Rating: 
Summary: A lovely period mystery, and so much more.
Review: A truly serendipitous find. Initially attracted by the book's title, I could not tear myself away until I had finished reading it. I often think that the best books are those that transcend/defy genre classification, and 'The Persian Pickle Club'certainly does this, with its assorted elements of fictional slice-of-life tale, mystery, comedy, tragedy, and philosophical questioning of the fundamental nature of right and wrong.Set in a small town in Depression-era Kansas, the novel's plot revolves around the lives and relationships of the members of a multi-generational women's quilting group. Through Ms. Dallas' deft handling of language, character development and detail, the reader is transported to this other time and place as these wonderful women support one another in facing life's various joys and curveballs -- friendship, love, marriage, infertility, death, economic difficulties, etc. And, if all of the foregoing were not enough, there is an intriguing murder mystery thrown in, the resolution of which underscores the very special nature of friendship between women. My only regret is that this book had to end. Don't delay -- read it soon, and pass it on. Like a good friendship, it is something to be savored and shared.
Rating:
Summary: Nice book about nice people who could be your neighbors.
Review: Queenie Bean, the central character, is a farm wife who values the important things - family, friends and the land. Every week she attends the Persian Pickle Club and quilts with other women who are varied in age, interests and financial status. Times aren't great in depression era Kansas, but Queenie and husband Grover make do and willingly lend a hand. They are the kind of thougtful people you would love to have as neighbors. Grover's friend Tom marries a girl who is different than the rest. Rita, his wife, becomes a Pickle and is welcomed into the quilting circle, but she has other goals. Rita wants to get out rural Kansas by publishing a newspaper article and is bound and determined to find out who murdered a local ne'er do well. The book is the story of life in depression era, dust bowl Kansas while this murder mystery is solved. A good easy reader with a happy ending for characters whose deserve to be happy
Rating: 
Summary: Nothing wrong with a book that makes you feel good!
Review: The reviewer who wrote that the best books defy "typing" into particular genres is absolutely right. Life does not pigeonhole easily and laughter and tears often go hand in hand or follow one upon the heels of the other. Few books combine so many different elements so successfully as this one. In fact the only other author that I have recently read who so cleverly mixes comedy, mystery, and adventure with friendship, goodwill, and philosophical thought is Van Reid in his wonderful series about the Moosepath League. Ms. Dallas, in fact, does for Depression era Kansas what Mr. Reid does for late 19th century Maine. Readers will certainly enjoy matching wits with the quilters as they delve into a sworn secret, mortal danger, and mystery. The homespun characters will seem familiar to many readers, or the reader will wish they were familiar. Here is a wonderful cast of good people and a book that will make you glad you read it. There is so much darkness and grimness in modern literature that it is starting to become its own cliche. Here's a little light to balance it out. There's nothing wrong with a book that makes you feel good!
Rating:
Summary: Very good read
Review: I have to admit, what turned me on to this book was the title. I had to read the story....the name sounded wonderful! Imagine my surprise to find such an excellent cast of characters, every one of the women in the PPC had such depth to them, I felt like I knew them personally. The story is enriched by some "intrigue" and an anxious non-farmer's wife who is determined to make a banner headline by unearthing the villian. I still didn't like Rita by the end of the book, but I fell in love with each and everyone of the quliters. Getting the autographs on quilt squares was a marvelous idea for raising money, and diverting attention, not to mention going to a very worthy cause...it was easy to see who was the smarter in that town; definitely the women! I am forever grateful to "A Room of One's Own" (a feminist bookstore in Madison, WI) for carrying such a marvelous story. And, because of that story, I immediately went to Amazon.com and bought Sandra Dallas' other books, Buster Midnight's Cafe (which I am currently reading) and The Diary of Mattie Spencer which I could absolutely not put down until I finished it. I love diaries of strong women, particularly real women, but found Dallas' Mattie Spencer to be a woman I would have been proud to have as my friend. Dallas knows how to tell a good story. Even the title is a hooker!
