladies) and Rebecca West (Divine Secrets of the Yaya Sisterhood) I can't say that Cassandra King is quite there yet, but nearly so. I'm already looking forward to her next novel and am planning to go back and read her 2nd one that I skipped.

Try it - not too sweet and you might just like it!

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A TOUCHING STORY OF FRIENDSHIP, February 2, 2005

By 

Gail Cooke (TX, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Same Sweet Girls (Audio CD)

The word "girls" is often used as an euphemism, and it is again in Cassandra King's touching second novel. The girls are six women who have been friends since college. To celebrate this bond they meet twice a year to fill each other in on what has gone on in their lives and enjoy each others' company. This story is told by three of the women whose voices are adroitly captured by actress Patricia Kalember. A veteran of stage, screen and television, Ms. Kalember inhabits the personas of a rambunctious, fun loving gal, a rather proper governor's wife, and an avant garde artist. She does all of this with grace and charm.

Ms. King is an author of considerable talent as she has the ability to both move and amuse with a turn of her pen. Many will remember with pleasure "The Sunday Wife," in which it was discovered that she had the ability to evoke Southern scenes as skillfully as her husband, author Pat Conroy.

The girls in Ms. King's latest novel are now reaching 50 and coming to terms with many of the decisions they have made in life. The first lady of Alabama, Julia Stovall, has joined her husband at the pinnacle of their state's political life, yet she has obligations that either bore or weary her and her husband's bodyguard may be irresistible.

Lanier Sanders is separated from her husband. Evidently, temptation was too difficult to resist. And, Corrine Cooper, while she has attained success as an artist is plagued by depression and an ex-husband who seeks to keep her from her son.

While these problems are challenging, they become almost inconsequential when one of the group faces what for all of us would be the most difficult crisis of all. How they band together at such a time is warm reminder of the value of true friendship.

- Gail Cooke

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars new favorite, March 18, 2005

By 

A. Forehand (Dothan, AL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Same Sweet Girls (Hardcover)

This is my new favorite book. I really enjoyed reading the point of view of several characters and really " got to know them" over the course of the book. I passed it along to others who felt the same. If you are interested in true female relationships, this book will touch your heart AND your funny bone. Excellent!