The Ladies Of Garrison Gardens (2006) - Plot & Excerpts
Sadly, in this sequel to The Three Miss Margarets (2003), only two Margarets remain: Miss Peggy Garrison, the youngest of the three dowagers, has succumbed to pancreatic cancer. She surprised everyone (her beneficiary included) by leaving her large estate--including Garrison Garden--to Laurel Selene McReady, who attended her faithfully in her last months and came to be the daughter she never had. Pressured to give her power of attorney to Garrison lawyer Stuart Lawrence, as had Miss Peggy, Laurel wavers; she doesn't know business, but she does know what rising health insurance costs mean to rank-and-file employees. Meanwhile, an old woman elsewhere in Georgia is inordinately interested in what's happening in Charles Valley. There's romance, too, as Dr. Perry Douglass, younger brother of Laurel's good buddy Denny, is home from Harvard to practice medicine and to woo Laurel, even though she's eight years his senior and still calls him "Wiener." And there are shocking secrets revealed in a subplot about the performing Sunshine Sisters. So pour a glass of sweet tea and settle in for some top-notch entertainment. Michele Leber
Cheesy southern chicklit. Trashy hometown girl becomes a success story despite her embarassing and well-known background. Spunky old ladies feature prominently. Hot doctor love interest. Snooty good ol' boy lawyers trying to keep a girl down.It was a fun read, the characters are loveable, there's some mystery and some vaudeville history. It was a little frustrating waiting for all the pieces to come together, and it didn't resolve itself quite the way I wanted to. But those are my fault and not necessarily a bad thing - I'm impatient, and tend to expect a perfectly cookie cutter ending even if I would then complain about it later.Apparently there is a previous book about some of these same characters, though this isn't specifically a sequel or anything.It was enjoyable, and it was free, and if I found the other book for cheap I would certainly read it. Cute summer/beach/comfort read.
What do You think about The Ladies Of Garrison Gardens (2006)?
This was an intriguing read. It's book two in a series, but I was able to understand it well without having read the first one. There is a mysterious element involved, as well as a twist on a coming-of-age story. I plan to read the others in the series.I like fiction that you can enjoy as a story, but also get at least a nugget of truth from. This one reminded me that when we meet someone or hear of actions of someone, that those details are mere slivers of who that person is. Even seeming obvious characteristics are not necessarily what they seem.
—Theresa
With this sequel, as with "The Three Miss Margarets," I could not stop reading until my eyes crossed because I was so znxious to find out what happened to Laural, Miss Lil Bit, Miss Peggy and Dr. Maggie. The South does honor its eccentrics, thank goodness. This 2nd book in the series was quite a roller coaster ride, with lots of tension and high drama (why else would so many Southern women be called drama queens LOL) and well worth it. I don't know if Ms. Shaffer's 3rd book is also about this small Georgia town...and I can hardly wait to read it!
—Merikay
This book was no where near what I thought it was when I started it, I expected a romance plus a girl with gumption who changed her town. I got a little of that.The story is actually the story of Iva Claire. Truly, that made it even better in my mind. It was complicated and twisted. Every now that then I would be so shocked I would say "Oh my" out loud.I felt sorry for her and every bit of what went on in her life. Truly the girl rarely caught a break.I was disappointed that in the end Laurel doesn't get to learn the truth, but even so Laurel found the strength that Tassie was hoping she would find.
—Theresa
