Haywood Smith

I've nothing against niche writing. I thoroughly enjoy the plot driven Stephanie Plum novels by Janet Evanovich and the cheeky/fresh YA series like Princess Diaries and Confessions of Georgia Nicholson. That being said, I am not a fan of this book. I understand that it's a niche book for older women and that it's meant to be cheeky and sentimental and a bit clever, but I don't think it succeeds. There's a good and a bad way to do the niche writing, and Haywood Smith does it very poorly. show more Instead of sentimental, it's just corny. Instead of humorous, it's just lame. Instead of clever, it's just eye-roll inducing. But, on a positive note, I will say that the advice in the book is good advice. However, I think it is advice that is good not just for mothers-in-law, but for all mothers of older children. While the concept is a good idea -- to be a cheeky gift book at bridal showers and weddings -- the execution fails. show less

Linwood Breedlove Scott's life has officially hit rock bottom. Her husband of thirty years has run off with a stripper. The IRS has taken everything but her coffee table. And her hot flashes are four-alarmers. The only thing that could make being flat-broke and fifty any worse is having to crawl home to her parents' house in Mimosa Branch, Georgia...which is exactly where she's headed.

Lin's barely prepared for the loony bin that greets her, from her controlling, eighty-year-old mother and show more shockingly blunt father to her long-suffering Aunt Glory and her deranged Uncle Bedford who is convinced a cannibal lives under the furniture. Nor is she ready for the instant love-hate attraction she feels for her handsome new next-door neighbor. Trying to navigate her way through the second act of her life with nothing more than a prepaid calling card, a broken heart, and plenty of Prozac, Lin's about to discover that it's never too late for old friends, new romance, the ties of family, and a second chance to survive it all on the road to becoming the person you were always meant to be...

After a painful betrayal and divorce from her husband of 30 years (who got engaged to a 22 year old stripper whilst still being married, and racked up $200,000 of debt before clearing out) Lin finds herself returning to the parental home in Georgia as the only place she has left. Having gotten married at 19 - as a way of escaping the Southern madness of her family - Lin has never really grown up or learnt to look after herself as number 1. Therefore her emotions on the reality of staying with her parents under the circumstances are that of the 19year old Lin when she left, with all the tantrums and petulance that comes with it. Nearing menopause, and used to Air Conditioning, she has forgotten how to deal with the heat of Georgia in summer, and is often out of her comfort zone, both physically and emotionally.

By accident more than design, she ends up covering at the neighbourhood drug store when one of the staff goes down sick and that gives Lin the money and the confidence to settle in, convert her parent's garage apartment into something useful, all whilst getting her real estate licence. It also gives her the excuse to stay away from her family - many of who are getting old and more than a little demented in their old age.

The work brings her not only in contact with much of the local community, but also with Grant, the druggist, an attractive man who is home to clear up his father's estate and store before selling it. Viewed through external eyes, Mimosa Branch politics is greedy, corrupt and racist, and it is soon clear that something needs to be done - and it is for Grant and Lin to be in the thick of things. The Mayor and his cronies are suitably intimidating and threatening and you can understand why the fictional characters of this town feel unable to change the status quo.

The story is told by Lin in the first person, and there is a little bit of casual conversation in the style ("more of that later" and "did I tell you...." kind of thing). It happened enough to be noticeable, and it was borderline annoying - but not quite annoying to turn me off completely. Lin certainly grows up in this story - certainly not the 50-going-on-19 who first turned up at the beginning, and she manages to work through what it means to be a single woman of a certain age.

After being very much in the forefront of the book at the beginning (to show how mad the house is), Lin's parents and Uncle soon disappear from the story about half way through, even after a heart to heart with Aunt Gloria in the car - with the air con on - which demonstrated to Lin she's not the only outsider in the family and many people make sacrifices to be with the people they love. Lin has to deal with her being newly divorced at 50, living in her parents' rambling run down home, and having a teenage crush on her employer which she hasn't decided if she will ever act on or not. Trough this time, she comes to realise that she has buried herself away from her family, not realising how much she has missed out on. She has always thought of her brother as a wastrel and unreliable, but his help and patience whilst clearing the garage, whilst following the tenets of the AA that has allowed him to let go of the things he cannot change.

