Customer Reviews

Wildwood Flowers

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

 

 

I had some trepidation when we were assigned this book for an Appalachian literature class. Naiad does not, after all, publish things for me, but this book is a southern classic. Its gentle mocking tone limns the characters in a small Kentucky town with love and shows us that through community one can find acceptance. I went out and bought all of her books after this one and think they are all brilliant.

It is time for everyone to discover this fine writer. Maybe think about her as Appalachian if the gay thing makes you queasy. In a class of 28 people everyone, male and female gay and straight, even people in their 60s, thought this book was the best we'd read. You should read it too.

Living in the "Boston Lesbian Ghetto" and having relationships that are similar to that of Bev and Andie makes this book even harder to put down. This book is perfect for anyone who has experienced the pressures of closeted relationships. The author has a way of bringing life to the page. This book is highly recomended.

I agree with a previous reviewer, this book is perfect if you've ever lived in a closeted relationship. The story starts out on a classic plot line, two lovers are together at the beginning and then they run into problems. The ending is classic but I won't spoil it for you. What stars as two lovers moving to a small hick town so one of them can have a job turns into a warming novel of love, friendship, and what it's like when you feel like you're the only gay person in town. Simply perfect.

Wildwood Flowers by Julia Watts

'When Bev's lover Andie receives an assistant professorship at a Christian affiliated college, Bev does her best to be supportive. But she isn't too thrilled about the propect of moving from Boston's lesbian ghetto to the small southern town of Morgan, Kentucky. Before she and Andie are even unpacked, a nosy neighbor is at the door with a welcoming cake and a basketful of personal questions. Bev is shocked when Andie tells the women that the two of them are cousins - and mortified when the woman promises to set them up with all the eligible men in town, beginning with her grandson Cricket, the town mortician. Thus begins the hilarious and heartwarming tale of lesbian culture shock, the resiliency of true love, and the maddening gap between coming out and being out.' (From summary on the back cover.)

This was an enjoyable read. The characters were written with depth and the secondary characters were often a hoot. Some laughs along the road of true love spoiled by the potholes of circumstance.

On the hot meter this was 4; on the love meter it was a 10.

**Remember - if you want your favorite authors to keep writing for us they have to be able to earn a living doing it. If at all possible try to buy the book NEW. I know it sucks but if you're not going to keep it in your collection put it in the recycle bin to make another book.**

This novel is a real delight. The characters that populate it are wonderfully endearing. I liked Bev tremendously, I liked Andie mostly because Bev thought she was so wonderful and Andie really came through for them as a couple in the end. You truly hope they live Happily Ever After.

Cricket was a hoot and I could not get enough of MaMaw Needham. I one point in the novel I was laughing so hard I had tears in my eyes. Excellent writing that pulls you in and will not let you stop reading until you finish. I will never forget the dinner with Inez and Nina nor the dinner in the restaurant.