Customer Reviews

Savannah Comes Undone (Savanah Series)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

In her second of the Savannah series, Denise Hildreth scores high marks once again. While the first book focused on Savannah's post college homecoming, job search and identity crisis, this book took us further along the path of a young woman who has gotten a new dream but is still struggling with putting the old dream to rest. Torn between laughter and tears the whole reading, Savannah hits home in her dealing with her mother's fanatical response to censorship by attempting pure avoidance tactics coupled with the desire to hang on to the comfortable past (even if it really is over and even if the present is SO much better).

Even though she is mortified by Victoria's behavior, deep down Savannah is really proud of her Mom. She and her Mom are enough alike and enough different that they clash. Savannah has strong opinions but expresses them very differently from Victoria, something which doesn't go unnoticed or unappreciated.

My Mom and I are like Savannah and Victoria...fiercely proud of one another while clashing not so slightly from time to time. WHile this read provided so many fun visuals and hillarious situations that I had to quit drinking my Coke because I kept staining the pages of my book with my laughter induced sprays, it went a step deeper and did some "tilling" in my heart.

The leaving of a lasting impact is the mark of really great writing. Everyone should read this book for a great glimpse into the female coming of age process (especially in the South) that hooks you with laughter and keeps you with depth.

Way to go, Denise!

I should have known something was amiss when the only positive reviews the publisher could drum up was an anonymous homemaker in Baton Rouge and a nameless graphic designer in California.

Don't bother reading this book if you didn't read the first installment because the author makes too many references to the events in the first book and often it was hard to figure out what she was going on about.

The author tries too hard to make the main character Savannah funny, the result is you get a lot of one-liners and not much character development. Because of the lack of character growth and development, I found it hard to empathise with or care about Savannah or any of the other characters in this book. The pace of the book is very slow, and there are many scenes where nothing happens. I skipped and skimmed over pages and was still able to follow what was going on in the story. Alot of the story seemed to be just filler material, that had nothing to do with the plot but was just a chance for the author to air her own political views-which I might add I could have done without.

If you are looking for an entertaining work of fiction you'd better look elsewhere.

Savannah's life takes an unsuspected twist. Her mother, Victoria, a former Miss Georgia United States of America, chains herself to a monument of the Ten Commandments in the town square, much to Savannah's chagrin.

Savannah from Savannah, Georgia, isn't impressed. Her life is full enough as she begins a new job, anticipates a move into her own apartment, and makes outrageous plans to regain the attention of her former boyfriend. Her mother's most recent drama is not a welcome intrusion into Savannah's life of chaos.

But try as she might, Savannah just can't ignore the towns main attraction - her mother. As news crews roll into town, Savannah is reminded daily about the events in the square by her father, her boss, her friends, and the mysterious Joy, a lady who appears daily wearing the same dress and speaking pearls of wisdom, all the while eyeing up Savannah's much treasured food.

With a newspaper deadline fast approaching, Savannah must come up with a human-interest story. Unfortunately, the only thing going on in town worthy of human interest is her mother's exploits. Savannah struggles to remain complacent about the events around her, unwilling to take a firm stand on either side. But she soon finds she must make a choice when her picture is unwittingly displayed on the front page of the paper and personal confessions are made public.

SAVANNAH COMES UNDONE is a charming novel told in a humorous Southern voice.

Unfortunately I haven't read Denise Hildreth's previous book, SAVANNAH FROM SAVANNAH, so throughout this novel I often felt that I was missing something. There are numerous references to past events in Savannah's life, so I would recommend you read the first book before indulging in SAVANNAH COMES UNDONE.

Well, thank the Lord I finally finished Savannah Comes Undone, because now I can sleep and my husband won't be harping on me to turn the light off in the bed. Ms. Hildreth kept me up for three nights straight, but I can honestly say it was completely worth the wait. I laughed with Savannah again. I cried with Savannah again. I laughed until I cried with Savannah again. It's rare you get to read a sequel that causes you to wonder if it is possibly better than the first. But I think it just might have been. Thank you for giving us a chance to see these people again. I felt slightly "undone" without them for the past year.

I read this b/c i had read the 1st Savannah book. This is just o.k.. I love the characters but it just seems that so much more could be done with them. A lot of people may not be able to identify too because of how wealthy Savannah's family is and how she really wants for nothing. I know there are people in the world like her but some may not be able to relate. I found myself waiting for the big moment to arrive just like I did in the first novel and it never really did. The entire storyline just seemed so silly and unrealistic. However, this book is very wholesome and clean- a good change for the times we are living in.

I read reviews here quite often and find it humorous that someone could be offended by a book. If you don't like it put it down. But I can assure you, if you aren't looking to find the answers to the theory of reletivity, or or the Earth's buoyancy ratio in relation to Mars, then you will enjoy this book. Read the free first chapter here and see what you think. If you don't consider your time to be as important as the Almighty's, then lean back and laugh a little. I know I did.

If you have read the first book in the Savannah collection, you know the ending preludes into the start of the second book. All Savannah knows at the end of Book One is her mother: classy Victoria Philips is chained to something. Stir of curiosity? I think so.

The book begins with Savannah discovering her mother, Victoria Philips (who is never seen without a matching ensemble from some expensive designer), is chained to a momument of the Ten Commandments! Victoria is fighting for the right of the Christian monument to be displayed. But no, Savannah is not surprised. The book tells of Victoria's fight, and Savannah's fight to accept whether she likes it or not, she's included in the ordeal.