Rating:
Summary: That's the way it was
Review: My grandparents and great-grandparents, the Butlers and the Fouts, owned farms probably on the exact land Sandra Dallas places her story. I spent many a summer break helping out on the farm. The pickle club so matches the politeness, rhythm, dialect, and pace of my grandmother's and the extended families' speech that I cried at the rememberences. The stories "Bean", as my grandfather was known (omigosh, "Queenie Bean" a coincidence?), and my father told me of growing up in the depression echoed the sincere care, concern, and poverty-stricken generosity neighbors shared during that time. How the ladies treated Rita and strangers is exactly the way my great-aunts would act. Even the phrases of speech must be verbatim remembrances from Ms. Dallas' research. Knowing my relatives from the depression generation, the solution to the mystery is quite conceivable. The story was a pleasant read but obviously I saw nuances in it that the normal reader cannot appreciate. Trust me, Sandra has done an awesome job of describing the people and the period in the flint hills area outside Topeka. One should read this book to truly understand our mid-American heritage and character. The plot is just a vehicle to get to that knowledge.
Rating:
Summary: --Delightful--
Review: THE PERSIAN PICKLE CLUB is one of the most original and arresting books that I've ever read. I was expecting a nice cozy story about a group of women who made quilts together. I was surprised that the book took off in an unexpected direction and had a mystery at the base of the story. The book takes place during the great Depression of the 1930's. The location is Harveyville, Kansas. The story is revealed through the voice of Queenie Bean who is in her twenties and married to Grover. Queenie and eight other women have a quilting group, which is called the Persian Pickle Club. They are the best of friends and refer to each other as Pickles. Besides quilting together, the ladies also share their personal troubles, and when necessary do anything that they can to help each other. Even though the characters all hail from a small town, I believe that many of them are women that we've met somewhere in our lives. There are right in front of us! The timid and gentle older lady, the overbearing and bossy woman who tells everyone else what to do, the young and inexperienced newly married girl, and the average woman who just tries to get along with everyone else. This story is funny, sweet and shocking! A really good book! Oh, read the book to find out why they call themselves the Persian Pickles.
Rating:
Summary: Endearing tale
Review: This book has everything a feel good book requires. You'll love the characters, their antics, and the times. Curl up with your favorite tea and relish the experience of this story!
Rating:
Summary: Nothing wrong with a book that makes you feel good!
Review: The reviewer who wrote that the best books defy "typing" into particular genres is absolutely right. Life does not pigeonhole easily and laughter and tears often go hand in hand or follow one upon the heels of the other. Few books combine so many different elements so successfully as this one. In fact the only other author that I have recently read who so cleverly mixes comedy, mystery, and adventure with friendship, goodwill, and philosophical thought is Van Reid in his wonderful series about the Moosepath League. Ms. Dallas, in fact, does for Depression era Kansas what Mr. Reid does for late 19th century Maine. Readers will certainly enjoy matching wits with the quilters as they delve into a sworn secret, mortal danger, and mystery. The homespun characters will seem familiar to many readers, or the reader will wish they were familiar. Here is a wonderful cast of good people and a book that will make you glad you read it. There is so much darkness and grimness in modern literature that it is starting to become its own cliche. Here's a little light to balance it out. There's nothing wrong with a book that makes you feel good!
Rating:
Summary: A true woman's read!
Review: "The Persian Pickle Club" is a fabulously enjoyable story that will not let you go until you finish the last page. I enjoyed Dallas' "Alice's Tulips" so I knew I would like this book. The closeness of the "Pickles" reminded me of the closeness one might have in the Girl/Boy Scouts or in the 4-H club. How I would love to quilt, too! Delightful! I recommend.
Rating:
Summary: Who'd have thought?!
Review: I wasn't sure what I expected- sweet, silly, maybe even maudlin women making itchy clothes and quilts, shocked because a beautiful woman with career aspirations moved into their midst, I guess. Yes, the women made quilts, but I bet I would love to own one. Yes, a career woman moved in, but the group wasn't all that shocked by her. I had no idea that *violence* would be the theme. Queenie and Grover had a very real relationship and worked well together. They were both pragmatic about the arrival of Zepha and Blue onto their land; the reality of the lives of the "squatters". They dealt well with the loss of their fertility but celebrated the arrival of a baby in their life later. I loved the descriptions of the homes, furnishings and decorating touches of the members of the club used in their homes. I've sat on old horsehair couches and appreciated the description of the slippery, itchy old things. I loved mention of the paintings that no would want to look at because they've seen it already in everyone else's home. The feeling of the town was real, and insular. Those little towns can be tough to live in, just as they can be tough to convey to other people who haven't lived in them. Everyone knows the secrets and you have to leave to escape them! Women need their own version of the Persian Pickle Club- they need to get together and support each other, even if they don't spend their time quilting. The feeling of intergenerational friendship was strong and true, and I hope it still happens in little and big Kansas towns.
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