Jennifer W. (GeniusJen) reviewed Driving Me Crazy (Harlequin Next, No 27) on + 5322 more book reviews
Every once in a while, you read a story that you know will stay with you for a long, long time. For me, this is that book. A little bit DRIVING MISS DAISY, a little bit FRIED GREEN TOMATOES, and a small dash of SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE make this one of the most heartfelt-and funny-books that I've read recently. If you haven't read a book in Harlequin's new NEXT line, you need to. And you need to start with DRIVING ME CRAZY.
Maggie Dufrane is forty-one, recently divorced from Stanley. She's also the sister of forty-three year-old Jean, one of the women who gave original wring-your-hands, bring-on-the-tears Southern belles their name. She's also the daughter of Mama, a formidable woman who's into theatrics, good cooking, and making the lives of her daughters very, very interesting. When Mama takes a fall in her home and can't get up, it's up to Maggie and Jean to rescue her-through an open window-and get her to the hospital. When they learn that their Mama is suffering from congestive heart failure, their lives suddenly get a lot more complicated.
Maggie has always been a take-charge type of woman. Now, though, she's dealing with Jean's typical over-the-top tales of doom about their Mama's health. She now has a new houseguest, her Mama's dog Jefferson, who has a nervous disorder that makes him lose his hair when he's stressed. Not to mention that she's somehow come into contact with Tupelo's most famous radio DJ, Joseph "Rainman" Jones. As Maggie deals with all the turmoil in her life, including but not limited to waiting to hear from her editor about her new mystery manuscript, she wonders how life could possibly get any more complicated.
I absolutely loved DRIVING ME CRAZY. It's a story that captures every nuance of life, from dealing with your mother, to coping with your sister, to dealing with love and attraction during a time in your life when you shouldn't have the desire for anything remotely romantic. Told with heartfelt prose, Peggy Webb has penned a story that will leave you with both a smile and a tear, and you'll be able to tell immediately that she was telling the truth when she mentions in her introduction that her own Mama was her muse for the story. This is a definite winner, and you won't be disappointed in the least.
Maggie Dufrane is forty-one, recently divorced from Stanley. She's also the sister of forty-three year-old Jean, one of the women who gave original wring-your-hands, bring-on-the-tears Southern belles their name. She's also the daughter of Mama, a formidable woman who's into theatrics, good cooking, and making the lives of her daughters very, very interesting. When Mama takes a fall in her home and can't get up, it's up to Maggie and Jean to rescue her-through an open window-and get her to the hospital. When they learn that their Mama is suffering from congestive heart failure, their lives suddenly get a lot more complicated.
Maggie has always been a take-charge type of woman. Now, though, she's dealing with Jean's typical over-the-top tales of doom about their Mama's health. She now has a new houseguest, her Mama's dog Jefferson, who has a nervous disorder that makes him lose his hair when he's stressed. Not to mention that she's somehow come into contact with Tupelo's most famous radio DJ, Joseph "Rainman" Jones. As Maggie deals with all the turmoil in her life, including but not limited to waiting to hear from her editor about her new mystery manuscript, she wonders how life could possibly get any more complicated.
I absolutely loved DRIVING ME CRAZY. It's a story that captures every nuance of life, from dealing with your mother, to coping with your sister, to dealing with love and attraction during a time in your life when you shouldn't have the desire for anything remotely romantic. Told with heartfelt prose, Peggy Webb has penned a story that will leave you with both a smile and a tear, and you'll be able to tell immediately that she was telling the truth when she mentions in her introduction that her own Mama was her muse for the story. This is a definite winner, and you won't be disappointed in the least.
