Helpful Score: 4
This is another great read from Joshilyn Jackson. Its story centers around Rose Grandee, a minor character from her first novel: Gods in Alabama. Rose Grandee loves her husband and her dog, but her husband is abusive and she frequently ends up in the ER. When a gypsy at an airport tells her that she must choose between her husband or herself, the wheels of the novel are set in action and Rose takes off on a journey to find herself. I've read all of Mrs. Jackson's novels, and I think I like this one the best. I read it cover to cover in just three days.
Helpful Score: 4
Another terrific read from one of my favorite authors. Grabs you from the first page and never lets go. Parts of it are tough to read as the subject matter deals with physical abuse. At turns heartwrenching and funny, Josilyn Jackson knows how to write well and spin a great story. Can't wait to see what she does next.
Helpful Score: 2
I think it's the voice. This is the second book that I have read by this author and it's honestly her voice that drives me batty. The characterization is just----off.
Rose Mae (and her perfect alter-ego Ro), wife to wife-beating Thom, tries to escape his abuse. But not really. She is really running not so much because she is fed up, but because a gypsy in the airport told her that it was "going to be him or me."
This encounter in the airport leads to a credulity-straining voyage of discovery of sorts. The voyage required more detective skills than Sherlock Holmes, but Ro had no problem!
I had a hard time following the whole "saints coming along for the ride" motif, and frankly, it was not all the compelling to me.
When Rose Mae runs, she runs toward people who were in her life before she met her husband. There was one dead end that still does not make sense to me. Keeping up with the characters in this book who left with no notice to their loved ones was a chore. And the reader does not get a sufficient explanation.
The end of the book was pretty predictable. I think this is the last one that I will buy from this author, despite me loving to read Southern literature.
Rose Mae (and her perfect alter-ego Ro), wife to wife-beating Thom, tries to escape his abuse. But not really. She is really running not so much because she is fed up, but because a gypsy in the airport told her that it was "going to be him or me."
This encounter in the airport leads to a credulity-straining voyage of discovery of sorts. The voyage required more detective skills than Sherlock Holmes, but Ro had no problem!
I had a hard time following the whole "saints coming along for the ride" motif, and frankly, it was not all the compelling to me.
When Rose Mae runs, she runs toward people who were in her life before she met her husband. There was one dead end that still does not make sense to me. Keeping up with the characters in this book who left with no notice to their loved ones was a chore. And the reader does not get a sufficient explanation.
The end of the book was pretty predictable. I think this is the last one that I will buy from this author, despite me loving to read Southern literature.
Helpful Score: 2
I thought this book was almost as Jackson's first gods in Alabama. I loved that she gave Rose Mae her own story. Be sure to read Jackson's notes on why she chose to do just that. There was less humor in this book; it's darker and bleaker in its tone, but Jackson's ear for Southern dialogue and colloquialisms is still right on point. The spiritualism/tarot card reading is bit out of left field at first, but it gets tied in well at the end as does the "backseat saints" referred to in the title. Looking forward to Jackson's new book coming out this summer, and I've decided I need to reread gods in Alabama again too.
Helpful Score: 2
I thought this book was very well written and quite suspenseful, yet there is a part of me that didn't really like the "mystical" aspect of the plot/story line; more specifically, I have never been a big fan of tarot cards and those who claim to be able to predict the future, yet this was a significant part of the story. I still really liked the story and do recommend it to those who like a novel that is suspenseful and at times unpredictable.
Helpful Score: 2
If you want to understand the mind set of abused women this is the book for you. Well written and held my interest.
Helpful Score: 1
I LOVE JOSHILYN JACKSON!
In Backseat Saints, we get a little different twist on domestic violence. Yes, we see how the violator chooses and trains their victims, but we also see how the victim becomes a victim time and time again. It is a process that not everyone understands. "Why do they stay? Why do they let someone treat them like that?" These are phrases heard over and over and over again. This book may help you understand "Why."
Joshilyn's sense of humor is fantastic. Even in such a dramatic book, I found myself laughing throughout the book. She is one of the best!
In Backseat Saints, we get a little different twist on domestic violence. Yes, we see how the violator chooses and trains their victims, but we also see how the victim becomes a victim time and time again. It is a process that not everyone understands. "Why do they stay? Why do they let someone treat them like that?" These are phrases heard over and over and over again. This book may help you understand "Why."
Joshilyn's sense of humor is fantastic. Even in such a dramatic book, I found myself laughing throughout the book. She is one of the best!
Helpful Score: 1
I really liked this book. The abuse the main character endures is disturbing, but it was well written plot-wise. We root for Rose Mae to escape her jealous husband even though he tracks her down. Given that, she prepares for that eventual meeting...but things end differently than she expected. Couldn't stop reading this book. I've read almost all Joshilyn Jackson's books and this is my favoite.
Beautiful and tragic story of Rose Mae/Ro/Ivy. Left by her mother, left her father, and finally her abusive husband. Amazing story of what a mother will do for/do to her child.
It took me a while to complete this book. Just did not engage me. It was OK, but not compelling.
Definitely Recommend!
Rose Mae has a taste for bad men and good books. Her husband is an abusive man, with quite a temper and a habit of sending Ro to the ER. When a gypsy at the airport tells her that Ro must either kill her husband or be killed, Ro must decide which path her future will take. Ro finds herself looking into her past and searching for the mother who abandoned her years ago as a child. She hopes to find her and ask her the one question that has been burning inside her all these years.... Why did you leave me?
I really enjoyed the writing in this book. Very well written and excellent character development. I found myself loving some characters, hating others, and even feeling sorry for some of them. I found Rose Mae's character to be very interesting. It was interesting how she viewed herself and how she would manipulate other characters in the book to get what she wanted. There were times I loved her and times I didn't like her so much. Rose Mae is actually a minor character from one of Jackson's previous novels, Gods in Alabama, and this book was written later to tell Rose Mae's story. This is one of those stories that has had me thinking of the characters since I finished the book. I will definitely read more work from this author.
Rose Mae has a taste for bad men and good books. Her husband is an abusive man, with quite a temper and a habit of sending Ro to the ER. When a gypsy at the airport tells her that Ro must either kill her husband or be killed, Ro must decide which path her future will take. Ro finds herself looking into her past and searching for the mother who abandoned her years ago as a child. She hopes to find her and ask her the one question that has been burning inside her all these years.... Why did you leave me?
I really enjoyed the writing in this book. Very well written and excellent character development. I found myself loving some characters, hating others, and even feeling sorry for some of them. I found Rose Mae's character to be very interesting. It was interesting how she viewed herself and how she would manipulate other characters in the book to get what she wanted. There were times I loved her and times I didn't like her so much. Rose Mae is actually a minor character from one of Jackson's previous novels, Gods in Alabama, and this book was written later to tell Rose Mae's story. This is one of those stories that has had me thinking of the characters since I finished the book. I will definitely read more work from this author.
