Rating: 
Summary: strong dose of mental hugging warmth
Review: Five years ago, Beryl thought she and Earl were forever. However, now in Anchorage, Beryl knows he is going to leave her soon. Somehow the magic vanished.In California, Phoebe raises her five year old daughter by herself, makes a living from the nursery she inherited from Aunt Sadie, and fails to move past the death of her beloved. Newcomer Andrew makes her very nervous because he wants her. Nance and James still seem in love and have everything at least in the eyes of an outsider. However, both know what is missing from their perfect lives. They want a child, but all they have is miscarriages and a doctor warning for no more pregnancies. In Arizona, a dying David asks his friend Ness to help him see the ocean one last time. She moves heaven and earth to take him to California though her heart breaks to see how ill he is. They are returning to the farm where each found solace in the land and in Aunt Sadie's words of wisdom from her journal. As with the previous Bad Girl Creek novels (see BAD GIRL CREEK and ALONG CAME MARY), GOODBYE, EARL uses alternating chapters to tell the tales of the four women and other people in their lives. The story line provides a slice of Americana as each of the protagonists deal with tragedy but is helped by the love of friends. Series fans will appreciate the return especially Aunt Sadie's sage advice that in this violent world remains simple but worthy. Jo-Ann Mapson provides a strong dose of mental hugging warmth. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: strong dose of mental hugging warmth
Review: Five years ago, Beryl thought she and Earl were forever. However, now in Anchorage, Beryl knows he is going to leave her soon. Somehow the magic vanished. In California, Phoebe raises her five year old daughter by herself, makes a living from the nursery she inherited from Aunt Sadie, and fails to move past the death of her beloved. Newcomer Andrew makes her very nervous because he wants her. Nance and James still seem in love and have everything at least in the eyes of an outsider. However, both know what is missing from their perfect lives. They want a child, but all they have is miscarriages and a doctor warning for no more pregnancies. In Arizona, a dying David asks his friend Ness to help him see the ocean one last time. She moves heaven and earth to take him to California though her heart breaks to see how ill he is. They are returning to the farm where each found solace in the land and in Aunt Sadie's words of wisdom from her journal. As with the previous Bad Girl Creek novels (see BAD GIRL CREEK and ALONG CAME MARY), GOODBYE, EARL uses alternating chapters to tell the tales of the four women and other people in their lives. The story line provides a slice of Americana as each of the protagonists deal with tragedy but is helped by the love of friends. Series fans will appreciate the return especially Aunt Sadie's sage advice that in this violent world remains simple but worthy. Jo-Ann Mapson provides a strong dose of mental hugging warmth. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: Incredible finale to the Bad Girl books
Review: I can't believe this is the last of the glorious Bad Girl novels! Phoebe, Nance, Beryl and Ness--I'm going to miss you. In this last remarkable installment, the talented Mapson again gets into the souls of these incredible women--focusing on Beryl, when Earl, the love of her life, mysteriously disappears one evening. What happened and why? Each of these women make inroads into new lives, and Mapson's theme of women's friendships--healing, sustaining and surprising--is pure bliss to read. Mapson has the ability to tear your heart apart and then soothe and heal. An amazing, amazing, amazing novel.
Rating:
Summary: Didn't want it to end
Review: I have read the two other books in the "Bad Girl Creek" series and eagerly awaited this new one, Goodbye Earl. Like the two others, the novel was completely absorbing, and I was able to pick up right where I left off with the bad girls. The book focused on Beryl, who lived in Alaska, and her life after her lover, Earl, left her suddenly. Also in the book were stories of Phoebe, who was raising her daughter on the flower farm and was courted by a new love, Andrew, and Ness, who lost her husband David due to AIDS. I really felt for these women and actually found myself holding my breath at some parts. I thought the characters were real and grew throughout the book, and by the end I was rooting for all of them to make it--which it seems as though they did. Even if you haven't read the two other books, I highly recommend this one. You'll want to move to the flower farm when you're done.
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful, inspiring read
Review: I love all of Jo-Ann Mapson's books so it's hard to say this one is better than the others! But it was a wonderful read. As always, Ms. Mapson gives the reader a world they can taste, feel, hear and live as if they are there. Her way with language, the way she draws us into her fictional worlds with just the right word at the right time makes her one of the best women writers today, bar none. As with all her books, I highly recommend this one. Trust me, it's better than the Dixie Chicks' song! (Though I did find that song amusing) Thank you, Ms. Mapson. I can't wait for your next book whether it is starring the Bad Girls or another group of your superb characters. (I love your dogs and other animals too!)
Rating: 
Summary: confusing
Review: I love Mapson, I love the bad girls, I love every other novel by Mapson. I want to love this book so badly and had of course, pre-ordered it, but I found it confusing. It seemed choppy, and the characters didn't seem to flow from the first two books. There wasn't enough conflict? I'm not sure. I am a loyal fan and will try re-reading it after reading the first two more recently, and maybe the pieces of the puzzle will fit together better. Usually her books make me feel like I'm sailing down a blue river on a wonderful raft. Like I can't wait to spend more time inside the covers of the book. This one I was able to put down no problem. Never less than three stars for Jo-Ann though....