So this is a book about a "coming of age" that is 50 years in the making and what it means to be a woman, a daughter, a sister and a friend. I know some reviewers dont like Lin as a character (serves me right for reading reviews BEFORE I read the book!), but she's a flawed character who has some redeeming characteristics and it is a satisfactory book in the end. show less

I guess you would classify this novel under "General Fiction" but it was
more like an "un"romance story. This is another of those southern novels
that I like so much and it tells the story of a 50 year old woman named
Linwood Breedlove Scott whose 30 year marriage just ended spectactularly
when her CPA husband became engaged to a 23 year old stripper after running
them into nearly a quarter of a million dollars worth of debt. Her perfect
marriage crumbles around her and she loses everything to the show more creditors and
the tax man (her husband failed to file their own taxes for three years).

The book opens with Lin pulling into the driveway of her parent's house with
all her worldly goods in some grocery sacks in the back seat and trunk. She
is humiliated and debased to be coming back to "Miss Mamie's" when she had
been so relieved to marry at 19 to get away from them. Now she finds her
mother as strong willed as ever, but a much frailer 80 years old, with her
blustering father, the General, 88 and plagued by Alzheimer's. The
General's brother, Bedford, and his wife Glory are both living there, too,
with Bedford's mind nearly gone to dementia. Lin's younger good for nothing
alcoholic brother still lives at home and the daily games these people play
have changed very little in 30 years, but now have the spice of dementia
added.

She's literally found herself in the only shelter she has left -- The Loony
Bin. She's a former cheerleader coming back to the small town she came from
where no one has forgotten her and Miss Mamie's "prayer chain" has kept all
the gossips fueled with her sad tale of woe for the past several months.
Now she finds herself being called "Poor Lin" and it drives her nuts.

There is something downright refreshing about reading a story where the lead
character is a 50 year old, vital woman. It's the story of how this woman
"finds" her strength (that was there all along) and rebuilds her life, one
little step at a time. There's a man in it, not so much a romantic interest
as an object of secret lust that surprises the hell out of Lin. But it's a
lot more than that, too. It's also the story of small town southern
political corruption and how Lin and her old friends band together to try to
stop it.

I really enjoyed this story. It was light and moved along well, made
perfect sense, and was filled with "gotcha" moments for me when I saw myself
in Lin. Here is a woman trying to be a person on her own after having spent
her life being somebody's daughter or somebody's wife. This one is a nice
change of pace. show less

The basic premise of this book is amusing enough -- after experiencing astronomical expenses for an unusual health condition, a relatively newly widowed Cassie teams up with an equally ill Jack to fight insurance companies in the health care equivalent of a green card: finding a new husband with healthy insurance benefits to have and to hold and cover her health care expenses.

It may sound a little mercenary, but it was all handled in a humorous, tasteful manner. Cassie and Jack's show more relationship and understanding of each other was a nice plot element to watch. This was a nice gentle, read, that was perfect for my back porch in the summer. The thing that pushed this novel from a three to a four was Haywood Smith's descriptions of what life is like when you have a serious, but relatively unknown illness. Smith gave Cassie the illness that she, herself, has: a congenital degenerative arthritis, compounded by systemic fungal infection. In my case, it's an allergy to natural rubber/latex and resultant airway disease. Both illnesses are not commonplace, and often cause blank stares when mentioned to others. Both necessitate huge lifestyle changes, both in terms of what can be in your home, how to clean, what to eat, etc.

So, because I thought Smith presented a glimpse into a world I know very well, and for the character, Jack, for having a heroine who is physically flawed, and for fun shout outs to the Atlanta area (which I am familiar with), I added an extra star. show less