drkew's review against another edition
4.0
I wasn't sure I'd like this novel but by about 2/3 of the way in, I realized that I did. Moore did a great job handling the themes of family solidarity and what I call sistership (close, protective relationships between women who aren't related). The beautiful relationship between Odette and James (especially once you learn the backstory) made me laugh and cry and is what saved the novel from a 3 star rating.
jenleah's review against another edition
4.0
I really loved these characters. I'm sure gonna miss Odette, Clarice, Barbara Jean, and the fellas. Wouldn't mind having a bite to eat at the All-You-Can-Eat. Rich, vivid storytelling made this a book and I was sad to see come to an end.
Listened to the audiobook version and really enjoyed the narrators, their manner of speech and way they read the story helped it to seem real.
Listened to the audiobook version and really enjoyed the narrators, their manner of speech and way they read the story helped it to seem real.
kforrest's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
nancy_vb's review against another edition
3.0
Fun and entertaining with just a bit of sentimentality and sadness.
meganfalzone's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
readingwithhippos's review against another edition
5.0
This book is an unadulterated delight from start to finish. It's the story of three women: Odette, Clarice, and Barbara Jean, who become friends as children growing up in Indiana and manage to remain so through years of heartbreak, struggle, and—thankfully—a whole lot of laughter. Dubbed “The Supremes” in their younger years while hanging out at Big Earl's buffet restaurant, aptly named The All-You-Can-Eat, the three friends rely on each other when the challenges of life threaten to overwhelm them.
The Supremes do dish themselves up plenty of trouble right along with the food on the buffet line at Big Earl's, but the novel never sinks too far into darkness. Moore's writing is way too witty for that. With hilarious antics from an overzealous cousin planning her daughter's wedding, a turban-clad would-be psychic peddling bogus fortunes, and—my personal favorite—the ghost of Eleanor Roosevelt (who likes to hit the sauce from time to time), there's never a dull moment in Plainview, and The Supremes are often right at the center of it all.
I listened to an audio version of this book, and I highly recommend you do the same. Not one, but TWO fabulous readers bring the characters to vivid life. The jokes struck me as even funnier hearing them aloud. I would be driving to work or fixing my hair in the mornings or any number of other boring daily tasks, but in my head I was belly-up to the table at Big Earl's, listening in on all the gossip of the day.
And dear Lord, some of that gossip is juicy. I just about fell over laughing when Clarice's famously religious mother sets up shop outside a strip club and yells through a bullhorn, “You are a child of God! Stop what you're doing!”
This is the kind of book I would buy as a gift for people I really, really like. It gave me more warm fuzzies than even the loudest, most bedazzled Christmas sweater. If you're anything like me, you'll want to put it on, wear it around, and have your picture taken in it.
More book recommendations by me at www.readingwithhippos.com
The Supremes do dish themselves up plenty of trouble right along with the food on the buffet line at Big Earl's, but the novel never sinks too far into darkness. Moore's writing is way too witty for that. With hilarious antics from an overzealous cousin planning her daughter's wedding, a turban-clad would-be psychic peddling bogus fortunes, and—my personal favorite—the ghost of Eleanor Roosevelt (who likes to hit the sauce from time to time), there's never a dull moment in Plainview, and The Supremes are often right at the center of it all.
I listened to an audio version of this book, and I highly recommend you do the same. Not one, but TWO fabulous readers bring the characters to vivid life. The jokes struck me as even funnier hearing them aloud. I would be driving to work or fixing my hair in the mornings or any number of other boring daily tasks, but in my head I was belly-up to the table at Big Earl's, listening in on all the gossip of the day.
And dear Lord, some of that gossip is juicy. I just about fell over laughing when Clarice's famously religious mother sets up shop outside a strip club and yells through a bullhorn, “You are a child of God! Stop what you're doing!”
This is the kind of book I would buy as a gift for people I really, really like. It gave me more warm fuzzies than even the loudest, most bedazzled Christmas sweater. If you're anything like me, you'll want to put it on, wear it around, and have your picture taken in it.
More book recommendations by me at www.readingwithhippos.com
nglofile's review against another edition
2.0
More accurately: 1 1/2 stars, but I'll bestow the benefit of the doubt. I did not enjoy this book, neither story nor audio recording.
