2012 Puddly Awards
 
 
Follow us on TwitterFollow us on FacebookFollow us on Google+Follow us on TumblrSubscribe to RSS

Recently Viewed clear list

Guests | May 22, 2012

James Bernard Frost: IMG I'm a Writer... Now What Do I Do with My Life?

0 comments By James Bernard Frost

For everyone I know who is a writer, there was some awkward time in their lives when they had to learn to call themselves one. You'd make a few... Continue »
  1. $13.97 Sale Trade Paper add to wish list

    A Very Minor Prophet

    James Bernard Frost 9780983304982
spacer
Ships free on qualified orders.
$6.95
Used Hardcover
Ships in 1 to 3 days
Add to Wishlist
Qty Store Section
1 Burnside Literature- A to Z

eBook editions

Backseat Saints

by Joshilyn Jackson

Backseat Saints Cover

ISBN13: 9780446582346
ISBN10: 0446582344
Condition: Standard
Dustjacket: Standard
All Product Details

Only 1 left in stock at $6.95!

 

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

Rose Mae Lolley's mother disappeared when she was eight, leaving Rose with a heap of old novels and a taste for dangerous men. Now, as demure Mrs. Ro Grandee, she's living the very life her mother abandoned. She's all but forgotten the girl she used to be-teenaged spitfire, Alabama heartbreaker, and a crack shot with a pistol-until an airport gypsy warns Rose it's time to find her way back to that brave, tough girl . . . or else. Armed with only her wit, her pawpy's ancient .45, and her dog Fat Gretel, Rose Mae hightails it out of Texas, running from a man who will never let her go, on a mission to find the mother who did.

Starring a minor character from Jackson's bestselling gods in Alabama, BACKSEAT SAINTS will dazzle readers with its stunning portrayal of the measures a mother will take to right the wrongs she's created, and how far a daughter will travel to satisfy the demands of forgiveness.

Review:

"Readers willing to stick through a slow beginning will be rewarded in Jackson's eventually riveting fourth novel (after The Girl Who Stopped Swimming). When abused Rose Grandee isn't getting up the nerve to do something about her violent husband, Thom, she reminisces about high school sweetheart Jim Beverly, who once promised to kill Rose's alcoholic father. Rose is also consumed with memories of her mother, who abandoned her when she was a little girl. During what seems like a chance meeting, Rose receives a tarot card reading and is told she'll have to choose between her husband's life and her own, though Rose later realizes, conveniently for the plot, that the card reader is her estranged mother. Egged on by the prophecy, Rose searches out Jim and plans on manipulating him into killing Thom, leading to a tense final section that crescendos with an ending appropriate for a woman with so much fight in her. Though Jackson does a good job conveying Rose's uncertainty and ambivalence, the initial sounding of these themes comes off as redundant and overly long; later, Jackson's writing becomes kinetic, reflecting her heroine's metamorphosis. (June)" Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

Synopsis:

With the seed of a minor character from her popular bestseller "Gods in Alabama," Jackson has built a whole new story full of her trademark sly wit, endearingly off-kilter characters, and utterly riveting plot twists.

Synopsis:

Rose Mae Lolley's mother disappeared when she was eight, leaving Rose with a heap of old novels and a taste for dangerous men. Now, as demure Mrs. Ro Grandee, she's living the very life her mother abandoned. She's all but forgotten the girl she used to be-teenaged spitfire, Alabama heartbreaker, and a crack shot with a pistol-until an airport gypsy warns Rose it's time to find her way back to that brave, tough girl . . . or else. Armed with only her wit, her pawpy's ancient .45, and her dog Fat Gretel, Rose Mae hightails it out of Texas, running from a man who will never let her go, on a mission to find the mother who did.

Starring a minor character from Jackson's bestselling gods in Alabama, BACKSEAT SAINTS will dazzle readers with its stunning portrayal of the measures a mother will take to right the wrongs she's created, and how far a daughter will travel to satisfy the demands of forgiveness.

back to top

What Our Readers Are Saying

Add a comment for a chance to win!
Average customer rating based on 2 comments:
Teresa Conner, August 28, 2010 (view all comments by Teresa Conner)
I have long avoided general contemporary fiction because I've never really met one I liked—save perhaps Helen Fielding's Bridget Jones' Diary. I tried again last year to broaden my reading palate with Julia Leigh's Disquiet, only to yet again be thoroughly disappointed and slip back into my comfortable world of historical dramas and fantasy/sci-fi.

When I was offered the chance to read and review Backseat Saints, I thought to myself "Why not? Maybe I'll even be surprised". And I was very much surprised. A book has not kept me quite on the edge of my seat as Backseat Saints, not for a good while. I found myself nervously gnawing my finger nails and gasping out loud to the twists and turns our heroine Rose Mae goes through. Joshilyn creates a rich world with complex characters and arduous emotions that leave the reader short-winded and pulseless, but in such a good way.

As a deep south girl myself (Alabama, baby!), I'm always displeased with how we are portrayed in entertainment mediums. However, Joshilyn had just the right amount of southerness without making everyone seem like an ignorant redneck. The dialect was spot on, and I found myself smiling when Rose Mae remembered how her father says "wind-er" instead of "window". That's just how my father says it as well.

Backseat Saints has a bit of an interwoven storyline with Jackson's debut novel, Gods in Alabama, but I do not think they have to be read together. Nevertheless, I'm sure like me, after you've read this one you will definitely be itching to pick up Gods in Alabama. I'm insanely curious to read Arleen's side of her encounter with Rose Mae. Already, I've been recommending this book to my sisters so yes, do go read it. It's wonderful! Backseat Saints is my first introduction to Joshilyn Jackson, but it certainly will not be my last.

