Flies on the Butter (Paperback)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: oil the butte, hies oil, Bobby Dean, Rose Fletcher, South Carolina (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Hildreth, author of the popular Savannah series (Savannah from Savannah, etc.), sets her disappointing new stand-alone in a car. When Washington, D.C., lobbyist Rose Fletcher is called home to South Carolina, she takes the long drive as an opportunity to reflect on the mess she's made of her life: she's estranged from her mother; she has deceived her husband, using birth control while pretending to try to get pregnant; and she's been having an affair. Will the trip home give her a new perspective? But of course. The book is organized in flashbacks, each inspired by someone Rose meets during her daylong drive home. This structure is irksome and distracting (as is the question of why a high-powered professional who's attached at the hip to her BlackBerry didn't fly in the first place). Character development is weak, too: Rose's contradictions (a children's rights lobbyist who is too wrapped up in her own career to have kids) can be heavy-handed, and the Southern eccentrics she meets on the way home, such as the wise and fulfilled working-class mom, are caricatures. The happy ending is also predictable. Still, as with many of WestBow's other offerings, this novel is edgier than much Christian fiction, with its frank discussion of adultery and its somewhat subtle, though nonetheless central, treatment of faith. (Feb.)
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Product Description

Can you ever really go home again?

Rose Fletcher's come a long way from her South Carolina up-bringing of Sunday church and Mamaw's fried chicken. As a high-powered lobbyist in Washington, D.C., Rose has put the South behind her. But the peace and happiness she has sought eludes her. With her marriage on the brink of disaster, her mind races with the chaos her life has become.

Now Rose must head south for home. She'll face her demons, relive her coming-of-age, and confront the issues that have kept her away all these years. It'll take the intervention of strangers and a painful miracle of grace to help her find that place called "home" once again.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson (February 13, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1595542086
• ISBN-13: 978-1595542083
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #779,385 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Taking me home. . ., March 3, 2007

By	V. Hunsucker "Saved by Grace" (Georgia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I've been a Denise Hildreth fan since the time I found the first Savannah book. While this book is a bit different, I loved it just as much. As I read, I found myself taking a journey into my own childhood memories, both pleasant and at times difficult to remember. Rose's grandmother reminded me so much of my own Granny--sitting on the front-porch swing just listening to her hum and watching the cars drive by, playing at her house with all my cousins, the wonderful meals (oh how I miss her biscuits and sausage gravy), and the countless church potluck dinners (including all those pesky flies). Being a Georgia girl, I loved Denise's descriptions of the south and all the wonderful people who live here. Rose's story stirred a multitude of emotions within me, and left me thinking of my own life and path to Christ long after the last word was read. This book was truly a blessing to me.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars There's no place like home, February 18, 2007

By	Deborah "Books, Movies and Chinese Food" (Reston, VA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

Rose Fletcher is on her way back to South Carolina after being away for many years. She's tried to escape her southern heritage by living up in DC, hiding her accent and cutting all connections with her past. However she's discovered that her past cannot escape her especially with the trip she is now taking back to her home. The story is Rose's drive from DC to South Carolina interwoven with memories from her past. The reader is shown how scenes from her childhood have affected her life today. As Rose's trip continues, she and the reader see how no matter how you try to escape where you came from, your home will always be with you no matter what.

If you liked the Savannah series, you'll like this book one too. While it doesn't have the humor or eccentric characters as the Savannah books, Flies does have that southern charm and great storyline that draws you in. Rose is a character that slowly grows on you. I didn't like her at first but then as more of her story is revealed, I felt more sympathetic towards her. Although I do not agree with her reasons for having an affair, it is understandable why a working woman in the prime of a budding career would not want to have children. I liked also the characters Rose met along the way, each realizing that they met her for a reason and then chose to pray for her. I also enjoyed reading about the food. Southern food is the absolute best, fried chicken and pork chops. I live in Virginia but not in the part that's considered real southern. My boyfriend on the other hand lives in that southern part so a lot of what happens in the book happens in his hometown. So I found a bunch of familiar things that I could relate too such as the boiled peanuts, Fun Dip, and the ice cold coke. And I really want to go to one of those roadside diners one day. That meal that was given to Rose at the diner sounds so good. While reading this book, I was reminded of the movies Elizabethtown and Junebug. The whole southern bit about slowing down. This book really moved me. I laughed and I cried. It's definitely one of the best books I've read this year so far.

Denise Hildreth has once again written an excellent novel, one I couldn't put down. If you want a story that will move you and touch your life, then I highly recommend this book for you.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Southern Christian fiction, March 7, 2007

By	Deena Peterson "The Deena" (Marysville, CA) - See all my reviews

I first discovered Denise Hildreth when I picked up and read "Savannah from Savannah" and I was hooked. That southern flavor permeated the pages, and I adored the quirky family she had created.

Denise gave me three wonderful Savannah novels.

So I was a little disappointed when I found out "Flies on the Butter" was a departure from the beloved characters I had grown to love. But, as Denise herself says, "...sister needed to know that she could write about something other than crazy people from the South."

Well, sister can know for sure...she can write, powerfully write.

"Flies on the Butter" is the story of Rose Fletcher, both who she once was and who she is today, and how the two finally merge into the person she was meant to become.

The story bounces between present day and Rose's memories of her childhood growing up in the South. A stark contrast is created immediately between the two, and it is obvious that Rose is running from the girl she once was, creating a new and improved Rose that is sleeker, sharper, and able to keep her emotions under tight reign.

As the novel unfolds, we learn slowly (isn't that how everything is done in the South?!?) just why Rose feels this need to be so different, and why anything reminiscent of her childhood sends her running the opposite direction.

You can sense foreshadowing of events to come...like a spectre of hope tinged with foreboding...And I love it. It kept me reading long past lights out, and longing for more of Rose's memories. How sweet to picture her wrapping her arm around her granddaddy's head and rubbing that soft spot on his ear, falling asleep as he rocked her on his lap on the porch swing...but Denise writes it so much better than I do!

There's a sense of something highly spiritual (the world would describe it as mystical) going on as well...divine encounters with strangers that leave glory-bumps on your arms and a longing for God to love you like He obviously loves Rose.

Can you tell I drank up this novel like a parched soul on a hot, dry day?? I do believe this is a "read once a year" novel for me...when I need to be reminded of God's love for me and His divine plan includes where I came from as well as where I'm going?

I cannot recommend "Flies on the Butter" any more highly...get this book. Pour yourself a glass of sweet tea, sit on the porch swing, and enjoy Rose's journey...it will make your journey so much more fulfilling....

Happy Reading!

Deena
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