A NIGHT OWL REVIEWS BOOK REVIEW | Reviewed by: Kyraninse
Magnolia Wednesdays is a winner -- brilliant with acerbic, biting wit and yet it's funny without ever descending into being nasty or tasteless. The relationships portrayed could have been lifted out of the lives of everyday people we know, and yet the drama, the pathos, the conflict and suspense just doesn't let up. She highlights the worst and best of mother-daughter and sister-sister relationships, bringing an unflinching eye with exquisite attention to detail.
For that matter, Vivi is the friend or sister that you just love to hate. Wax doesn't shy away from her many, many flaws, not the least of which is her selfishness and her self-centered behavior in the beginning of the book. However, she isn't without her good points, and the beauty of the story is how her character changes and mellows throughout the book. Bit by bit, you can see how her mind changes and her priorities with it. Melanie, Shelby, Ruth, and all the other women in her life both accentuate Vivi and through their voices and actions, bring Vivien brilliantly to life. Sweet and satisfying without ever losing that acidic edge -- I loved this book and will be looking for more by this author in the future.
Mar 17, 2010 | 9780425232354
5 - Rare Top Pick | 4.5 - Top Pick | 4 - I Liked It | 3.5 - Enjoyable | 3 - OK | 2.5 - It just didn't click
Book Blurb for Magnolia Wednesdays
From the author of The Accidental Bestseller comes a wonderfully entertaining book about what to do when life comes at you full swing.
At forty-one, Vivian Armstrong Gray's life as an investigative journalist is crumbling. Humiliated after taking a bullet in her backside during an exposé, Vivi learns that she's pregnant, jobless, and very hormonal. This explains why she says 'yes' to a dreadful job covering suburban living back home in Georgia, a column she must write incognito.
Down South, it's her sister's ballroom dance studio that becomes her undercover spot where she learns about the local life-and where unexpected friendships develop. As she digs up her long buried roots, she starts to wonder if life inside the picket fence is really so bad after all.
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