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"Although we call ourselves the Same Sweet Girls, none of us are girls anymore. And Im not sure that any of us are now, or ever have been, sweet...The illusion of sweetness, thats all that counts. We dont have to be sincerely sweet, but by God we have to be good at faking it."
And so begins the amusing and honest introduction to Cassandra King's cast of friends, "the same complicated, screwy, mixed-up, love-each-other-one-minute and hate-each-other-the-next group of women [they] were when [they] met 30 years ago." The wife of acclaimed author Pat Conroy, King's own literary talent shines through in "The Same Sweet Girls" with candid witticisms and sincere characters that deliver a slice-of-life look at the complex relationship between female companions in the South.
From the outside looking in, this unlikely sextet has very little in common: Corrine is an eccentric gourd artist from rural, underprivileged Alabama; Lanier is a nurse who would be a doctor if not for her keen ability to screw up; Julia is the group's classic beauty, a girl from old money and current first lady of Alabama; flirtatious Astor is a former Broadway showgirl with exotic looks and cunning ways; Byrd is the maternal and loveable one, albeit a bit plain and simple; and Rosanelle, the Southern Belle archetype, still clings to her debutante days. But with a nickname they coined after their first encounter in college - a mischievous incident that immediately lends irony to the idea of the girls as "sweet" - the Same Sweet Girls have stuck it out through love and loss, keeping in touch through bi-annual reunions in the years following graduation.
Not since the Ya-Yas have we met such an endearingly quirky group of Southern women whose friendship stands the test of time. Rather than "divine secrets," the Same Sweet Girls have their own set of kooky traditions that allow them to maintain a perception of youth while poking good-natured fun at that required illusion of sweetness in the South. In fact, each year the group crowns a "queen," selecting by secret ballot the girl who has proved herself to be the sweetest of all through a blatant, year-long campaign. "Naturally, the first year everyone voted for herself, so we had to change the rules. Its not considered a sweet thing to do, to vote for yourself, and if you do so, you're disqualified."
Yet while most of the girls are friends by circumstance, linked however inextricably by the mere shared experience of college and the traditions they have since kept, three of the women share a bond that runs deeper than any ritual or habit. As the story alternates between the perspectives of Corrine, Lanier and Julia, King reveals the heart of a true friendship that only gets stronger in the midst of middle age and major life change. But the novel does not become a chick lit cliché with females gabbing daily over coffee or cocktails; rather, these women maintain a high level of independence, bearing their burdens separately in a way that is surprisingly refreshing and authentic.
As Corrine attempts to reconnect with her son and free herself from the power of an abusive ex-husband in the mountains of North Georgia, Lanier nurses a broken heart over a failed marriage at her childhood home on the Alabama coast, and Julia tries to find her true self among a façade of perfection and a haunted past at a remote lake house in the heart of the state, it is not physical proximity that ties them together but the assurance that a confidante is only a phone call away. But when illness threatens the life of one of their own, the fear of loss ripples through their core, prompting them to abandon their isolation to be together and forcing them to evaluate just how far they would go for a friend in need.
With a strong dose of humor interlaced with pangs of tragedy and heartbreak, "The Same Sweet Girls" evokes both laughter and tears in the way that is reminiscent of great Southern predecessors like "Steel Magnolias" or "Fried Green Tomatoes." As their relationships with men and family members waver, these women remain the one constant in each others lives, giving us a glimpse at friendship in its purest form.
And so begins the amusing and honest introduction to Cassandra King's cast of friends, "the same complicated, screwy, mixed-up, love-each-other-one-minute and hate-each-other-the-next group of women [they] were when [they] met 30 years ago." The wife of acclaimed author Pat Conroy, King's own literary talent shines through in "The Same Sweet Girls" with candid witticisms and sincere characters that deliver a slice-of-life look at the complex relationship between female companions in the South.
From the outside looking in, this unlikely sextet has very little in common: Corrine is an eccentric gourd artist from rural, underprivileged Alabama; Lanier is a nurse who would be a doctor if not for her keen ability to screw up; Julia is the group's classic beauty, a girl from old money and current first lady of Alabama; flirtatious Astor is a former Broadway showgirl with exotic looks and cunning ways; Byrd is the maternal and loveable one, albeit a bit plain and simple; and Rosanelle, the Southern Belle archetype, still clings to her debutante days. But with a nickname they coined after their first encounter in college - a mischievous incident that immediately lends irony to the idea of the girls as "sweet" - the Same Sweet Girls have stuck it out through love and loss, keeping in touch through bi-annual reunions in the years following graduation.
Not since the Ya-Yas have we met such an endearingly quirky group of Southern women whose friendship stands the test of time. Rather than "divine secrets," the Same Sweet Girls have their own set of kooky traditions that allow them to maintain a perception of youth while poking good-natured fun at that required illusion of sweetness in the South. In fact, each year the group crowns a "queen," selecting by secret ballot the girl who has proved herself to be the sweetest of all through a blatant, year-long campaign. "Naturally, the first year everyone voted for herself, so we had to change the rules. Its not considered a sweet thing to do, to vote for yourself, and if you do so, you're disqualified."
Yet while most of the girls are friends by circumstance, linked however inextricably by the mere shared experience of college and the traditions they have since kept, three of the women share a bond that runs deeper than any ritual or habit. As the story alternates between the perspectives of Corrine, Lanier and Julia, King reveals the heart of a true friendship that only gets stronger in the midst of middle age and major life change. But the novel does not become a chick lit cliché with females gabbing daily over coffee or cocktails; rather, these women maintain a high level of independence, bearing their burdens separately in a way that is surprisingly refreshing and authentic.
As Corrine attempts to reconnect with her son and free herself from the power of an abusive ex-husband in the mountains of North Georgia, Lanier nurses a broken heart over a failed marriage at her childhood home on the Alabama coast, and Julia tries to find her true self among a façade of perfection and a haunted past at a remote lake house in the heart of the state, it is not physical proximity that ties them together but the assurance that a confidante is only a phone call away. But when illness threatens the life of one of their own, the fear of loss ripples through their core, prompting them to abandon their isolation to be together and forcing them to evaluate just how far they would go for a friend in need.
With a strong dose of humor interlaced with pangs of tragedy and heartbreak, "The Same Sweet Girls" evokes both laughter and tears in the way that is reminiscent of great Southern predecessors like "Steel Magnolias" or "Fried Green Tomatoes." As their relationships with men and family members waver, these women remain the one constant in each others lives, giving us a glimpse at friendship in its purest form.
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