Paula Wall

Five Points, Tennessee: where the whiskey is mellow and the women are strong.

Though this book is titled after several central characters, the stories center on most of the women of the town. There is a touch of Alice Hoffman's style in the writing, which lured me into thinking there would be a bit more magic in the tales, but in truth, the main magic is in the characters depicted in this small town, hit hard by the depression and Prohibition. There's pithiness, and grit there (you can tell show more from the very first sentence " The Lord giveth and most women piss it away.") But there also are some great characters (female and male) who evolve and age, taking their tones and tastes from the world around them. And though the individual characters and arcs drew me, I think what kept me coming back to the book (I had to put it aside for several ARCs that came in) was the way the making of whiskey was interwoven through the life of the characters and town. It was the livelihood of many, and when times became tough, the currency of life. As the author says: “A woman is like whiskey. She evaporates a little over time, distilled by disappointments and grief. One can never predict if the angels will take the best of her or the worst. Only time will tell if the woman that remains will be bitter, dispirited, or aged to perfection.” (pg. 180)

Liquor can be like moonshine quick, strong, and straight to your head, or like that fine whiskey which takes on the nuances of the world around it to become something more. This is a book shaped by whiskey,

Tags: set-in-the-south, taught-me-something, made-me-look-something-up, i-liked-it, will-look-for-more-by-this-author show less

This isn't a Point A to Point B kind of book, more like a series of vignettes about some extremely dysfunctional relationships in the small town of Five Points, Tennessee and the changes forced upon those relationships when a high brow brothel, The Five of Clubs, comes to town. The humor is first rate, even though the plot seems to swerve around on a curvy road. I loved every minute of it. Laugh out loud funny. I kept stopping to read passages to my husband.

I was really surprised by this book. The first time I started reading it, I didn't get far enough into it to appreciate it, so this time around, I expected just a fun fluffy novel. It was fun and fluffy, but so much more. Most notable was the excellent dialog and writing in general. There were many times I laughed out loud at a perfect "that's so true and so well put" type of line. I can't wait to read more about the Belles and more from Paula Wall!

Love this book, this is the 2nd time I've read it and I usually don't re-read, unless it is a favorite. I am hoping Paula Wall will come out with a new book soon. I've read her second book the Wilde Women, which I really enjoyed as well. She favors strong, wise women characters. An amazing author who really draws the reader into the story, I was immersed and didn't want to leave Leapers Fork.