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A review by cathiedalziel
Nowhere But Home by Liza Palmer
4.0
4.5 Stars. This very well may be the "sleeper" book of this year. A wonderfully written story about what life throws at you and the bravery from deep down within to chase past ghosts out of one's life.
You just know the main character has had a rough life when her mother has named her Queen Elizabeth (I kid you not!). Add to that fact that Queenie's mother was known as the town slut and you know that the main character has some anger and pain that she lives with and spews into life sometimes. But hell, Queenie is so witty and funny and raw and real and fights to keep pushing on in a world where she doesn't know where she belongs or if she ever will, that I couldn't help but root for her right from the beginning. (Think of Renee Zellweger with her Cold Mountain mouth and spunk.)
Yes this book's cheesy but with a tartness to it that makes your eyes open wide and frankly, I am a cheese connoisseur. I could have done without the All American football ending but hey, it is set in the heart of Texas.
Queenie's sister Merry Carole reminded me of Dolly Parton in Steel Magnolias , steadfast, true to her roots and town and true to poofed up hair, love, family and truth, a truth that knows you can't change what's happened in the past and that life is apparently not always fair.
Then there are the men...oh the men. Cowboys and wanna be football players,(I love me cowboys and jocks; their swoon-worthy), a football coach who believes in the team and the integrity of doing whats right, and the prison guards, deep in the heart of Texas, who are tough on the outside but trying to hold onto good in their insides.
All of these elements, along with cooking for death-row inmates their very last meal, makes for a story that I couldn't put down and didn't want to end. Don't let this book get by you. Perfect summer reading.
You just know the main character has had a rough life when her mother has named her Queen Elizabeth (I kid you not!). Add to that fact that Queenie's mother was known as the town slut and you know that the main character has some anger and pain that she lives with and spews into life sometimes. But hell, Queenie is so witty and funny and raw and real and fights to keep pushing on in a world where she doesn't know where she belongs or if she ever will, that I couldn't help but root for her right from the beginning. (Think of Renee Zellweger with her Cold Mountain mouth and spunk.)
Yes this book's cheesy but with a tartness to it that makes your eyes open wide and frankly, I am a cheese connoisseur. I could have done without the All American football ending but hey, it is set in the heart of Texas.
Queenie's sister Merry Carole reminded me of Dolly Parton in Steel Magnolias , steadfast, true to her roots and town and true to poofed up hair, love, family and truth, a truth that knows you can't change what's happened in the past and that life is apparently not always fair.
Then there are the men...oh the men. Cowboys and wanna be football players,(I love me cowboys and jocks; their swoon-worthy), a football coach who believes in the team and the integrity of doing whats right, and the prison guards, deep in the heart of Texas, who are tough on the outside but trying to hold onto good in their insides.
All of these elements, along with cooking for death-row inmates their very last meal, makes for a story that I couldn't put down and didn't want to end. Don't let this book get by you. Perfect summer reading.