Rating: 
Summary: Hilarious
Review: Ths book had me in stiches and I couldn't put it down. Sent it to my friend who loved it so much she sent it to her daughter.
After reading the book I wanted to be "like the ladies in the book" and promptly joined the Red Hat Society.
Great way to enjoy life and meet wonderful fun-loving women!
Wish I could buy a copy of this book for every woman I know over 50!
Rating: 
Summary: Avoid at All Cost!!
Review: What a waste of a reader's time! Friends for umpteen years, these women still rely on "traditions" established when they were pre-teens? I don't think so. I cannot possibly imagine any group of middle aged women who will cite certain "rules" (referred to as "traditions" in their jargon) throughout conversations. Who keeps track of such nonsense? The characters might have had substance, but the constant back tracking to the days of yore (teendom) led to days of yawn by yours truly. And in the end, they all lived happily ever after--if not with a man, then with his fortune. Just ducky. Just avoid it. Trust me.
Rating:
Summary: The best revenge?
Review: What fun! Anyone who's been jilted (or knows someone who has) can take vicarious delight in the antics of the members of this Red Hat Club. Friends since high school over thirty years ago, these five Atlanta women are coming into that second rebellious age: They will wear purple (like the poem), will no longer play the nicey-nice little wife, and might even utter "the f word" -- all on the road to personal empowerment. The tone is light and funny, but there is enough of a serious bent to provide food for thought. The emotions and relationships bring home a truth: Many of us need the support of gal pals to be brave enough to be ourselves.I got a big kick out of the group's Twelve Sacred Traditions -- and the fact that they were referred to by number. Few of us have such explicit rules of friendship, but oh, how many times would like you like to say to blabbermouth friend, "Tradition 4, honey! No telling!" or a nosy one, "Tradition 5: Mind your own business!"? In addition to the discussion questions in the back of the book, reading groups might like to ponder these rules: What written or unwritten rules of friendship do we have and would we adopt these same twelve?
Rating:
Summary: An Enjoyable Read
Review: When I first saw this book, it really didn't catch my eye until I read it for my book club, I am so happy that it was recommend by them. The story between those ladies have been friends for years, they have always been there for each other and still are, they made me laugh and made me wish I had friends like them, it was An enjoyable read. Happy Reading Lisa
Rating: 
Summary: Banking on the current fad
Review: When she plotted this read about a very tight knit group of five, a team since high school when they were Mademoiselles, I do believe this savvy Atlanta native, Haywood Smith, just tapped into the current fad among baby boomer dames, the Red Hat Society. There is none of the open, all accepting concept here. This is exclusive, initiated society, bred from the high school clique, and the need to have an exclusive circle of friends above marriage, family and greater causes. "The Red Hat Club" is a gossipy chic book with fantasies of the passion-filled, aged hot babes, all wives and mothers, who maintain a record of comfort in the presence of one another. Talk about a long history of girls' night out!!! Their loyalty across the irritating quirks of one another is admirable, shades of "Ya-Ya Sisterhood". Their success at sharing the wealth of the rich Jewish member is fanciful to the nth degree. A bit like the novel "The Last Girls", but these Southern dames are closely linked to their high school, not college, youth, and therein lies the romance and improbability. Yes, this is fun for those who long for things as they might have been. But great literature? Hardly! If you choose it, as I did (from the sales shelf of SAM's before attending the organizational meeting of a Red Hat Society branch), be forewarned. This might be a temporary escape, just for the fun of it. But the truth is, not all Southern women need a club of women to find self-fulfillment. You might wish to save your money to buy a red hat to wear, and just let someone pass this tome to you as a loaner.
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