Rating: 
Summary: Neither a Lady Nor a Baptist
Review: Once again the reader finds herself in Lytton, Georgia (see THE HOMEPLACE) with a young girl orphaned at birth by the death of her mother. With a distant father, a loving household retainer and a "Loser's Club" who competes daily for the stupidest trick ... Peyton's life needed the sudden reappearance of Cousin Nora. I was a little distressed over the recycled story and I quite frankly missed ARS's middle-aged matriarchs as in THE COLONY, THE OUTER BANKS and UP ISLAND. However, the writing is simply exquisite (as always) and the pink T-bird on the cover just way too much fun. About halfway through the book, this reader found the magic and the sense of place I have come to expect. Peyton as a child is a character you won't forget, Nora is absolutely ethereal. However, the pagan Nana could have been more in evidence. Siddons has great talent for settings and characters, her books are for dwelling and learning and (sometimes) seeing things from a new perspective.And I fear that I take deep offense to this novel (set in my own childhood years!) being referred to as "historical fiction."
Rating:
Summary: Nora, Nora - Wonderful Read
Review: I loved this book -- both from an adult and teenager viewpoint! I will highly recommend this to any person over 14. Peyton and Nora were so vibrantly described throughout the book, that it seemed they had leaped off the pages to come entertain me. Rivers-Siddons writing touched me deep. I loved all her characters. I wanted more when the book ended. Can we please have a sequel???
Rating: 
Summary: Couldn't get through it
Review: I'm afraid I could not get through this book. I read the prologue and first two chapters and put it down. I rarely do that with a book. It wasn't making much sense to me. It was somewhat of a downer and I like to be entertained when I read. Also I just don't like four letter words. I don't think authors have to use that language in their books. Other books by Anne Rivers Siddons are much, much better.
Rating:
Summary: Maybe not my favorite ARS book, but well worth the read!
Review: This book is full of those great quirky characters that seem to flourish in small towns. Well, maybe they don't actually flourish, but at least they can exist in these non-homogenized environments. For instance, the Losers Club is such an engaging group that this reader wishes they'd met a few more times! And Peyton's grandmother! What a great character! Why is it that this grandmother who talks to birds and sees the future is more believable than a prominent small town lawyer (IS he a lawyer or in my mind is he morphing into Atticus??) who exercises tolerance and acceptance in the Jim Crow South? Of all this book offers, interesting characters, a coming of age story, great hair struggles, a look into small town life on the cusp of change, the feature this reader found most compelling is the issue of betrayal. Did the level of pain justify the act of betrayal? Is there any other act that has such far reaching consequences? Is there anyone NOT capable of some act of betrayal? Anything more guilt provoking??? These may be questions for our book group (or for a therapist).
Rating: 
Summary: Stupid, stupid
Review: I don't know what bugged me more about this book: the passive, depressed heroine; the just too-over-the-top, selfish, and supposedly bohemian title character; or the explain-it-to-death parts that made me think too often that I was reading a young adult book (I even double checked the Library of Congress code on the back of the title page a couple of times). And just how many times does a single character get to "goggle" in one book?. And what is with the weird old guy in the toolshed? Like anybody in their right mind even in the '60s would have let their prepubescent girl hang out with a pudgy, white guy in some strange gardening shed in the back of some weird overgrown garden. I've enjoyed this author's other books and so was much disappointed by this pale pretender. None of the characters are likeable or intriguing, nothing insightful is revealed about anything (especially about racism or family secrets -- which I gather is what this book is supposed to be about) and the ending was just too stupid to actually have been written. If this was supposed to be an hommage to or an update of To Kill a Mockingbird, it isn't even in the same ballpark. I'm hoping for much better from Siddons the next time around.
Rating:
Summary: A big disappointment
Review: I usually love books written by ARS but found this one to be shallow and predictable. The part I found really hard to believe was when Nora revealed to Peyton the real reason Peyton's mother bled to death. If I'm reading this correctly, Peyton's mother had a sexual encounter on the day she gave birth? Come on, now! Any woman who has had a child knows this is next to impossible. Try harder next time, Anne.
Rating: 
Summary: With apologies to Harper Lee
Review: I am a fan of Siddons and looked forward eagerly to her new novel Nora Nora but I ended it with some disappointment. I liked much about it, such as the setting, some of the characterizations, the "coming of age" theme. I could picture the time and place, I could hear the people talking. I ached for Peyton. However, I could not help noticing the many similarities to To Kill a Mockingbird, my favorite novel. Was Siddons deliberately trying to parody that book? A widower with a precocious young daughter in a small Southern town, albeit 1961. Racism still a major element. There's an Aunt Augusta for Aunt Alexandra; a black housekeeper/cook who ladles out wisdom and sternness, for Calpurnia. The older brother? He will get in the way so we'll just kill him off. There is an attempt to turn Scout, I mean Peyton, into a "Southern lady." There's even a visit to the aunt and uncle and dinner! The only element missing is the trial, but Siddons subs with a delightful yet puzzling long-lost cousin. Did I mention Atticus/Frazier who is open-minded, fair, cool, quiet, and a lawyer? And don't forget the visit to the black church! Way too many parallels. YET...I did enjoy the reading of Nora and her escapades and her "helping" Peyton. I even cried once. My tears dried up really fast though when Sonny, a real caricature, entered the storyline. That would be the novel's weakest point. I don't really mind the Mockingbird updating but I wish Siddons had spent more time working on the denouement.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing...!
Review: I am a big fan of ARS but unfortunately this book is quite a disappointment. It's empty shallow fluff....One can only hope that ARS will soon be back on track...Pass on this one but look for her earlier work "Downtown" for a story about coming of age in the 60's in the south.
Rating: 
Summary: My Favorite Author Continues to Write Great Books
Review: Maybe I went into this with lower expectations than usual after reading some of the reviews posted here. I have read everything ARS has written, and am always anxious and eager to start (and finish) her newest additions...this was no exception. I just loved (and pitied) Peyton's character...so unsure of herself and lost in the everyday world until a wiser, more wordly woman comes along...Nora. Again, a character you just have to fall in love with for her spunk and fiesty beliefs. You just adore the fact that she can put Aunt Augusta in her place, and as they say, "catch flies with honey." As always, Siddons captures the essence of the timeframe with the political goings-on and blends the story into its surroundings. The entire book unravelled with no sure outcome, and my emotions that poured forth during the speech were uncontrollable. I still rank Outer Banks as my favorite, with Downtown, Colony and King's Oak not far behind. Anne writes a fabulous story with beautiful prose and wonderful continuity...I look forward to her new novels and though I wish she could crank them out faster, they are always worth the wait.
Rating:
Summary: Good Quick Read, but wait till paperback or library
Review: I, too, am a huge Colony, Outer Banks, Up Island fan. But this book was quick, shallow and fluff. Dont buy it in hardback wait for the paperback version or better yet a library rental. I felt that the story should have begun on the last page. The ending was too quick and contrived. To me, the better story would have begun there and moved on. I agree Siddons cranked this one out too quickly.
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