Stormy Weather: A Novel [Mass Market Paperback]

Geri Buckley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 2, 2008

A wry, wise new novel of Southern dreams and second chances.

On the morning of her birthday, Vonda Thayer awakes from her American Dream to realize she?s living a domestic nightmare. She plays happy homemaker to two whiny, self-absorbed teenagers, a ranting, divorced monster-in-law, and her knocked-up oldest daughter, who?s just moved home to escape a deadbeat boyfriend. In her free time, Vonda stalks her no-good husband and his bimbo du jour. And now her ailing, cantankerous father-in- law?the monster?s very estranged ex?needs a nursemaid and a place to recover. Vonda seriously needs to replace that white picket fence with barbed wire.

When a hurricane rips through north Florida, it threatens to tear her already fragile family completely apart. It?s up to Vonda to help them weather the storm and learn a few survival instincts in the process. The sun?s going down on this desperate housewife, and dawn?s breaking on a new, improved Vonda Thayer?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this charming tale of female empowerment and midlife crisis, Vonda Thayer wakes up on her 50th birthday to realize that her husband, Jerome, is a womanizer, her children are spoiled rotten, and she is stuck caring for her embittered mother-in-law. Just as she decides to take steps to change her situation, her estranged father-in-law appears on her doorstep, her eldest daughter, Amelie, comes home pregnant, and a category five hurricane is set to hit the Florida panhandle. Vondas attempts to get out from under her life will delight readers. While the characters are all rascals and losers (except for Vonda), readers will recognize the irascibility and warm familial sensibility in equal measure and appreciate the Southern vernacular, which Buckley handles with wit and aplomb. At times laugh out loud funny, Buckleys book manages to be both inspiring and realistic. The one weak point is the charming Jerome, whose cheating borders on obsessive and whose insensitivity to his wife rings false. (Dec.)
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About the Author

Geri Buckley is the author of For Pete's Sake.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 307 pages
• Publisher: Berkley Trade (December 2, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425219496
• ISBN-13: 978-0425219492
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,026,619 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars amusing yet poignant family drama, December 4, 2008

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Stormy Weather: A Novel (Mass Market Paperback)

In the Florida Panhandle having just turned fifty and being married to the same man for thirty of them, Vonda Kay Thayer looks forward to the future with her husband as she believes they live the American dream. Vonda also fantasizes of the time when their teens move on as empty nest sounds heavenly even though her in-law will still be there. Everything changes when she catches Jerome cheating. Upset, Vonda decides to move on without him though she has two teenage daughters (Charlotte and Caroline) and a crusty mother-in-law at home.

However, before she tests her new vision, twin responsibilities leap into her lap. First her pregnant oldest daughter Amelie returns to the already insane fold followed by her ailing father-in-law. When a hurricane hammers the Panhandle, Vonda takes charge of her suddenly expanded family insuring everyone remains safe.

With a chick lit feel even without asides and the dreaded lists, STORMY WEATHER is an amusing yet poignant family drama. Vonda is a superb lead character caught in the eye of the storm even before the hurricane hits. She and the rest of the household and the "douche bag" spouse are fully developed so fans will believe in her ability to take charge during a crisis. Geri Buckley combines humor with seriousness inside an aptly named contemporary tale.

Harriet Klausner

4.0 out of 5 stars Stormy Weather, June 15, 2009

By 

Mary L. Jacobs "BookHounds" (Huntington Beach, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Stormy Weather: A Novel (Mass Market Paperback)

I loooove Chick Lit, so then why did it take me so long to read this one? I got this when it was first released and it sat here. I am sorry I didn't pick it up sooner. This is just the perfect book for us "older" Chick Lit lovers as it discusses events that seem to happen to us as we age. The perfect book for the summer.