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6th out of 128 books
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146 voters
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Gods in Alabama
For 10 years Arlene has kept her promises, and God has kept His end of the bargain. Until now. When an old schoolmate from Possett turns up at Arlene's door in Chicago asking questions about Jim Beverly, former quarterback and god of Possett High, Arlene's break with her former hometown is forced to an end. At the same time, Burr, her long-time boyfriend, has raised an ult...more
Paperback, 320 pages
Published
June 13th 2006
by Warner Books
(first published January 1st 2005)
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There is something really beautiful about an author who is in control of their craft -- It's hard enough to plot a successful story that is intriguing, but to be able to manipulate the chronology of a story and make the story even better? (This is one of the reasons I enjoyed Time Traveller's Wife so much) This is a great book that will teach men something about relating to women and teach women something about relating to themselves. Good stuff - it's a fast read, with fabulous strong charact...more
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This book contains one of the best single lines ever written: "Hail to thee alabama, thou verdant trollop" :)
I picked it up in a charity shop because it looked interesting, which is my favourite method of book-buying. I loved it, I was hooked, the characters are so real, and it uses flashbacks which i always like. Centred around a murder, but not a crime novel, its all relationships and personalities.... sorry can't recommend in any coherent manner.
I picked it up in a charity shop because it looked interesting, which is my favourite method of book-buying. I loved it, I was hooked, the characters are so real, and it uses flashbacks which i always like. Centred around a murder, but not a crime novel, its all relationships and personalities.... sorry can't recommend in any coherent manner.
Goodness, I don't remember the last time I read a book about a family from the southern US that didn't involve some unhappy young woman with (a) a drunken-wife beating father or (b) a teenage rape. This is yet another. Just to be thorough, the author even threw in the requisite family of eccentrics. In two weeks, I won't remember a thing about it.
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I'm torn about what to think about this book. I definately liked Between, Georgia better. Right off the bat, I kept thinking this one was just weird.
The present/past story telling worked in Between, since you were just learning about her in bits and pieces, and it didn't have to be in chronological order. In this one, it was alternating chapters (not just drifting back to a memory), but I don't think it worked as well. Lena tells about a story telling game they play on road tri...more
The present/past story telling worked in Between, since you were just learning about her in bits and pieces, and it didn't have to be in chronological order. In this one, it was alternating chapters (not just drifting back to a memory), but I don't think it worked as well. Lena tells about a story telling game they play on road tri...more
Arlena Fleet, sengaja ‘melarikan diri’ dari kota kelahirannya, Alabama. Lena ingin melupakan kenangan buruk yang menghantuinya ketika ia remaja. 10 tahun lamanya Lena tidak pulang-pulang, meskipun di saat-saat istimewa seperti hari Natal.
Di masa lalu, Lena adalah gadis yang tinggal dengan paman dan bibinya. Ibunya stress karena kematian ayahnya. Satu-satunya teman Lena adalah Clarice, saudara sepupunya. Lena begitu menyayangi Clarice, meskipun dia menyimpan sedikit rasa iri terhadap ...more
Di masa lalu, Lena adalah gadis yang tinggal dengan paman dan bibinya. Ibunya stress karena kematian ayahnya. Satu-satunya teman Lena adalah Clarice, saudara sepupunya. Lena begitu menyayangi Clarice, meskipun dia menyimpan sedikit rasa iri terhadap ...more
It took me a little while to get into this one. Starts off pretty slow and uninvolving despite the author's apparent attempts to achieve the opposite effect.
A lot of the wacky Southern stuff fell flat and has been done before by other authors with greater insight and flair. Some of the humor was brilliant in spots; some of it was like dead air.
To me, the book only true came alive during the flashbacks. The story of Arlene's adolescence captured me, and I had great compass...more
A lot of the wacky Southern stuff fell flat and has been done before by other authors with greater insight and flair. Some of the humor was brilliant in spots; some of it was like dead air.
