Rating: 
Summary: Extremely enjoyable read
Review: A book about womens' friendships, beautifully written. The mystery is incidental to the main theme of friendship but no less enjoyable for that. The author has a wonderful ear for dialogue. Was very sorry to finish the book.
Rating: 
Summary: Completly real characters, straight from the Heartland
Review: What struck me about The Perisan Pickle Club was the amazing similarities between the women in the book, and the women I know who have roots in America's Heartland - like me. I wasn't even born until 1958, currently live in California, and have never owned a farm. So my roots are pretty deeply buried. But there I was, in those pages, none the less. I'd recommend it as an enjoyable way to better understand our heritage as Americans, and as American woman in particular.
Rating:
Summary: Farm wives as I remember them ...
Review: My Mom and the other "hired men's wives" never solved a murder mystery (that I know of) but this book brought back the cameraderie I sensed among them during my childhood. "You can choose your friends but you can't choose your relatives," but the relative isolation of farm women made it a good idea to be on good terms with everybody in the neighborhood. The little gossipy asides - not necessarily "catty" - made it realistic : no Jerry Springer - just an honest interest in the others' lives because of the all-too-human connection. All the sewing details just made it more authentic ! A quiet little gem of a book.
Rating:
Summary: This book is no "Fried Green Tomatoes."
Review: This book was recommended to me as similar in feeling to "Fried Green Tomatoes." It's not. It's an enjoyable read, but there are too many minor characters to confuse you, and the "solution" to the mystery is something you've seen countless times before. I really did enjoy all the quilting explanations and folklore references, however! This book is definitely better than another one of Dallas's, which I just read: "Buster Midnight's Cafe."
Rating: 
Summary: Who did it?
Review: My book club just read and discussed this book. All enjoyed it. Some of us weren't exactly sure about the identity of the murderer. I'd appreciate other readers' thoughts about this issue. So as not to spoil it for first time readers, please e-mail me at the above address.
Rating:
Summary: Comforting, zen-like read details quilting AND relationships
Review: You'll find yourself wanting to have a weekly outlet for creativity and true companionship like Queenie Bean. Ignore her hokie name and any preconceived notions you have about farmlife and quilting and enjoy this story about the nature of true frienships and trust. It's a touching story about the layers of intimacy between friends and how those shared experiences create the tapestry of life. The friendships in the Pickles are as interwoven as the fabrics the share in each others quilts. Just like they complete each others quilts, they complete each others lives, sometimes arranging the unimaginable. Perhaps it's not too believable, but I enjoyed this book and felt comforted and inspired by all the ways these women supported each other.
Rating:
Summary: A predictable, light mystery
Review: This book was a quick and easy read. I would have liked more character development, but I suppose there were too many characters for that. The sense of place wasn't really there, it could have been Anytown, USA. I had to keep reminding myself that the action was taking place in Kansas. The plot and its outcome were predictable, even with the red herring thrown in. A pleasant diversion for a few hours, but nothing I'd reread or recommend to friends.
Rating:
Summary: Definitely an undiscovered gem
Review: Before reading this book, I had never so much as sewed a button on fabric. I so loved the descriptions of the community quilting bee, I was inspired to try needlepoint and cross-stitch, to some success. I'm still working my way up to quilting, and I'm determined to some day create my own handstitched treasure!
In many ways, this book is itself a handstitched treasure. The relationships are so real, I could not put the book down. Do yourself a favor and read this book. It's more than a story of small-town life, more than a sideline mystery ... it's a poignant tapestry of life, from birth to death.
Rating:
Summary: An exceptional read, characters you care about,& a whodunit!
Review: Persian Pickle lets us look into small-town life in Kansas
during the depths of the depression. We meet a close-knit
circle of women who meet to quilt and gossip. But more
than that, they are so close that they share a secret that
wou
ld have dire consequences if it were revealed!
Rating:
Summary: Another great by Sandra Dallas...
Review: I thought this was a really pleasant read. It was one of those books that you can't put down (and I didn't) till you've finished it. You think you've picked a nice little book about quilting...which you have...but you also get a little mystery on the side. I must say that it wasn't a wonderful as 'Alice's Tulips' or 'The Chili Queen'...but a good book nonetheless. Sandra Dallas is one of my favorite authors, and I recommend everything she writes...this book being no exception. I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I did.
| 
