Gods in Alabama
Book Review

Gods in Alabama BOOK SYNOPSIS

When Gods in Alabama begins, the main character Arlene has not been to her hometown in Alabama for 10 years. We don't know why but as the story goes on we find out Arlene has made 3 promises to God - (1)she won’t lie; (2)she won't fornicate with any boy that crosses her path; and (3)she would never return to her hometown of Possett, Alabama. Well she returns with her African-American boyfriend, Burr, in tow to put some of her demons to rest. What results are some life changing revelations for all the characters involved.

QUEENIE D SAYS

Great book! It was so close to a 5 for me that I'm still questioning my decision. The story is captivating and the characters are so real, so loveable and hateable at the same time, that I couldn't help but get in deep.

By the end of the book I was unsure of who killed Jim Beverly that I thought I might have done it! The real story here is the relationship between Arlene and the women of her family. She has a crazy mother, a hard aunt, and a beautiful cousin. She's stuck somewhere in the middle, never feeling quite sure of who she is. When she finally gets out of her town I think she's able to find herself. The neat thing about this is that even though you root for her as the main character, you don't necessarily like her all that much.

But boy do you LOVE Burr! What a man. He's strong and sensitive, quite but loud, and definitely the man Arlene needs in her life to be able to confront her demons and move past them. Couldn't we all be so lucky?

The end is a shocker. I was expecting something more than what we're told happens all throughout the novel, but wasn't expecting this!

Gods in Alabama is a definite must-read.

THE QUEENS COLLIDE: A DEBATE ON GODS IN ALABAMA

Queenie D: I liked this book…

Queenie B: I like it too!

QD: Don’t interrupt me! I didn't get to say why yet!

QB: OOOOkayyyy! Go ahead...

QD: As I said before, I liked this book. If you've read any of my own book reviews you know I'm a character driven reader.

QB: I know and it was rich in character.

QD: I had strong reactions to the main characters. For example, I really liked Burr, Arlene's boyfriend.

QB: I liked his mother!

QD: Me too, I thought both of them had strong personalities and helped Arlene make some tough choices.

QB: Ahh, but Aunt Florence is the real strength of the book. If it weren't for her there wouldn't be any story to tell.

QD: I totally disagree about that. She was a strong lady and definitely important to the book, but if it weren't for Jim Beverly it would have just been a story about a rebellious teenager.

QB: No way! Jim Beverly or not, the real story is the relationship between Arlene and Florence. If it weren't for Florence, Arlene would have totally fallen apart.

QD: I'm not disagreeing that Florence held the family together , I just am not sure I really liked her! It irritated me that she babied Clarice and was so hard on Arlene. If she really loved Arlene, she needed to show it more.

QB: Well when all is said and read, I think Florence's determination to help Arlene is what allows her to have a life at all.

Gods in Alabama DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. Was Florence too hard on Arlene?
2. Did you think Arlene killed Jim Beverly?
3. How realistic is it that Arlene kept her 3 vows?

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