To me, the book only true came alive during the flashbacks. The story of Arlene's adolescence captured me, and I had great compass...more
I don't often write reviews, but I wanted to take a moment to recommend this book to anybody who comes across it on my feed. I am totally enamored with Joshilyn Jackson. Despite my deep South upbringing, I often shy away from novels labeled "Southern fiction." I find them to be cloying and built on stereotypes that did not ring true to my experience as a southerner. Jackson's novels bring a breath of fresh air to the genre. She writes fabulous fiction that happens to take place in...more
I was pleasantly suprised by this book. I expected it to be a chick lit book (which it is in some senses) with a mystery thrown in, but the plot and character development went deeper than I thought it would...more psychological. Arlene is trying to escape her Southern roots and a murder she committed, so she moves to Chicago to reinvent herself. However, she does have to face her past.I hear Jackson has another book out, and I would like to read it. My one complaint, it seemed to me that Arl...more
Fast read! Real page turner! Great ending!
If I had to come up with a moral for this book it would be:
We are all blessed with a great mother, she just might not be the one we actually call mom.
2011 Re-read... Still wonderful. After reading Backseat Saints, I was compelled to read this one again. It is a far better book than Backseat Saints, and very powerful.
I only wish that Rose Mea had an Aunt Flo to be there in the end for her.
If I had to come up with a moral for this book it would be:
We are all blessed with a great mother, she just might not be the one we actually call mom.
2011 Re-read... Still wonderful. After reading Backseat Saints, I was compelled to read this one again. It is a far better book than Backseat Saints, and very powerful.
I only wish that Rose Mea had an Aunt Flo to be there in the end for her.
Chelsea
added it
Gods in Alabama by Joshilyn Jackson
Gods in Alabama by Joshilyn Jackson was a good book. Joshilyn Jackson has written other books such as The Girl Who Stopped Swimming and Between, Georgia.
The setting is mostly in Possett, Alabama. Possett is the main character’s hometown, which she eventually goes back to. The beginning of the novel, however, takes place in Chicago, Illinois.
Arlene Fleet is the main character. Arlene kills her high school’s quarterbac...more
Gods in Alabama by Joshilyn Jackson was a good book. Joshilyn Jackson has written other books such as The Girl Who Stopped Swimming and Between, Georgia.
The setting is mostly in Possett, Alabama. Possett is the main character’s hometown, which she eventually goes back to. The beginning of the novel, however, takes place in Chicago, Illinois.
Arlene Fleet is the main character. Arlene kills her high school’s quarterbac...more
A quick read full of strong, interesting characters and thought-provoking yet universal themes, "Gods in Alabama" fits into the crazy-Southern-family genre with aplomb. The book also fits the "chick lit" label, but is better written than most lumped into that category. A lot of things are going on here...the ending happened a little fast, but I did like it. Burr was a great character...Florence also stood out. I liked Clarice very much and would have liked even more about the...more
“There are gods in Alabama: Jack Daniel’s. high school quarterbacks, trucks, big tits, and also Jesus…”
How could you not be immediately sucked into gods in Alabama after reading that opening sentence? Especially if you are intimately familiar with small southern towns and know this to be true? That’s what got me- I felt like I was reading about places I visit every year when I visit my extended family.
Ten years ago, Arelene made a deal with God, and she’s kept her promises. ...more
How could you not be immediately sucked into gods in Alabama after reading that opening sentence? Especially if you are intimately familiar with small southern towns and know this to be true? That’s what got me- I felt like I was reading about places I visit every year when I visit my extended family.
Ten years ago, Arelene made a deal with God, and she’s kept her promises. ...more
I loved this book, read it in one sitting and couldn't put it down! Excellent characterizations, and a really exciting plot too. I appreciated how torn Arlene is in this book and how real her (and her family) seem to be. There aren't many one trick ponies, no one is drawn as all good and all bad. Jackson's descriptions of the people, places and things are so descriptive, and yet I wasn't bored by them. I especially liked the games that she described that Arlene and Burr come up with, and for...more
rief Description: The precursor to Jackson’s book Backseat Saints, Gods In Alabama tells the story of Arlene Fleet, whose flight from her hometown of Possett, Alabama to Chicago, Illinois and her deal with God to stop lying, fornicating and never to return to Possett is put to the test with the appearance of Rose Mae Lolly (whose story is told in Backseat Saints). Rose Mae is searching for her ex-boyfriend Jim Beverly. Arlene knows all too well what happened to Jim Beverly, and her desperation t...more
The book review below was a Book Hungry Club read. All of the Book Hungry Members are posting a book review today on their blogs.
