Wednesday, September 7, 2011

I Do Have To Say It Got Better!

Source:  www.goodreads.com



Source:  www.stephaniegayle.com



My Summer of Southern Discomfort  by Stephanie Gayle is about Natalie, a young lawyer who is forced to flee her New York City home due to a scandalous love affair at her old law firm.  She moves to Macon, Georgia and becomes a prosecutor.  It's about her struggle to forget the past, her struggle to learn to work with her crotchety coworker, her struggle with prosecuting a man accused of murder who may get the death penalty (she is opposed to the death penalty), her struggle to help a co worker's abused sister, and her neighbor LaLa who has a great garden...are you getting the point?

I have mixed feelings about this book.  At first I really disliked it.  I hate to say negative things about books, but this one just bugged me.  First of all the cover is misleading because I feel like Natalie wouldn't be caught dead in that outfit, nor would she be relaxing while reading in the grass.  I felt like the attempts at showing southern culture were a bit patronizing and judgemental...like she was better because she was from a northern state.

I do have to say that it got better, and I didn't hate this book.   I just feel like I read the middle of the story, and I was yearning for the beginning and the end and the thing that would tie it all together.



This is the second book completed for the...

southernbelletag

4 comments:

  1. This doesn't sound like one of your favorites! I think I will pass on it! If I don't like a book by the third chapter, I usually say forget it. There are just too many good books out there to read! Thanks or all your input, Amy!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Brenda! You're right I didn't love this book. I don't like to say negative things about books because it's such an accomplishment to write one, but I felt like I needed to be honest about this one. I also went to Goodreads to read other reviews to see if it was just me or if others felt the same way. Most of the reviews were pretty consistant with my thoughts. Thanks so much for commenting and I'm really enjoying the reading challenge!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I don't like to say negative things about books either. Sometimes it might be a decent read but it just wasn't the book for me so I understand your feelings completely. I do appreciate your honest review though. I think this is a book I will take a pass on.

    ReplyDelete