In this book, I feel that it is much slower than the first and is focused on Victoria's personality just as much as we are in the midst of discovering Savannah's. But don't let the pace fool you, this book has the same quick wit, one-liners, and hilarious scenes that have you wanting more. It also kind of sparks the thought of Savannah and the curly haired bike rider, Joshua (who happens to be her co-worker) together in a romantic way!
Enjoy.

Denise Hildreth, author of SAVANNAH FROM SAVANNAH, returns with another tongue-in-cheek, highly entertaining fictional account of those pampered residents ranking in the higher society of Savannah, Georgia. Newly hired reporter Savannah Phillips is mortified when she learns that her always socially conscious mother, Victoria Phillips, the former Miss Georgia United States of America (doesn't that say it all?), is chained to the monument of the Ten Commandments in the center of town. Sensing that this very visible and quite likely socially degrading stance may affect her family's standing, Savannah reacts with abject mortification. Savannah's brother consoles her with the thought that now she has a story to write, a personal, familial drama, in fact.

Contemplating this turn of events, Savannah's mood sours when she realizes that for every hour her mother spends chained to the monument, life at home will sputter and stop. Meals, clean clothes, and a tidy house all fail to function without the ultimate competent mother at the helm. Convinced that her mom will never survive the elements --- weather notwithstanding, but going without all the required perks every socially refined Southern woman takes for granted --- Savannah is surprised to witness her mother's inner-strength to stay at the task at hand for reasons of principle. Days and nights pass, and Savannah watches in awe at how fervently devoted her mother is to this personal cause. Savannah, on the other hand, finds herself, her inner self, lacking and is frequently defensive toward anyone who offers a mild suggestion that she take another look.

With a new job to adjust to, a handsome co-worker who won't take "no" for an answer, and an old flame who is now marrying another woman, Savannah's nerves are about as jangled as they could be. She frets and stews and tries to make sense of her mother's sudden willingness to risk being "seen" without all the accompanying frills in order to make a public point. With her Kate Spade mules and other nameworthy gifts from her mom, Savannah wrestles again and again with life choices and letting go of the past. In short, Savannah is thrust into growing up. The key question is: Does Savannah want to grow up, or will she stay put in her childhood fantasyland of being catered, pampered and indulged? Tempting as it might be, Savannah, ever so slowly, allows life's hardships to penetrate, and when it does, emotions run wild.

Hildreth combines all the comedic savvy required in this high-drama life of Savannah Phillips. She exaggerates Savannah's woes, yet does so in a way that readers will find humorous and sort of sad. Readers likely will not relate to Savannah so much as pity her shallowness and then applaud her baby steps toward maturity. In the process, female readers will ask themselves a few questions about seeing past the outside of a person and quizzing their own hearts about how much they'd be willing to step outside their comfort zone in the name of right and wrong. Clearly, for this interesting collage of Southern folk, the very word "comfort" needs to be redefined, yet there's a message here for everyone.


--- Reviewed by Michele Howe

Ahh, good times. Savannah just got better. This book, Savannah Comes Undone, starts like a day after book one. Good times.

Savannah, who was far too busy insulting her hot co-worker Joshua North and sharing her food with some seemingly homeless lady, Joy, to go visit her mother, who was cheerfully chained to a monument of the 10 Commandments outside of the courthouse. Now, if you think that it sounds strange, then obviously you don't know Vicky - I mean, Victoria Phillips. Seriously, strangely enough it sounds like something she would do. Poor Savannah, on the other hand, can't believe that Vicky (I mean, Victoria) would dare spend a night *gasp* outside! Well, not only does Vicky (Um, Victoria) spend a night outside, she spends like a week outside. Accompanied by a bunch of fellow Savannah citizens who decided that actively doing something (namely sleeping in the middle of town while being watched by the nation) was better then just sitting and watching the festivities.

Savannah, of course, realizes that her mother really does have something here... and is actually nice to her mother - once - right at the end of the book. Wow, I think maybe she really is growing up.

I really appreciated all the deepness in the book. Yes, it was mostly humor, but it got deep at times. A good deep, mind you, but deep.

I was amazed that all the men in the book were so... deep. Thomas actually sorta knew what he was talking about, Gregory (who I was so excited to see again! That guy is awesome!) realized something that Savannah hasn't yet realized, and most people either didn't know or didn't care to talk about, and Joshua was just too observant then he should be. Joshua was actually mostly level-headed in this book. Almost, anyhow.

Great book - but the dog deserves to die. Duke, no matter that he may be entirely human and even read the paper on Sundays when the family is at church, is just too much. If by too much I mean he is lazy and no good. But hilarious.

Oh, and there is this tiny unrealistic even where the presidents limo driver can't drive. As far as I can see, that isn't muchly realistic. But other then that little fact, the book rocks. This child sure knows how to write. And write realisticly. Very realisticly, I mean the whole book was written like she was, well, telling a story.

Ahh, good times.

I read "Savannah From Savannah" and really liked it. I couldn't wait to read it's sequel. Well... the sequel was definitely not as good. Savannah turned into a really big self-centered brat. It was so slow and took 250 pages before something interesting happened. Then, I couldn't put it down. I agree with some other reviews that one should not read this book unless they've read the first book, otherwise they'd be very confused. The last five chapters were really exciting and, dare I say, enough to make me want to read the third book, "Savannah by the Sea."