This months selection Gods In Alabama, by Joshilyn Jackson comes to us from the Fabulous Cynthia Reese.
I should tell you this is anther book recommendation that I would never have picked up and read on my own.
The title Gods In Alabama had me wondering if God resided in Alabama or if our author was saying there are Gods in Alabama. Eit...more
This months selection Gods In Alabama, by Joshilyn Jackson comes to us from the Fabulous Cynthia Reese.
I should tell you this is anther book recommendation that I would never have picked up and read on my own.
The title Gods In Alabama had me wondering if God resided in Alabama or if our author was saying there are Gods in Alabama. Eit...more
I read Gods in Alabama by Joshilyn Jackson when it was first released in 2005 (re-read in April, 2010). It was Ms. Jackson's debut novel and one that made my keeper shelf for different reasons. This is a women's fiction book, but it's also considered "Southern Fiction." Ms. Jackson is from the South and those roots can definitely be appreciated and recognized in her writing, characterization, subject matter and humor.
Gods in Alabama is one of those books with an unforgettable...more
Gods in Alabama is one of those books with an unforgettable...more
Jackson does it again! Personally I am loving Joshily Jackson. Her books are somewhat hard to describe. They are intense dramas, somewhat in the vein of Jodi Piccoult. For me though Jackson's writing seems tighter and more intense than Piccoult. She fits a lot more angst in less space.
In this one, Arlene Fleet has fled Alabama for Chicago and hasn't been back for 10 years because of a trauma that happened in high school. Due to her own reasons, she killed one of her small Alab...more
In this one, Arlene Fleet has fled Alabama for Chicago and hasn't been back for 10 years because of a trauma that happened in high school. Due to her own reasons, she killed one of her small Alab...more
Arlene Fleet flees Possett, Alabama and its gods--"Jack Daniel's, high school quarterbacks, trucks, big tits, and also Jesus"--as soon as she graduates from high school. She goes as far as she can get--or, at least, as far as a college scholarship will take her, which is to Chicago, where she reinvents herself Lena and tries to forget her past. But biweekly phone calls from her crazy mother and the stern aunt who raised her don't help. And, in the end, you can't really flee who you are...more
Arlene Fleet made a deal with God, she vowed never to return to Possett, Alabama. After graduating high school in 1987, Arlene left her hometown on the hopes that God would keep her secret. She vowed to stop lying. To stop messing around with boys, all in hopes of God keeping her safe from her deadly secret. For ten years she’s been avoiding her friends and family. But now, her past shows up on her Chicago doorstep.
To make matters worse, Arlene’s African-American boyfriend Burr...more
To make matters worse, Arlene’s African-American boyfriend Burr...more
Upon her leaving hometown in Possett, Alabama, Arlene Fleet made a deal with God: 1) She would stop fornicating with every boy she met, 2) She would never tell another lie in her life, and 3) She will never ever go back to her hometown in Posset. All she wanted from that 3-to-1 deal was for God to make sure that a body was never found. But then, ten years later, God brings back her past right into her doorstep. In addition, her African-American boyfriend, gives her an ultimatum: introduce him to...more
AMAZING book! I really loved this story and didn't want to put it down. The storyline is haunting and occasionally dark, but the humor getting there is priceless. This is very well worth reading. My favorite story here is a great example of why I'll be reading more Joshilyn Jackson
I wracked my brain, trying to sufficiently explain the power of Florence. Finally, I said, "Let me tell you a story. Growing up, our closest neighbor was Mrs. Weedy. She was an older lady. A wi...more
I wracked my brain, trying to sufficiently explain the power of Florence. Finally, I said, "Let me tell you a story. Growing up, our closest neighbor was Mrs. Weedy. She was an older lady. A wi...more
I originally chose to read this book because I have been dying to read Ms. Jackson's latest book "Backseat Saints." Reviews for "Backseat Saints" state that the book is a companion book to "Gods in Alabama," so I chose to read this one first.
