Library Journal : Starred Review. Set in Stockett's native Jackson, MS, in the early 1960s, this first novel adopts the complicated theme of blacks and whites living in a segregated South. A century after the Emancipation Proclamation, black maids raised white children and ran households but were paid poorly, often had to use separate toilets from the family, and watched the children they cared for commit bigotry. In Stockett's narrative, Miss Skeeter, a young white woman, is a naive, aspiring writer who wants to create a series of interviews with local black maids. Even if they're published anonymously, the risk is great; still, Aibileen and Minny agree to participate. Tension pervades the novel as its events are told by these three memorable women. Is this an easy book to read? No, but it is surely worth reading. It may even stir things up as readers in Jackson and beyond question their own discrimination and intolerance in the past and present. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 10/1/08.]—Rebecca Kelm, Northern Kentucky Univ. Lib., Highland Heights

Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions Inc. Terms

Publishers Weekly : Starred Review. What perfect timing for this optimistic, uplifting debut novel (and maiden publication of Amy Einhorn's new imprint) set during the nascent civil rights movement in Jackson, Miss., where black women were trusted to raise white children but not to polish the household silver. Eugenia Skeeter Phelan is just home from college in 1962, and, anxious to become a writer, is advised to hone her chops by writing about what disturbs you. The budding social activist begins to collect the stories of the black women on whom the country club sets relies and mistrusts enlisting the help of Aibileen, a maid who's raised 17 children, and Aibileen's best friend Minny, who's found herself unemployed more than a few times after mouthing off to her white employers. The book Skeeter puts together based on their stories is scathing and shocking, bringing pride and hope to the black community, while giving Skeeter the courage to break down her personal boundaries and pursue her dreams. Assured and layered, full of heart and history, this one has bestseller written all over it. (Feb.)

Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions Inc. Terms

...More

Library Journal : Take one devastating Florida hurricane, a New York couple on their honeymoon, a skull-juggling but sensitive guy, one former governor turned Everglades hermit, two small-time con artists, a corrupt building inspector, two state troopers, a hapless insurance agent, and what do you have? The recipe for Hiaasen's (Native Tongue, LJ 9/1/91) sixth novel, a delightful romp that is by turns hilarious and moving. These strange characters maneuver through a broken landscape as if born to it, and the author's control of both style and narrative keeps the novel from slipping into silliness. The crimes plotted are minor aspects of a fiction that explores the intersection of the grotesque and the human. Buy wherever good fiction is read. [Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 4/15/95.]--A.J. Wright, Univ. of Alabama, Birmingham

Copyright 1995 Cahners Business Information, Inc. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions Inc. Terms

Publishers Weekly : Hiaasen's latest madcap romp across southern Florida presents an apocalyptic panorama of the region in the wake of a storm much like Hurricane Andrew. Transforming a suburban sprawl into a lawless frontier, the hurricane puts on a collision course a demented cast of tourists, scam artists and eccentrics: New York ad exec Max Lamb, who decides to spice up his Orlando honeymoon by taking his bride and his camcorder into the teeth of the storm; Skink, the swamp-dwelling former Florida governor (last seen in Native Tongue) who kidnaps Max in an effort to teach him to respect the land; Edie March, a seductive grifter who hatches a half-baked personal-injury scam with the help of Snapper, a sadistic ex-con; and Augustine, the altruistic son of a jailed drug smuggler, who juggles skulls to relax. Also mobilized are a mob enforcer with a penchant for crucifixions, a voodoo-practicing building inspector and a number of menacing escaped animals. In his sixth novel, less a straightforward thriller than a sprawling slice of life, Hiaasen dexterously resolves his many subplots, uniting the principals in a climactic chase across the swampland--while adding sting to his perpetual theme: the unrelenting depredation of Florida's cultural and natural heritage. 200,000 first printing.

Copyright 1995 Cahners Business Information, Inc. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions Inc. Terms

...More

Library Journal : Three half-sisters come together at their late father's ranch in Montana. The terms of his will dictate that all three women must live together at the ranch for one year. If not, his enormous estate will be given to charity. Willa has lived all her life on the ranch and feels anger and resentment at her father's decision. Tess is a glamorous Hollywood screenwriter. She merely wants the cash and a quick escape from the desolate countryside. Lily, trying to hide from an abusive ex-husband, is only too happy to have the opportunity to stay in one place. Their evolving relationships with each other make up the heart of the story. It wouldn't be a Roberts novel if during their year of forced togetherness each sister didn't become romantically involved with tall, handsome cowboys. All six of the major characters are wonderfully written, with just the right touch of genuineness, warmth, and distinctiveness to make readers emotionally invest in their stories. Highly recommended for all libraries.-Margaret Hanes, Sterling Hts. P.L., Mich.

Copyright 1996 Cahners Business Information, Inc. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions Inc. Terms

Publisher's Weekly : Having published 100 novels in 15 years, Roberts (True Betrayals) just keeps getting better. In life, Jack Mercy, owner of the 25,000-acre Mercy Ranch, garnered more enemies than friends. His death promises to do the same, since his will forces his three grown daughters, half-sisters and virtual strangers to one another, to live together at the Montana ranch for a year or forfeit his estate, worth up to $20 million. If any die during the year, the survivor(s) will inherit the fortune, assuming they last the 12 months. Giving it a go are bossy Willa, part Blackfoot Indian, the only sister who lived on the ranch and is capable of running it; Tess, a sassy Hollywood scriptwriter who wants money but balks at a family reunion; and meek, divorced Lily, grateful for refuge. As the siblings settle in, someone begins committing barbaric acts against animals and then humans: Are these the random crimes of a psychopath? Or are they a devious distraction in a sinister game plan? Roberts balances the tension and sometimes gruesome action with three romances, crackling dialogue and a snappy infusion of humor. Setting her rich narrative against majestic scenery integral to the plot, she again demonstrates why, in 1986, she was the first author inducted into the Romance Writers of America's Hall of Fame. 150,000 first printing; $200,000 ad/promo; Literary Guild featured alternate; author tour.

Copyright 1996 Cahners Business Information, Inc. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions Inc. Terms

...More