What a great book, loved the story, the characters, and the writing was top notch. Joe R Lansdale is one hell of a writer and he never disappoints. ( )

Classic Joe R Lansdale.
Dot is an opinionated but wise beyond her years 17 year old living in some nowhere town in E Texas.
This is a very entertaining book. ( )

A feel good character piece without much at stake in terms of plot. It was fun and I always enjoy the color Lansdale brings to his stories. ( )

Lansdale can write, all right. ( )

The Fender Lizards are a group of roller-skating Texas waitresses who team up to challenge a professional roller derby team at a traveling carnival. But the story is really about 17-year old Dot, wondering what became of her father, who went out for cigarettes years before and never returned. Or wondering what will become of her--a high school dropout working at the Dairy Bob. Luckily, her Uncle Elbert, who nobody knew existed, shows up out of nowhere, without a job but with lots of advice. And he is a former skating clown, so he's lots of help to the girls' roller derby ambitions. Like many of Lansdale's books, it seems to have been written in about as long as it takes to read, but this time there is a real heart to the story. Dot's narration, brought to perfect life in the audiobook by Kasey Lansdale's narration, is that of a real person struggling with a few growing up problems, but otherwise displaying an admirable calm in the face of less than ideal circumstances. Except, when a boy tries to hold her hand, of course....

I definitely recommend seeking out the audiobook to enjoy this book to its fullest. Kasey Lansdale doesn't just read the story, she performs it. And she inhabits more than one of the characters. She's that good. ( )