Rating: 
Summary: So interesting
Review: I must agree with another reviewer that said she was emotionally invested in these characters and felt that the ending did not do them justice. I felt that the conclusion rolled along too quickly without the crystal clear detail that made the rest of the novel so enjoyable. Perhaps the author is planning a sequel- I certainly feel that there is more story here to be told. This said, I found this book incredibly moving and realistic. Another Amazon reviewer said that the scenes of rape and alcoholism are degrading; I could NOT disagree more. I wish no one had to deal with such terrible trauma but that is life and it is handled very well in this novel. My favorite characters, beside spunky and worn-out Darla, are Elijah and Pearl. There is much here to discuss and become fascinated by. I highly recommend this novel.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointed
Review: I was very enthused about reading this book based upon the reviews and was very disappointed. If you think rape, prostitution, alcoholism, welfare, domestic abuse and child neglect are "real life", then you will enjoy it. I found the entire book to be depressing and something I will never read again. The book is well written and I would like to read another novel by this author if the story had more hope and joy. Too much misery in this one for me!
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I'm undecided about this book.If you were in a down mood when reading it, the story of these poor pathetic characters could tumble you right over the edge but the author manages to keep you buoyed up with the faint hope that somehow,these drab, unfulfilled lived could be improved. The heroine, Darla, is trapped in an almost empty town with a sluttish mother who is the town prostitute and a pathetic weed of a sister who is married to a drunken,wife beating husband and despite her dreams of becoming a top fashion designer, is perpetually held back by a moral sense of responsibility to her family. I enjoyed the book in a funny sort of way but was almost relieved when it finished.
Rating:
Summary: Could be depressing
Review: I'm undecided about this book.If you were in a down mood when reading it, the story of these poor pathetic characters could tumble you right over the edge but the author manages to keep you buoyed up with the faint hope that somehow,these drab, unfulfilled lived could be improved. The heroine, Darla, is trapped in an almost empty town with a sluttish mother who is the town prostitute and a pathetic weed of a sister who is married to a drunken,wife beating husband and despite her dreams of becoming a top fashion designer, is perpetually held back by a moral sense of responsibility to her family. I enjoyed the book in a funny sort of way but was almost relieved when it finished.
Rating: 
Summary: June Park Bingos!
Review: Last year I started several books and set them aside---until I started reading The Bingo Queens of Paradise. Then I bingoed big time! This book has everything I love in a novel -- believable characters I can identify with, characters who face and deal with problems in life as I try to do, and a story so real I feel like I'm living it. After finishing the book, the wisdom and gentleness of Elijah, the strength of Darla and the wit of granny has remained a part of me. And I plan to read The Bingo Queens of Paradise again, and again and again....
Rating: 
Summary: Not What I expected...
Review: Reading the back cover of this book, you don't realize fully what your getting into. This is a very dark and depressing look at a poor family in Paradise, Oklahoma. I thought this was going to be another light southern fiction book that I'd love, but instead I got a book filled with prostitution, sex, rape, murder, child and spousal abuse. I could only take this book in little doses, seeing as how it's such a downer.
It took me a while to finish, the story was intersesting enough to make me want to know how it ended, but not enough for me to read it in one day. I don't know that I'd recommend this to anyone, it being such a dreary book and all...but if your interested in reading it, it's not a bad story, I just wasn't expecting it.
Rating:
Summary: Harsher copy of "Where the Heart Is" story line
Review: The folks at amazon.com lured me into this one. The recommendations of June Park's book compared "Bingo Queens" to the writings of Fannie Flagg.Well, this writer has a sense of characterization that Flagg has, that is sure. But with the location of Paradise, Oklahoma, as the base for Darla Moon's life and times, the novel reminded me more of "Where the Heart Is" by Billie Letts.
And it is curious to me that Paradise is the choice of town names, reminiscent of Toni Morrison's tome published some time earlier and chosen as an Oprah read in 1998. This is a harsh story line and I really did not like the book very much at first, but I hung in there, and I ended up finding some redeemption in the connections of Darla to Elijah, her crazy Granny's devoted love, and Spirit Jackson, the Australian non-denominational preacher who loves Darla, and in the children of Darla's sister, Rhonda: Pearl and Jessie. The absolutely disgraceful dysfunction of the town whore, Roxie Moon, Darla and Rhonda's mother, and the many "uncles" who flow in and out of Darla's family's life are a real turn off. And the brutality of Rhonda's drunken husband, Frank Slater, is almost over the top. But there are heroics in this sordid tale, and certainly Darla Moon, a survivor of poverty, as well as mental, physical, and sexual child abuse, is worth reading about in the long run. Park's characters include a set of Lesbian fortune tellers, Bingo buddies of the Moon women. And the acceptance of these women, as well as the black man, Elijah, who provides sustenance and strength to the Moon girls, confirms the value of human life over prejudices and stereotypes. It is Elijah's sincere reverence of the Bible and God and Jesus, and the above repute strong neighbor, Miss Cissy, who represent true goodness and serve as guideposts and life savers for the Moon girls. The alienation of the Christian community, small though potent in Paradise, reflects the ironical truth about the posers of good, who in fact do evil to those who do not fit into their mold. One is reminded of similar character links in "The Secret Life of Bees" and "Mother of Pearl", or even some of the work of Alice Walker and Toni Morrison. The mismatched outcasts of life are central to Darla Moon's story. There are so many similarities to Billie Letts' characters that one might swear that June Park and Billie Letts, both writers from Oklahoma, had collaborated on their stories. The secret of the flourishing goldenrain tree, the only plant that survives Roxie's touch, the horror of rape and abortion, corrupt law enforcers, and destructive acts of nature and man do parallel some of Fannie Flagg's writing. But "Bingo Queens does stand on its own with Darla Moon as an unforgettably strong young woman who dreams of designing haute couture and wearing a beautiful blue gown to a Pavorotti concert in New York. This brutal tale is not without hope, and I am glad I finished the book.
