Driving Me Crazy

by Peggy Webb

Book Overview

If there's one thing mystery novelist Maggie Dufrane knows, it's this: Laughter through tears is the Southern way. At least that's what her spitfire mama, aka the Mississippi queen of drama, says. But... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0373880774
• ISBN13: 9780373880775
• Release Date: December 2005
• Publisher: Harlequin Next
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 4.2" x 6.6"

Customer Reviews

Originally Posted on Romance Junkies in 2006

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.

What fun, what fun!

Even though the women in the book are straight-from-STEEL-MAGNOLIAS-Southern, they could be from anywhere. The read is warm and funny and worth however long it takes you to finish it.

"Witty, Warm, and Wonderful!"

As an avid reader and fan of Peggy Webb, I was thrilled with her latest creation, "Driving Me Crazy." Tiptoeing through life with Mama was a fun-filled adventure. Webb has added another winner to her lengthy array of novels. If you are female, you will definitely want to visit "life with Mama" in the pages of this masterpiece. If you are male, you will want to read this book of humor and wit, so you can be a part of the conversation as the women compare notes on "the must-read book for 2006!." Sandra Fortune, Ed.D.

A Guilty Pleasure

Peggy Webb's Driving Me Crazy is a lovely book filled with warmth and humor. Any woman who has ever had too much to do should take a break and spend some time with this funny, sweet, and tender novel.

A Gift to Readers!

Peggy Webb truly outdid herself in this fabulous read -- so much so that I was surprised it wasn't published in hardcover. It grabbed me on page one as the main character described her life in a nutshell and made me care deeply about her. "Driving Me Crazy" has earned a place on my bookshelf next to great authors like Fannie Flagg and Elizabeth Berg, only Miss Webb pulled more heartstrings and created characters that jumped off the page and remained with me long after I closed the book and gave a huge satisfying sigh. I laughed, I wept, and I felt wiser in the end. At 41 and newly divorced, Maggie Dufrane is starting over; and yes, it's a little scary, as any woman going through a divorce knows. But Maggie, who has always met challenges head on -- and with laugh-out-loud humor -- is also facing the possible loss of her feisty but ailing mother and trying to keep her older sister (a cry at-the-drop-of-a-hat woman) strong through it all. Oh, and before I forget, Maggie is also responsible for keeping her mother's golden retriever calm during the many upheavals because he loses his hair when he gets upset. This book is about family and the special bond that women share. It's about putting one foot in front of the other and laughing through our tears during adversity, about squeezing out every drop of sweetness life offers, and knowing that around every corner lies great possibilities, even new love. It's about change and learning what's important and discovering through others how we can choose to live our lives. As an avid reader, I have written to a couple of authors whose books I truly enjoyed, and I wrote to Peggy Webb after I read this one because for me personally it was a gift. I am going to reread the book with my yellow highligher so I can capture the beautiful and uplighting prose and squeeze the sweetness out of each word and thought like Maggie Dufrane taught me to do.