Nonny Frett is caught between. She was born into the Crabtree family and secretly adopted into the Frett family, two groups that have been fighting since time immemorial. She wants to divorce her husband but she's caught between lust and lassitude. She's frequently caught between what she wants to do and what she feels like she has to do. How appropriate is it that she lives in a town called Between, Georgia?I enjoyed this. Parts had me laughing out loud, I was worried sick in other places, and I was ready to slap some characters around in still others. It felt like a real slice of someone else’s life. The whole Hatfield and McCoy thing was a little over the top, but it made for a good story, and gave Nonny a good backdrop against which to grow into herself.Nonny is thirty years old, but she hasn’t really found herself yet. She’s constantly dissecting herself and her behavior, looking to see if she’s more Crabtree or Frett in the whole “nature vs nurture” dichotomy. She tends to float along in life, either choosing not to make decisions, or content to let others make them for her. In all honesty, I related a little too much to her, so I liked watching her become who she was always meant to be.I loved Nonny’s mother. She was born deaf and has lost her sight by the time the book takes place. There's no word of complaint from her though. She's actually the rock of the family. She's an artist, she's wise, and she takes care of business. Her sister Bernese would argue, but Stacia is the one they rely on to keep them anchored.Nonny’s family is practically all women. She has an aunt Bernese that is a holy terror. She’s supposed to be going through a “bad patch” in the book, but since that’s all I saw of her, I didn’t like her at all. Nonny’s birth grandmother, Ona, is possibly even worse. She’s mean, she’s drunk, she’s manipulative, and she’s lonely. It’s a bit of a lethal combination. But even these two manage to grow, and I found myself seeing through their eyes a little by the time everything was over. This would be a good book club book. There are lots of things to discuss here, the various ways that females relate to each other and hurt and heal each other being chief among them. Life in a small town and that whole “nature vs. nurture” thing would invariably come up as well. Any red-blooded women are probably going to talk about the men in the book too. Oh my! I’m a sucker for a fictional man with long hair, especially if I get to “watch” him let it down, literally and figuratively. Is it a little steamy in here? ;-)After all the good stuff I just said, I can only bring myself to give this three and a half stars. There’s no real reason except that I enjoyed it while it lasted, but I don't think I'll remember it very long. I do recommend it if you're looking for a family drama with touches of humor.
I think someone recommended this book to me ages ago because it was about a woman (with a deaf-blind mom) who was an interpreter. Not that the book is only about that - no way - more layers than a wedding cake, people! But, seriously, there's not too many novels about deaf-blind people, CODAs (Children of Deaf Adults) or interpreters out there, so I gave it a try. Oh, also, my husband said it was awesome, and I like him.Very cool (and fairly accurate) portrayal of the family dynamics when there's a deaf child in the midst. I've honestly never met twins where one is hearing and one is Deaf, but it made for a great story and a handy interpreter. Also, she really does a good job explaining Usher's Syndrome and the independence/capability of most people who are Deaf-blind. I often found myself smiling at all the tactile joke inserted for people who know what it's like to live with someone who's blind/deaf-blind. I loved all the little details about an interpreter's life as well - all the running around, setting a 30 minute wait time for a client, having to work in/move to the bigger cities to be able to make a living while knowing the smaller communities need you just as much.I had the book on CD, and I have to say, that's the way to do this story. The author read it herself - ok, I know sometimes that's disastrous, but she's a former actor, so she was AMAZING! Her voices matched the colourful characters to the letter, and I found myself quoting a lot of the lines later on - one of the ways I use to judge if something is going to be memorable or not.This is one VERY messed up family and main character, but their world is just so quirky and disturbing that you can't look away, and what's worse/better, is that you'll be wanting to tune in again - long after it's over - like one of those reality shows where you have to wait to find out who the babydaddy is, even though these people are TOTAL STRANGERS!Anyway, good book!
What do You think about Between, Georgia (2007)?
I loved the way this book started and I was very disappointed by how it ended. It started with a beautiful and hilarious first chapter, written so well that I even read it outloud to my partner. The characterizations started out beautiful: Nonny who is an archaeologist (digging in the past for her family story -- this line ended up not being developed at all) and an interpreter from and to American Sign Language, and a bridge, and someone who got caught in between, or in Between, GA. In between two families, in between to men, in between her own overbooking of herself on a particular Friday night.Then the character emblems started to get a little murkier -- the dolls of her mother Stacia, the luna moths and caterpillars of her formidable aunt Bernese -- and I looked forward to see how these emblems will tie in the lives of the characters not only literally but on a symbolic level. They never did. The legacy of Nonny's grandmother Jane has never been discovered. Instead, we almost switched into a Harlequine romance mode. I didn't notice when that happened.
—Olga
There is plenty of drama in the small town of Between, Georgia. A place where everyone knows everyone and more. The notorious two families who mirror the Hatfield & McCoys kept the story moving steadily throughout the book. Actually, right from the start. Nonney comes home to Between and finds herself engulfed in the relationships encompassing both families. There were moments of laughter,sadness and joy which kept me yearning for more. I enjoyed how Joshilyn Jackson exposed the strength and fralities of each family.
—Carol
I lived in the small-town South for 15 years. I may not have been born and bred there - but, hey, I've read the Southern Belle Primer; I can use "y'all" properly in a sentence; I like my tea sweet & my steak chicken fried. That said, I do get so tired of the whole "crazy folks" thing with Southern characters. Must everyone be sooo dang quirky? Really. I've met a few "characters" in my time, but the South is not populated entirely with whack-a-do weirdos. In fact, most of us are normal, well-adjusted individuals who are interesting people nonetheless. Maybe, someday, someone will write about some of us.
—Tish