It was a rocky start, and not only did I have difficulty distinguishing the three central women but I struggled even to care that I couldn't separate them or their situations. The story perked up when we flashed back to their teen years, and I sincerely wish that Big Earl had played a larger and more active role in the book. We kept hearing about the impact he had, but little was shown, and that for this reader was a glaring missed opportunity.
The eccentric characters and local color were mostly a miss for me, sometimes offensively so. Also, I have little patience for any work, much less one written by a man, in which a female character expresses the thought that if she had earlier realized the freedom that comes with extramarital relationships, she would have been more forgiving of her husband's serial (and public) infidelity.
audiobook note: Though both narrators have great voices that should have enhanced the narrative, the performances were actually distracting. I was constantly reminded of the fact that they were reading, almost as if this were being delivered as an oral report in front of a classroom, and that's not the experience I expect from high-quality narration. I want the story to flow easily, to be effortless and emotive. When the cadence of each pair of sentences seems to first rise and then fall, giving an impression of singsong-like falsity, and when words are too carefully articulated, it is more difficult to lose oneself in the story.
It was a rocky start, and not only did I have difficulty distinguishing the three central women but I struggled even to care that I couldn't separate them or their situations. The story perked up when we flashed back to their teen years, and I sincerely wish that Big Earl had played a larger and more active role in the book. We kept hearing about the impact he had, but little was shown, and that for this reader was a glaring missed opportunity.
The eccentric characters and local color were mostly a miss for me, sometimes offensively so. Also, I have little patience for any work, much less one written by a man, in which a female character expresses the thought that if she had earlier realized the freedom that comes with extramarital relationships, she would have been more forgiving of her husband's serial (and public) infidelity.
audiobook note: Though both narrators have great voices that should have enhanced the narrative, the performances were actually distracting. I was constantly reminded of the fact that they were reading, almost as if this were being delivered as an oral report in front of a classroom, and that's not the experience I expect from high-quality narration. I want the story to flow easily, to be effortless and emotive. When the cadence of each pair of sentences seems to first rise and then fall, giving an impression of singsong-like falsity, and when words are too carefully articulated, it is more difficult to lose oneself in the story.
sweetnovember's review
5.0
The Supremes’ at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat was a beautiful gem of book. Reading the first few pages I was kind of wary of this book. However, as I read on I wanted to know about the Supremes, Odette, Clarice, and Barbara Jean.
The Supremes had been the best of friends since high school going through triumphants and tribulations together. From what I gather, Odette was the leader of the group and the most stable of the three friends. Odette had been born in sycamore tree and that gave her the strength to brave and steadfast and everything she did.
Clarice was a crowd-pleaser and what I mean by that she tried to please everyone else but herself. When she was young she did everything her mother told her. As an adult did everything to please her husband who was the town Lothario. I was glad at the end of the book she was able to living for herself and no one else.
Barbara Jean probably had it the worst of the bunch having suffered physical and sexual abuse from a young age. Barbara Jean was taught by her mother to marry a well-off man. Find someone who would take of her. And she certainly did with Lester, however, unlike her mother she found a man that would be kind and gentle to even though he knew Barbara Jean did not love him the same way he loved her. At the end Barbara Jean was finally able to make peace with herself.
I really enjoyed this book it was hilarious with the appearance of ghosts especially Eleanor Roosevelt. I loved that it focused on friendship and that friendship can overcome the most darkest times in people’s lives.
The Supremes had been the best of friends since high school going through triumphants and tribulations together. From what I gather, Odette was the leader of the group and the most stable of the three friends. Odette had been born in sycamore tree and that gave her the strength to brave and steadfast and everything she did.
Clarice was a crowd-pleaser and what I mean by that she tried to please everyone else but herself. When she was young she did everything her mother told her. As an adult did everything to please her husband who was the town Lothario. I was glad at the end of the book she was able to living for herself and no one else.
Barbara Jean probably had it the worst of the bunch having suffered physical and sexual abuse from a young age. Barbara Jean was taught by her mother to marry a well-off man. Find someone who would take of her. And she certainly did with Lester, however, unlike her mother she found a man that would be kind and gentle to even though he knew Barbara Jean did not love him the same way he loved her. At the end Barbara Jean was finally able to make peace with herself.
I really enjoyed this book it was hilarious with the appearance of ghosts especially Eleanor Roosevelt. I loved that it focused on friendship and that friendship can overcome the most darkest times in people’s lives.