Customer Reviews

The Sweet Potato Queens' First Big-Ass Novel: Stuff We Didn't Actually Do, but Could Have, and May Yet

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

In 1968 Jackson, Mississippi, the Fab Five (Jill, Mary, Patsy, Tammy and Gerald) became tight friends because of their belief that they are magnificent though the existing high school clubs and other teen associations rejected each of them. The outsiders dubbed themselves the Sweet Potato Queens with their vision to enjoy life to the fullest for "If it ain't fun, we ain't doing it."

After graduation they remained friends though each went their separate way. Mary went Hollywood; Gerald comes out of the closet in San Francisco; Tammy becomes a Jackson TV weather reporter; Patsy becomes a mom in Atlanta, while Jill becomes a personal trainer and columnist. Each has met life head on, but now twenty plus years later following marriage, death, and relationship blunders, they meet in London to save Tammy from what her four bosom buddies think is a tragic mistake.

Though more vignette than novel, this is a fine fictionalization of Jill Connor Browne's The Sweet Potato Queens. The five protagonists are a likable quintet as they help each other stay balanced over the years. Fans of the Karen Gillespie's Bottom Dollar Girls, the Mossy Creek sagas or the Sweet Potato Queens will enjoy this humorous slice of life.

Harriet Klausner

I'll begin by saying that this is not normally the type of book I read; I'm not a big fan of the chick lit genre in general. That being said, however, I will say that once I dove into this book, I really enjoyed it and found it to be a fun, light read that I can recommend.

Set first in the 1960s, SPQ (Sweet Potato Queen) Jill narrates the tales of the group members in roughly 5 year segments that follow the girls and the obligatory gay male member during the changes in their lives and attitudes. Through marriages and divorces and life-altering experiences, Jill gives us the humor and the seriousness of the relationships that exist for the group. Loyal to a fault, the SPQ lift one another out of funks and defend each other to the death. Browne does a good job of creating colorful characters who don't exceed the limits of being larger than life, and her episodes are entirely believable. Her Southern-isms are dead on, and she even includes a few recipes in the end pages that apparently help to tie this book to the others in the series.

Minor quibbles for me include the overly tidy ending (comeuppance is a rare thing as shown here), and the excess of curse words (a more judicious use of them would have had more impact--after a while they just became monotonous). But overall this is a good little novel that does what it sets out to do: entertain us and engage us in the lives of these flamboyant characters.

Say it isn't so! This novel, though, really contains little new material, just an organized rehash of the earlier books -- minus the slap happy, screamingly funny little bits and pieces. It just doesn't work for me, and I've bought oodles of these books for gifts. Even the recipes were less than charming, way too much splenda (ugh!) and the Beulah Land Boo Boo Pie just was a gooey mess, even though the recipe was followed exactly. Get this one from the library, or skip it all together. A commercial enterprise, and one that didn't provide the level of sass I've come to expect from the wonderful Queens.

I am a big fan of the previous SPQ books, and have recommended them to many. This novel was a bit disappointing, however, lacking much of the author's laugh-out-loud slapstick quality that pokes fun at life and relationships. Perhaps the problem for me was that each of the five very likable characters commit such predictable and disastrous relationship faux-pas that I'm torn between laughing AT them and crying FOR them. (Yes, this is precisely how we feel about our own friends' antics sometimes!) The book is a quick read, and entertaining (I've gotta get me some of those Bad Bubba Bingo cards!), so it's not a complete wash out, just be forewarned that you won't laugh as much as you're used to.

This book disappoints on many levels. It is just not as much fun as the other Sweet Potato Queens books. The first person narrative that worked so well in the other books, tastes funky in this fictionalized account of the queens genesis and evolution. Jill Connor Browne's sweet essays in the other books were funny and touching because they were so true, yet unpredictable. This book is the opposite on both counts.
Sorry Jill...

Jill Conner Browne has done it again--she's written another hilarious and highly original laugh-out-loud book about the Sweet Potato Queens! I've enjoyed all her other books and this one gave me more of what I love--just in a fictional format (the Boss Queen is brilliant!). My only problem is that I am not allowed to read her books around other people because I can't control my huge outbursts of laughter and squeals of delight! But when you're engrossed in one of Jill's books who needs anyone else around any how? I'm going to buy a copy of this book for all my friends who have enjoyed her books in the past!

This book is just plain fun to read and made me laugh out loud several times, much to the dismay of my roomies. Following the lives of a group of friends, you see how each one grows and changes over the course of their lives and find yourself entangled in their stories. It's easy to connect with the characters and sometimes even learn from them. Plus you get some genuine southern recipes at the end.

Although I didn't have any laugh-out-loud moments reading this book, I did experience a few chuckles and learned a new term for a bad boss - bosshole. Thankfully I don't currently have use for the term. It doesn't require following complicated story lines so it's a good summer book. The story of high school friendships weathering all the complications of life is close to my heart. It's a reminder that true friendships endure marriages, divorces, bad choices, distance, and in the end true friends are by your side.

Ladies - I recommend this book for all your girlfriends as a reminder of how important they are in your life.

This book will get you from the first page. It is funny and emotional. You won't want to stop listening once you start. The friendship the queens have is one that everone wishes to have with their friends. The receipes
shared at the end are a culinary delight. I tried a few of them and they were deliscious. I'm looking forward to
getting another book about their adventures.

I wanted to like this book more than I actually did. So many of the story lines were just unbearably predictable. Without trying to give anything away, you can see what's coming a country mile. POSSIBLE SPOILERS!! The gay guy shows up with a girlfriend who's got enormous feet, wears a wig and refuses to undress. Hmmmm - anyone know how that'll turn out? A boyfriend follows you, calls you constantly and refuses to let you out of his sight. Wonder where that's headed? I know this is supposed to be light-hearted fare but I was hoping for a little more.