Crazy Ladies

by Michael Lee West

Book Overview

From the author of Mad Girls in Love comes this lively multigenerational tale of six charming, unforgettable Southern women -- a novel of love and laughter, pain and redemption. Though she was born in Tennessee, Miss Gussie is no country fool. A woman who can handle any situation, she has her hands full with two headstrong daughters who happen to be complete opposites -- dour Dorothy and sweet Clancy Jane. Hoping money will heal childhood wounds,...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060977744
• ISBN13: 9780060977740
• Release Date: June 2005
• Publisher: Harper Perennial
• Length: 416 Pages
• Weight: 0.72 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.4" x 8.1"

Customer Reviews

Best one yet...

Finishing Crazy Ladies marks the end of my tour de West, and I am so happy it has ended on such a fantastic note! I loved this novel and all of its humor, quirks, sadness, eccentricities and love. Michael Lee West is the best southern fiction writer in my book, and I can't wait for Mad Girls in Love to be published so I can read more.Crazy Ladies is just that: CRAZY! A novel told in six voices, readers are treated to the intertwining lives of three generations of women, plus a maid that ties up the saga nice and tight. Miss Gussie begins the novel in 1932 with a bang of a drama and the sparks keep flying up until the end in 1972. Forty years of children, grandchildren, husbands, war, hippies, poverty, murder, rape, jealousy...it's all there. Crazy Ladies is a pageturner to the nth degree and will give readers whiplash with all its goings-on.Michael Lee West's writing has a cozyness about it, a nice relaxing feeling that will make the pages fly by. She brings to life the signs of the times with passion and zeal; you can't help but smile and cry as your emotions are tugged in all directions. Crazy Ladies is wonderfully addictive, sweet and poignant, and outrageously funny. A fantastic epitome of southern life -- one that is not to be missed.

The Best Book I Read This Summer

I fell in love with this charming tale of mothers and daughters. There's never a dull moment, and the characters are so real, you can almost smell their perfume. Their escapades took me through a rainbow of tears, laughter, and smiles. If you loved FRIED GREEN TOMATOES and STEEL MAGNOLIAS, this is the book for you. It's southern in spirit and utterly beguiling.

Michael Lee West's Debut Novel

Crazy Ladies opening chapter is so riveting and harrowing that it will immediately capture your attention and won't let you stop turning pages until the end. This is the story of six southern women that takes place over a forty year period from 1932 through 1972. These women: Miss Gussie, family matriarch, her maid Queenie, her daughters, Dorothy and Clancy Jane and their daughters, Bitsy and Violet, take turns narrating the story, telling a rich, compelling tale of American life during those times. The real strength of this book are its wonderfully drawn characters and Ms West's smart, eloquent writing. A novel full of life's successes and disappointments, told with wisdom, insight and humor. Crazy Ladies is a story that both entertains you and breaks your heart, leaving you breathless and wanting more.

Powerful for lack of a better word

Fans of female issues, family or friendship based theme novels will enjoy this read. Those who are familiar with Ms. Well's Ya Ya Sisters, or Ms. Smiley's A Thousand acres will be as unwilling to put down Crazy Ladies as they were with the mentioned predicisors. Real characters, with skilled character development, real situations we've all unfortunately found ourselves in or gossiped about a neighbour or church member who is suffering through it all based in a small, hot southern town with the hint of "Fried Green Tomatoes" in the air. The point is she paints an execellent real life picture of the dysfunction that runs rampant in most families with a little humour which will cheer you up after Ms. West has brought you tears. Excellent acheivement for a first novel!

Fantastic Book!

If you loved "YaYas", you have to read this and CRAZY IN ALABAMA by Mark Childress. Ms. West writes beautifully! The characters are not always likable, but very much real. I see the african american character, I believe her name was Pearl - just can't think of it right now, was the best character. Always there for everyone - what a wonderful person she was! Wish they would make a movie of this book very soon. As another customer said in his/her review, I can see Kathy Bates as Dorothy. Further, I would recommend Shirley McLaine as Gussie, Tori Spelling as Clancy Jane, Drew Barrymore as Violet, Alicia Silverstone as Bitsy and, last but not least, Oprah Winfrey as Pearl!Don't miss this one and Ms. West's other book, "She Flew the Coop". Can't wait to read her other books!