Heathen Girls

by Luanne Jones

Book Overview

Heathen Girls by Luanne Jones released on Dec 27, 2005 is available now for purchase. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0778322823
• ISBN13: 9780778322825
• Release Date: December 2005
• Publisher: Mira Books
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.1" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Looking for a great summer read

If only there were a whole shelf of Luanne Jones books to read my summer would be all about reading. Her characters are real with the flavor of the south. I am waiting for more from this very talented author.

Novel has Southern flavor, but themes are universal

The epic journey is a time-honored theme in fiction, and Luanne Jones's new novel HEATHEN GIRLS rests both plot and character on that theme. Although the main character Charma Deane's journey doesn't cover thousands of miles geographically, it does cover a lot of ground emotionally. Charma is summoned to the Aunt Farm, the George family's spiritual center, where she spent summers with her cousins Bess and Minnie. Bess is about to evict her aging aunts, Fawnie and Shug. Both the older women were, at different times, married to the same man who died years before. They are affectionate rivals now for family attention. In returning to the family home, Charma confronts ghosts from her own past as she attempts to deal with her aunts' eviction, her cousin Bess's pending death, and her cousin Minnie's conflicts with her own daughter. Mother of two grown sons, and now divorced, Charma dances around feelings for the man she almost married, Guy Chapman. Guy literally left Charma at the altar many years before, but as the story unfolds, it becomes apparent he had good reasons for doing so. The story line rests on each character coming to grips with what the cousins call the "sacred self." Interwoven into the narrative are snapshots of Southern culture, both past and present. Urging the reader on are family secrets and customs, both specific to the George family, but also familiar to anyone with a large extended family. There's a poignant passage where Guy Chapman, now owner of his family's funeral parlor, speaks of the new South, but the message stretches across a nation. Guy returned to his hometown to save the family business, but in truth, the business is run by Dathan, an African American. But Guy keeps up appearances, knowing the business would falter if the townsfolk knew the real brains didn't reside with a member of the Chapman family. "You know they can make folks integrate the schools and the work force," he tells Charma. "But in those most private places where you have to lay your hands on someone..." Charma knows what he means, responding, "Churches, mortuaries, and beauty shops." (pg. 295) The novelist tells her story in an unpretentious, spontaneous manner, with Charma as narrator. The main character and those closest to her complete a personal journey that, in the end, makes each of them a wiser and stronger person. Some passages will require a careful read; it's obvious the novelist has a higher aim than writing just another chick lit tale. The reader will enjoy a zany romp through antics of a Southern family whose aunts are irreverent, and whose cousins prove that blood is thicker than near-sibling rivalry. Luanne Jones rests much of the storyline on dialogue, and it is inevitable for a reader to entertain hope that the book might make its way to the big screen. HEATHEN GIRLS is an entertaining read and offers home-spun philosophies on families and friends that keep the story in the reader's heart once the book is closed. Jones is

Great Story! Must Read.

This story of cousins who share a deep bond along with some family secrets is a must read for anyone who loves irreverant humor and characters who stay with you long after the book ends. From the opening pages when I first met Charma Deane, her nemesis Bess, and the women who live in and around the Aunt Farm I was charmed, touched and tickled. The story explores relationships in all forms including social Southern small town life, true love, old friendships and new. But most of all it shows the power of women. This is the kind of book that would be perfect for a book club or just to share among friends. It will be on my 'keeper' shelf.

intriguing family drama

Growing up in Orla, Arkansas, their grandmother dubbed the three cousins the "heathen girls" for their wild antics. Several years later, the oldest Bess steals Charma's fiancé Guy causing a deep rift in the family. Now three decades later, Aunt Fawnie calls Charma pleading with her to come home because Bess owns the "Aunt Farm" and plans to evict the family from the homestead. Reluctantly Charma, accompanied by her friend Sterling, comes home to pick up the urn containing her mother's ashes and to confront Bess with what she is doing to their aunts. Instead Bess challenges her to take charge of her life and that of her family as she is dying from cancer and someone must care for the relatives with Charma the only one capable of doing so. Bess also says her only regret is stealing Guy but definitely not her exposé book on "Home among the Heathens". She even sets the example to live to the fullest when she falls in love with Sterling, who reciprocates as he is awed by her gust for life though she knows her days are limited. Charma begins to understand and believe again, but wonders if it is too late for her and Guy. HEATHEN GIRLS is an intriguing family drama in which secrets and hurtful actions have divided loved ones. The broken relationship between Charma and Bess drives the plot with the latter trying to patch things up before she dies while the former struggles between reconciliation and eternal resentment. Fans of character driven tales with little action, but a deep cast with personal conflict and grudges will enjoy Luanne Jones's fine second chance tale. Harriet Klausner