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing conclusion to the trilogy
Review: I read the three books in this trilogy; I loved the first one for its realistic female characters. I liked the second one. This one? The book company must've made the author write a third one. It sounded like she ran out of steam, and her characters had become little more than stereotypes: the sassy African-American, the wry disabled woman (I was ready to strangle Phoebe with her loud-mouth remarks by the end of this book), the Southern belle who becomes nothing more than a lacquered Barbie doll in this offering (and Nance was so wonderful and realistic in the first). The author seemed to just throw in plot points: well, Beryl's relationship doesn't work out, it might be nice to bring in a Native American for a while, Phoebe should get a disabled boyfriend, how about one of the women gets sick, now? I was disappointed that a story of women's friendship that was so enjoyable at first ended on such a flat note, and I was tired of the author using her characters to push Christianity and vegetarianism. In this book it seemed that every second sentence had Ness or Nance talking about God or a vegetarian reminding someone else that Nance had given up meat. It's a shame that four such realistic, diverse characters ended up sounding like the same uninteresting woman.
Rating:
Summary: A good series comes to an end....
Review: The first of this trilogy by Jo-Ann Mapson was "Bad Girl Creek", which, in my opinion, is the best of the 3 books. I hated for it to end. It grabbed your attention right away and held it. The reader eagerly anticipated book 2 - "Along Came Mary", while 'though entertaining, just didn't have the same punch as the first one. Other members of my book club agreed, as we read it together. This third and last book starts in Alaska, where a former "bad girl" Beryl has to deal with her relationship with Earl and his disappearance. The first 50 pages are slow, but it gets better after that. The most delightful part of the book was the budding little "Sally" the child that was born to Phoebe in the 2nd book. Her fiesty-ness is fun to read about, as is Phoebe's role as her invalid mother. The relationship that Phoebe develops with Andrew went along interestingly enough, but the reader wants to know him better, we wanted more .... more dialogue, more depth. Beryl's detachment from the girls at Bad Girl Creek is frustrating for the reader that found her so bonded to them in the other books. We got more insight into Beryl's background in this book. I love JoAnn Mapson's writing, especially "Bad Girl Creek" and "The Wilder Sisters". I hope she gives us more of her books in the future, but I expected a little more out of this one.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing conclusion to the trilogy
Review: The first of this trilogy by Jo-Ann Mapson was "Bad Girl Creek", which, in my opinion, is the best of the 3 books. I hated for it to end. It grabbed your attention right away and held it. The reader eagerly anticipated book 2 - "Along Came Mary", while 'though entertaining, just didn't have the same punch as the first one. Other members of my book club agreed, as we read it together. This third and last book starts in Alaska, where a former "bad girl" Beryl has to deal with her relationship with Earl and his disappearance. The first 50 pages are slow, but it gets better after that. The most delightful part of the book was the budding little "Sally" the child that was born to Phoebe in the 2nd book. Her fiesty-ness is fun to read about, as is Phoebe's role as her invalid mother. The relationship that Phoebe develops with Andrew went along interestingly enough, but the reader wants to know him better, we wanted more .... more dialogue, more depth. Beryl's detachment from the girls at Bad Girl Creek is frustrating for the reader that found her so bonded to them in the other books. We got more insight into Beryl's background in this book. I love JoAnn Mapson's writing, especially "Bad Girl Creek" and "The Wilder Sisters". I hope she gives us more of her books in the future, but I expected a little more out of this one.
Rating:
Summary: A good series comes to an end....
Review: The first of this trilogy by Jo-Ann Mapson was "Bad Girl Creek", which, in my opinion, is the best of the 3 books. I hated for it to end. It grabbed your attention right away and held it. The reader eagerly anticipated book 2 - "Along Came Mary", while 'though entertaining, just didn't have the same punch as the first one. Other members of my book club agreed, as we read it together. This third and last book starts in Alaska, where a former "bad girl" Beryl has to deal with her relationship with Earl and his disappearance. The first 50 pages are slow, but it gets better after that. The most delightful part of the book was the budding little "Sally" the child that was born to Phoebe in the 2nd book. Her fiesty-ness is fun to read about, as is Phoebe's role as her invalid mother. The relationship that Phoebe develops with Andrew went along interestingly enough, but the reader wants to know him better, we wanted more .... more dialogue, more depth. Beryl's detachment from the girls at Bad Girl Creek is frustrating for the reader that found her so bonded to them in the other books. We got more insight into Beryl's background in this book. I love JoAnn Mapson's writing, especially "Bad Girl Creek" and "The Wilder Sisters". I hope she gives us more of her books in the future, but I expected a little more out of this one.
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