I would categorize this as a fair book but not an excellent one. The main character, Arlene, is a Chicago grad student who has fled her Alabama hometown and has never looked back. She has been scared to go back fo...more
I would categorize this as a fair book but not an excellent one. The main character, Arlene, is a Chicago grad student who has fled her Alabama hometown and has never looked back. She has been scared to go back fo...more
Lena doesn't lie, doesn't sleep with men and hasn't returned to Alabama since she graduated from high school. She made a bargain with God who has kept up his end for the past 12 years, but now it has begun to unravel. Between a classmate showing up on her doorstep, her aunt's continual pestering for a visit and her boyfriend's semi-ultimatum to meet her family, Lena just may have to return to Alabama where ghosts await her and the full story of her past can finally be told.
gods in Alabama is Joshilyn Jackson's first novel. The whole package, as you can see, is meant to give you the sense of a fun southern girl out for a good time. That's what I expected, at any rate. I picked it up because I knew the author is a southerner, and I'm making a short and sweet study of modern southern authors' narrative voices. To be truthful, I didn't have high expectations.
gods in Alabama isn't without flaw -- one in particular that I'll mention briefly. But it is a wel...more
gods in Alabama isn't without flaw -- one in particular that I'll mention briefly. But it is a wel...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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Arlene (Lena) Fleet has successfully avoided her demons, aka gods in Alabama, for ten years. She's made a pact with God...three rules she intends to keep. Never lie, stop sleeping around, and never, ever head back to Possett, Alabama. Oh yes, she keeps in contact with her loony, lily-white, racist family, but going back? Not a chance, that is until manipulative Rose Pop shows up at her door, wanting to know 'the truth'.
Arlene knows she has to break her own self-imposed rules and ret...more
Arlene knows she has to break her own self-imposed rules and ret...more
Have been wanting to read "Backyard Saints" for a while and was looking at Joshilyn Jackson books, realized I had this one on my shelf. I got the advanced readers copy ages ago when I was working at the book store. The first page pulled me in.
Review:
I guess it's true, you can't run from your past or your mistakes, they always find you. Hopefully you can redeem yourself when they do. I can't really relate to the decisions Arlene makes in her life, but I liked reading ...more
Review:
I guess it's true, you can't run from your past or your mistakes, they always find you. Hopefully you can redeem yourself when they do. I can't really relate to the decisions Arlene makes in her life, but I liked reading ...more
Talk about misleading cover blurbs. To read the marketing description, you'd think this book was a white trash version of a Tyler Perry movie -- white chick leaves her redneck little Alabama town, promising God that she'll never again lie, fornicate, or return. Ten years later her black boyfriend wants to get married, but he won't do it if he can't meet her family first. So they head down south for what's sure to be a wacky encounter with wacky relatives, full of wacky culture shot. Hoo-hoo-hoo....more
Arlene Fleet is a native of tiny Possett, AL. As soon as she graduated freom the high school, she took the scholarship that was farthest from the tiny town, making a deal with God that she would never lie, fornicate outside of marriage and never return to POssett, In exchange, all God had to do was keep anyone from finding Jim Beverly's dead body, who Arlene killed before she left town.
Ten years later, her uncle is retiring and her aunt Florence wants her to return from Chicago. ...more
Ten years later, her uncle is retiring and her aunt Florence wants her to return from Chicago. ...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Page Turners: What do you think of Burr? | 3 | 2 | Jan 22, 2012 09:57am | |
| Madison Mega-Mara...: Gods in Alabama | 3 | 15 | Jan 19, 2012 06:47pm |
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SHORT VERSION:
New York Times Bestselling novelist Joshilyn Jackson lives in Georgia with her husband, their two children, and way too many feckless animals. She is the author of five novels: gods in Alabama, Between, Georgia, The Girl Who Stopped Swimming, Backseat Saints, and A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty. Her books have been translated into a dozen languages, won SIBA’s novel of the yea...more
More about Joshilyn Jackson...
New York Times Bestselling novelist Joshilyn Jackson lives in Georgia with her husband, their two children, and way too many feckless animals. She is the author of five novels: gods in Alabama, Between, Georgia, The Girl Who Stopped Swimming, Backseat Saints, and A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty. Her books have been translated into a dozen languages, won SIBA’s novel of the yea...more
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“There are gods in Alabama: Jack Daniel's, high school quarterbacks, trucks, big tits, and also Jesus.”
—
49 people liked it
“I had been born and mostly raised in the South, so I ought to have been able to find a way to reach him. Southern girls are trained from birth up that the way to a man's heart is never through the front door. They may leave a basket of cookies there, and while he's busy picking them up, they're squirming in through a back window.”
—
15 people liked it
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