Rating:
Summary: Harsher copy of "Where the Heart Is" story line
Review: The folks at amazon.com lured me into this one. The recommendations of June Park's book compared "Bingo Queens" to the writings of Fannie Flagg. Well, this writer has a sense of characterization that Flagg has, that is sure. But with the location of Paradise, Oklahoma, as the base for Darla Moon's life and times, the novel reminded me more of "Where the Heart Is" by Billie Letts.
And it is curious to me that Paradise is the choice of town names, reminiscent of Toni Morrison's tome published some time earlier and chosen as an Oprah read in 1998. This is a harsh story line and I really did not like the book very much at first, but I hung in there, and I ended up finding some redeemption in the connections of Darla to Elijah, her crazy Granny's devoted love, and Spirit Jackson, the Australian non-denominational preacher who loves Darla, and in the children of Darla's sister, Rhonda: Pearl and Jessie. The absolutely disgraceful dysfunction of the town whore, Roxie Moon, Darla and Rhonda's mother, and the many "uncles" who flow in and out of Darla's family's life are a real turn off. And the brutality of Rhonda's drunken husband, Frank Slater, is almost over the top. But there are heroics in this sordid tale, and certainly Darla Moon, a survivor of poverty, as well as mental, physical, and sexual child abuse, is worth reading about in the long run. Park's characters include a set of Lesbian fortune tellers, Bingo buddies of the Moon women. And the acceptance of these women, as well as the black man, Elijah, who provides sustenance and strength to the Moon girls, confirms the value of human life over prejudices and stereotypes. It is Elijah's sincere reverence of the Bible and God and Jesus, and the above repute strong neighbor, Miss Cissy, who represent true goodness and serve as guideposts and life savers for the Moon girls. The alienation of the Christian community, small though potent in Paradise, reflects the ironical truth about the posers of good, who in fact do evil to those who do not fit into their mold. One is reminded of similar character links in "The Secret Life of Bees" and "Mother of Pearl", or even some of the work of Alice Walker and Toni Morrison. The mismatched outcasts of life are central to Darla Moon's story. There are so many similarities to Billie Letts' characters that one might swear that June Park and Billie Letts, both writers from Oklahoma, had collaborated on their stories. The secret of the flourishing goldenrain tree, the only plant that survives Roxie's touch, the horror of rape and abortion, corrupt law enforcers, and destructive acts of nature and man do parallel some of Fannie Flagg's writing. But "Bingo Queens does stand on its own with Darla Moon as an unforgettably strong young woman who dreams of designing haute couture and wearing a beautiful blue gown to a Pavorotti concert in New York. This brutal tale is not without hope, and I am glad I finished the book.
Rating:
Summary: Not a book I would recommend
Review: This book was just awful. I had to read it for a book club where we have a rule that you must finish the book if you want to discuss it. Otherwise, I'd have tossed it after the first 20 or 30 pages. There were lots of things I didn't care for about the book, but the worst thing was the voice of the narrator, Darla Moon. The author expected me to believe Darla would use "your'n" conversationally and still be able to use a word like "primeval" appropriately. I didn't buy it. The characters were all frustrating - prostitute momma, terminally ill sister, lobotomized granny, stereotypical God-fearing Southern black man - it just drove me nuts. Part of my problem with this book is that I'm so tired of reading about dysfunctional families. I realize there needs to be some dramatic tension, but it seems like this is becoming a sub-genre all its own. I'm going to stick with books like Richard Russo's "Empire Falls". The characters are still experiencing problems, but because it's written so beautifully, they are sympathetic and believable.
Rating:
Summary: Horrid!
Review: This was probably the worst book I have ever read. I tried to like it but just couldn't. The story was just horrid. I bought this book on a recomendation and I've kicked myself ever since I've finished!!!
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