Family Acts
Aug 30, 2007
Louise Shaffer
Family Acts
Publication Date: August 2007
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Family Acts has two stories set in the same location but at different times.
The setting is a 1oo plus year old theater/hotel set in a forgotten small Georgia riverfront town. A town that had been becoming more downtrodden and empty with each passing year, but now is slowly being taken over by developers. Unfortunately developers that want to get rid of the old and bring in the charmless new.
The main story is about Randa, Katie and Randa’s 11 year old daughter. Randa lives in L.A. and is a “star handler”. On call 24 hours a day, driving stars to rehab, calming their fears when their dress rips on the red carpet, etc. She is totally caught up in her client’s wants and needs and this consumes her life. Katie is a soap opera writer living in the shadow of her deceased famous soap star mother. She also lives in her mother’s New York apartment, works on her mother’s old soap and has only once branched out on her own, writing a play that went to off off Broadway.
They both receive letters from a small Georgia law firm informing them that they have inherited the theater. Neither know from whom. They have no family that they are aware of as both were raised by single parents who held their previous lives tight to their chests.
Once in Georgia they promptly receive an offer from a developer wanting to tear down the theatre and from here their story deepens. Do they take the money and run back to their boring, unsatisfying, yet established lives or do they take a chance to do something new? Another big mystery is how are they related to each other, if at all, and why do they now own this piece of Georgia property when they’ve never even been to the South.
The second story in this book is about the Venable family - owners of the theatre for 100 years – and what they did throughout the generations to keep the theater open and in the family. There are some very dark secrets in this family.
Both stories lead to a conclusion explaining how Katie and Randa came to inherit the theater together and where the future of it stands.
It’s a nicely written story, one that allows you to feel the characters. A good read.
Driving on the Wrong Side of the Road - Humerous Views on Love, Lust & Lawn Care
Aug 20, 2007
Diana Estill
Publisher: Brown Books; 1ST edition (March 30, 2006)
ISBN-10: 1933285419
ISBN-13: 978-1933285412
If you've ever wanted to read a book on how to save money by sewing camo flannel outfits, how not to go insane dealing with the cable company, what survival tools you actually need in a hurricane besides nachos and beer, and most importantly... what to do if you get jalapeno juice "down there"...
this is THE book for you!
Diana writes in the vein of Celia Rivenbark and Erma Bombeck - humorous anecdotes and thoughts on everyday life. Trying to see the funny side of events that could otherwise drag you down into the depths of despair without the humor. She also sees the humorous and interesting side of eccentric people, instead of just declaring them odd, frustrating and trying to stand out of their way.
I myself enjoy this type of writing as it's what I do and also how I see life in general.
Diana presents a nicely sized book, chock full of good stories. They're great reading one at a time when you only have 10 minutes hidden alone in the laundry room, or if you actually have the time, your sides will hurt by the end of several chapters from laughing so hard.
I do believe that this is one of those books I'll pop in and visit again and again for a lite, refreshing break from real life.
Diana has put up a "Book Trailer" about Driving on the Wrong Side of the Road. If you would like to see it, go HERE.
Labels: Southern Humor
Mothering Mother
Aug 13, 2007
Carol O'Dell
Mothering Mother
Kunati Publishing
ISBN-13: 978-1-60164-003-1
http:\\www.mothering-mother.com
Carol O’Dell, a Georgian who relocated to Florida, has written a very heartfelt and “to the bone” story about the time she spent being part of the Sandwich Generation. Carol was adopted at 4 years old by a couple in their 50s. She was loved and cherished, but I took from the reading that she always lived a bit on edge with her Mother, who could be quite caustic and cutting with her remarks.
This is the story of her mother’s failing health after her father has died, and Carol’s decision to bring her mother into her home to live with her husband, three teen-age girls, and herself. A story of joining and welcoming someone into the home who is hard to deal with already. Someone who is bitter about the loss of dignity and self-reliance. (Then again, wouldn’t we all be in that situation.)
Carol is a true Southern Woman, who has the Southern Rules of Etiquette deeply steeped within her, and finds herself dealing with a mother who is slowly forgetting social boundaries and ways of interaction, bringing a nearly constant state of embarrassment upon her daughter while in public.
She finds herself tending to a mother who makes jabbing, joking comments as to the fact that the daughter was adopted to care for the mother in her later years. After hearing it enough times, you can’t help but start to wonder.
The feelings of care and love of your parent, combined with despair at watching your life disappear into role of caregiver and housemaid, interspersed with deep guilt over the selfishness you think you must surely have to imagine life without this situation – Carol deals with all of this in her story.
The guilt over contemplation of putting your mother into a home. Fantasizing about it even.
Then the freedom you feel once your mother has passed away, combined by crushing guilt at feeling this way, while at the same time longing to have her there to talk to one more time.
I want to point out here – this is not a dark, dank, depressing book. While it’s serious in nature, Carol has enough dry humor entwined into the story to get a good chuckle out of you at least once a chapter. You have to have humor in real life to survive with your sense of self intact in these situations. Carol does a good job of keeping her humor and her sanity.
This story hit hard with me as I found myself in the same situation as Carol a few years ago and I could relate to every moment. She put on paper so many of my thoughts and feelings that it was scary.
A well written book about life as it is.
Labels: Surviving the Sandwich Generation