A word of caution though, if your life has in any way been touched by domestic abuse, I do not suggest that you read this book. The scenes it describe are exceptionally vivid and would be insanely painful to read if you have actually lived through something similar.
Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No
report this comment
Denise Morland, June 14, 2010 (view all comments by Denise Morland)
Joshilyn Jackson has turned out another gripping, page-turner, stay-up-all-night kind of book. She starts by giving you a character you can love. Rose Mae Lolley aka Ro Grandee, is so flawed and scarred yet tough and sassy that you can't help but cheer her on. Then, she puts them in a scary, impossible situaion. For Rose its when an airport gypsy tells her to kill her abusive husband before he can kill her it seems like a reasonable solution. But things go wrong and soon Ro is running, from her abusive husband, her dark past, and even sometimes from herself. Then, you stay up all night, frantic to find out what will happen to Rose and if she'll be okay in the end.

All of Joshilyn Jackson's books have been intense and create a certain amount of anxiety about the future of her characters. Backseat Saints is the most intense yet, never allowing the reader a moment of rest until the end has finally come. If you are looking for a cozy, light read this book isn't for you! Jackson does a great job of developing her characters, giving the reader multi-dimensional, fully believable people. I especially appreciated her hard look at abuse and the part the victim plays in their own abuse. Well worth the read!
Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No
report this comment
View all 2 comments
back to top

Product Details

ISBN:
9780446582346
Author:
Jackson, Joshilyn
Publisher:
Grand Central Publishing
Subject:
Domestic fiction
Subject:
Abused women
Subject:
General
Subject:
Literature-A to Z
Publication Date:
20100631
Binding:
Hardcover
Language:
English
Pages:
344
Dimensions:
9.10x6.38x1.20 in. 1.19 lbs.
back to top

Other books you might like

  1. $8.50 Used Hardcover add to wish list

    Sesame Street C Is for Cooking: Recipes from the Street [With Sticker(s)]

    Sesame Street 9780470523070
  2. $7.99 Google eBooks add to wish list

    On Mystic Lake

    Kristin Hannah 9780307416315
  3. $4.43 Google eBooks add to wish list

    101 Things to Do with Ramen Noodles

    Toni Patrick 9781423612186
  4. $12.99 Google eBooks add to wish list

    Jake & Mimi: A Novel

    Frank Baldwin 9780316082839
  5. $4.95 Used Mass Market add to wish list

    Wild Heat

    Bella Andre 9780440245001
  6. $4.95 Used Mass Market add to wish list

    Hot as Sin

    Bella Andre 9780440245018
back to top

Related Subjects

Fiction and Poetry » Literature » A to Z
Languages » Foreign Languages » Spanish » Fiction and Poetry » Literature » A to Z
Languages » Foreign Languages » Spanish » Fiction and Poetry » Literature » Family Life

Backseat Saints Used Hardcover
0 stars - 0 reviews
$6.95 In Stock
Product details 344 pages Grand Central Publishing - English 9780446582346 Reviews:
"Publishers Weekly Review" by , "Readers willing to stick through a slow beginning will be rewarded in Jackson's eventually riveting fourth novel (after The Girl Who Stopped Swimming). When abused Rose Grandee isn't getting up the nerve to do something about her violent husband, Thom, she reminisces about high school sweetheart Jim Beverly, who once promised to kill Rose's alcoholic father. Rose is also consumed with memories of her mother, who abandoned her when she was a little girl. During what seems like a chance meeting, Rose receives a tarot card reading and is told she'll have to choose between her husband's life and her own, though Rose later realizes, conveniently for the plot, that the card reader is her estranged mother. Egged on by the prophecy, Rose searches out Jim and plans on manipulating him into killing Thom, leading to a tense final section that crescendos with an ending appropriate for a woman with so much fight in her. Though Jackson does a good job conveying Rose's uncertainty and ambivalence, the initial sounding of these themes comes off as redundant and overly long; later, Jackson's writing becomes kinetic, reflecting her heroine's metamorphosis. (June)" Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)
"Synopsis" by , With the seed of a minor character from her popular bestseller "Gods in Alabama," Jackson has built a whole new story full of her trademark sly wit, endearingly off-kilter characters, and utterly riveting plot twists.
"Synopsis" by , Rose Mae Lolley's mother disappeared when she was eight, leaving Rose with a heap of old novels and a taste for dangerous men. Now, as demure Mrs. Ro Grandee, she's living the very life her mother abandoned. She's all but forgotten the girl she used to be-teenaged spitfire, Alabama heartbreaker, and a crack shot with a pistol-until an airport gypsy warns Rose it's time to find her way back to that brave, tough girl . . . or else. Armed with only her wit, her pawpy's ancient .45, and her dog Fat Gretel, Rose Mae hightails it out of Texas, running from a man who will never let her go, on a mission to find the mother who did.

Starring a minor character from Jackson's bestselling gods in Alabama, BACKSEAT SAINTS will dazzle readers with its stunning portrayal of the measures a mother will take to right the wrongs she's created, and how far a daughter will travel to satisfy the demands of forgiveness.
spacer
spacer
  • back to top
Follow us on...



Powell's City of Books is an independent bookstore in Portland, Oregon, that fills a whole city block with more than a million new, used, and out of print books. Shop those shelves — plus literally millions more books, DVDs, and eBooks — here at Powells.com.