As trite as it sounds, this book merits negative stars. I stumbled upon a copy of this book at Salvation Army, and being a fan of the sub-genre that is Southern Chick Lit., I forked over my dollar and brought it home in my stack. So started the beginning of the end.Unfortunately, this book forces me to focus not on the novel, as I would like, but on the author, whose underhanded distaste of the South and its people is apparent. When someone literally knows nothing about the author--not even her name--and, after reading about twenty to sixty pages, can wager a bet, with near 100% certainty, that not only is the author not from the South, but she has barely, if ever, lived there, then something is very, very wrong with the writing and with a publishing world that would allow this to be released. Flashback to me on my daily commute, reading. These are the thoughts that are traipsing through my head: "Cliche. Handsome Yankee from New York. Cliche. Cliche. Not possible. Where are the accents? Why is there a sense that most of these characters hate the South? Cliche. Cliche. Random character." Then I stop reading and to the dismay of my fellow commuters, mumble that I have been duped into buying a fake. I flip to the back of the book, and there is the interloper: the author. Who is from New York. Educated at Yale Drama School. Not from the South. Joke is on me, Ballantine Books. The joke is on me!
This is a good book for a book club selection. The book begins with the three Miss Margaret's, three elderly women who have been friends since childhood. They are all named Margaret, but are known as Maggie, Lil' Bit and Peggy. As young adults, they make a decision regarding an incident that affects the rest of their lives. The book makes you really evaluate how that decision and its consequences affect the ones they love. It's a case ultimately of whether the means justifies the end. The story is set in the South where issues of friendship, race, status, justice and societal obligations have a bearing on the potential and possibilities of many of the character's futures.If I had one quibble it's that two of the minor characters, Laurel and especially her relationship with Josh, seem almost to be a side story that did not enrich the novel. All the other characters were richly drawn and felt "real."This was a wonderful book that spurred debate, thoughtful observations and empathy among our culturally diverse neighborhood. I couldn't put it down.
What do You think about The Three Miss Margarets (2004)?
CharactersLil Bit-The Giantess. Her mother was mean and embarassed by her large daughter. Moved back to Atlanta after her husband died. Lil Bit's father was a gracious man. He was a lawyer and fought for the local Negro population. He died when Lil Bit was a teenager. The best thing he did was leave his wife $1 when he died. Lil Bit is a homely woman. She loves to garden. She meets a man, Walter, who she falls in love with. He likes to garden too, but he can't read. The "lie" breaks them apart.M
—Kellie
This started slowly and was a bit frustrating at first - seemed to be a story about damaged female characters. The casualty list grew and grew: 4, 5, 6, 7 women, all casualties of sexism, racism, or both. Then, just when it seemed the bleakness might become unbearable, we saw them starting to take control. Finally, we see their consolation, even their salvation: the power of female friendship. The novel throws its ambivalence aside and ends on a sentimental note: weaker in a lot of ways, but much more pleasant to read. This author doesn't deal in difficult subjects to make points, but only to tell a dramatic story. Maybe lacking depth, but worth a read.
—Lwg
The Three Miss Margarets was our book discussion title for July. It had mixed reviews from our group. I enjoyed it and want to read the sequel. One woman did not like it at all. Another recommended it to the group and loved it. It did lead to some interesting discussions on what innocent means and how decisions can change lives.If you like the Ladies of Covington series, I think you will enjoy this book. It is easy to read and has some mystery to it. I like the fact the mystery is not really solved until the end of the book.
—Lori Shafer
