For readers of Saving CeeCee Honeycutt, Joshilyn Jackson, and Fannie Flagg, with a touch of Terms of EndearmentA laugh-out-loud funny yet poignant novel about a daughter determined not only to keep her mother among the living but to find out the secrets of her long-buried pastWillow Havens is ten years old and obsessed with the fear that her mother will die. Her mother, Polly, is a … die. Her mother, Polly, is a cantankerous, take-no-prisoners Southern woman who lives to shoot varmints, drink margaritas, and antagonize the neighbors–and she sticks out like a sore thumb among the young, modern mothers of their small conventional Texas town. She was in her late fifties when Willow was born, so Willow knows she’s here by accident, a late-life afterthought. Willow’s father died before she was born, her much older brother and sister are long grown and gone and failing elsewhere: it’s just her and her bigger-than-life mom, Polly.
Willow is desperately hungry for clues to the family life that preceded her, and Polly has her own secrets that she won’t reveal. Why did she leave her hometown of Bethel, Louisiana, fifty years ago and vow never to return after a mysterious and terrible incident? Who is Garland Jones, her long-ago suitor who possibly killed a man? And will Polly be able to outrun The Bear, the illness that finally puts her on a collision course with her closely guarded past and a final trip back to Bethel that will end with them, like Huck Finn, riding a river raft back home?
THE BOOK OF POLLY has a kick like the best hot sauce, and a great blend of humor and sadness, pathos and hilarity. This is a bittersweet novel about the grip of love in a truly quirky family and you’ll come to know one of the most unforgettable mother-daughter duos you’ve ever met.
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The Book of Polly has heart and humor, revenge, forgiveness, redemption and a larger than life cast of pitch-perfect characters who bring to mind such Southern literary standard-bearers as Lee Smith and Fannie Flagg. Get ready to fall in love.
I am wildly in love with The Book of Polly. Hepinstall’s characters are so deeply drawn I could almost hear them breathing, and she has a gift for laying the hearts of even minor players open in a single sentence. This is a purely wonderful book about growing up, about growing old, about never going gently into any kind of night. I want everyone I ever met to read it.
Hilarious and heartfelt, I wanted to wrap my arms round this book and hug it—I loved every page.
Wonderfully funny, sneaky and involving, the characters in this story are unpredictable and outrageous. If you ever pined for a mother who would take a hunting falcon as her wingman to a parent-teacher conference, Polly is the gal for you. Delicious.
I really enjoyed this book and the characters were so much fun and sassy! This is a fast read about an older woman who finds herself husband-less and pregnant. The story is about her and her daughter being who they are an enjoying all life has to offer along with some struggles. It is all about perspective!
Parts of this book were laugh out loud funny. Wonderful characters.
I loved loved loved this book! I fell in love with Polly and I admired her strength and fortitude through every aspect of her life. Her daughter’s very real love for her mother and the normal teenage angst were just so spot on. These characters were so real to me that when I finished the book I wanted to start it all over again. A lovely story that anyone can relate to.
This wonderful book made it to my “Hard to get on top 10 books of 2019! I loved every single page!
I started recommending this book while I was only half way thru! So funny and fun to read!
enjoyed
Very good.
Great read, think others will enjoy it.
Southern like Fannie Flagg
Unlike anything i’ve read before but it kept me reading ,til the end.
A very enjoyable read. I loved the characters, found myself laughing out loud and tearing up at times. I’ve recommended to my book club to read.
I loved this book. It is a “coming of age” story that is so much fun to read. Very real expressions of a kid and their emotions regarding a parent.
Such a fun/entertaining read & perfect for summer! My Bookstagram friend, @a_perfect_time_to_read , suggested this & I’m so happy I finally read it! I loved the quirky & on the edge of dysfunctional mother/daughter relationship & totally envisioned Allison Janney as the mom. Great book & I will miss all the characters!
I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
I enjoyed this book about an amusing, mysterious and off kilter family. The characters were lovable and enigmatic. Highly recommend.
Loved it! Told in the first person of Polly’s daughter, the story is an intriguing tale with a mystery that is finally revealed at the end. The dynamics of mother and daughter are quite different than most moms and daughters (certainly not mine) and made me laugh out loud. I applaud the author. There cannot be a sequel but I hope I find will other books by this author. Thank you!