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Read The Sweet Potato Queens' First Big-Ass Novel: Stuff We Didn't Actually Do, But Could Have, And May Yet (2007)

The Sweet Potato Queens' First Big-Ass Novel: Stuff We Didn't Actually Do, But Could Have, and May Yet (2007)

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Rating
3.69 of 5 Votes: 5
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ISBN
0743278275 (ISBN13: 9780743278270)
Language
English
Publisher
simon & schuster

The Sweet Potato Queens' First Big-Ass Novel: Stuff We Didn't Actually Do, But Could Have, And May Yet (2007) - Plot & Excerpts

The One Sentence ReviewCharacterization: Prepare to meet a lively bunch of characters but to not necessarily get to know any of them or their motivations, etc…well. Setting: Set almost entirely in Jackson, Mississippi, a love of the South and the lifestyle that entails is important to this novel’s success. Plot: A group of social misfits meet in high school and then proceed, over a period of decades, to “do” life together, for better or for worse (so to speak). Description: This novel contains some Southernisms and recipes but is not heavily descriptive. Language: This reflects my opinion, but there are too many swear words, and much of the humor in this book is decidedly dependent upon a heavy-handed use of the F-word. Point-of-view: While the story is told from the first-person point of view of the “Queen” and while there are no particular point-of-view issues, the novel does skip over quite a few years here and there, so filling in the time gaps falls to the protagonist, who somewhat artificially drops information about the interim years. Prequel/Sequel/Etc: While as far as I know this book is not a prequel or sequel, the main author is famous for other writings and books, so some of the references and the ideas behind the story make more sense in this context. Detractors: The book has a “piecemeal” feeling, perhaps because it technically has two authors or perhaps because it occurs over such a long period of time and with quite a few “main” characters. Overall: I enjoyed the joie de vivre of this book but found many of the major conflicts and occurrences to be rather predictable, and moreover, I was a little concerned that almost every single relationship in the novel ended due to cheating.

This novel, (notice, I said novel, as in fiction) reads more as memoir with some fiction thrown in. If Browne wanted to write a memoir, she should have, and if she wanted to write fiction, she should have put more effort into making it at least seem fictional. Instead it just comes off as a bit lazy.I'm a huge fan of Browne's non-fiction work - the hilarious Sweet Potato Queens books of .... This wasn't nearly as funny as Browne's other work, which was highly disappointing. Still, the beginnings of the Sweet Potato Queens, fictional and all, were fun to read about and anyone who has read the previous books will love the little one liners scattered throughout the book that allude to the previously published Sweet Potato Queens ideas ("I never wear panties to a party!"). As a stand alone novel, it's neither terrible nor the best I've ever read, but as a novel that complements the Sweet Potato Queens Books of ..., this works well.

What do You think about The Sweet Potato Queens' First Big-Ass Novel: Stuff We Didn't Actually Do, But Could Have, And May Yet (2007)?

Browne's Sweet Potato Queen advice books on love, divorce, and cooking have found a wide audience in readers who appreciate the Queens' sassy southern charm. With coauthor Gillespie, Browne turns to fiction for the first time to share lives and loves of the Queens. Jill, Mary Bennett, Patsy, and Gerald are united by their outsider status in high school. When Tammy, a beautiful but insecure redhead, moves into town and is humiliated by the in-crowd, Jill and company form the Tammy Club to bolster her spirits. The five enter the homecoming parade in wild dresses and red wigs, but a misprint on their sign (it reads Yammy instead of Tammy) leads to the five rechristening themselves the Sweet Potato Queens. The groups' friendships last for decades, despite distance and differences of opinion. Mary Bennett pursues fame on the coasts, Gerald comes to terms with his sexuality, and Tammy marries. But not everything is rosy. Mary Bennett finds success as a soap actress at the expense of the love of her life, Jill finds a man who proves too good to be true, and Tammy's insecurities lead to infidelities.
—Tabby Kat

This book was not what I expected at all. It was definitely not like the rest of the Sweet Potato Queen books. That being said, it was still humorous. This book was a work of fiction. Browne uses characters we are already familiar with in her other books. This is a fictional "back story" of some of their lives. As she says in the title, it's "Stuff We Didn't Actually Do, But Could Have, and May Yet." I think we've all considered some of the antics these girls pull in this novel at some point. Jill Connor Browne has a very satirical sense of humor so if that's not your thing, you probably won't appreciate this book.
—Aimee Tourville

This was a lovely book. It was hysterically funny all the way through but had moments that were touching, sad, and thoughtful.It was so real. The author did a masterful job of capturing the complex nature of friendships yet maintaining each individuals core personality. The timeline and its pop history and southern culture were spot on. The one liner's in this book made me laugh out loud and now I have several people at work looking into this book.I plan on hunting down every book the author has written.Favorite line? Has to be, and I'm loosely quoting, and forgive the language but it IS in the book: "Oh, honey, you have to be nicer because you're not cute enough to be such a fucking bitch." *dies*I loved this book. I long for a group of friends like this.
—Julie

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