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Runnymede #2
Bingo
The acclaimed author of Rubyfruit Jungle and Six Of One retums to Runnymede, Maryland, for an outrageous, poignant, and surprising story of passion, rivalry, and small-town fun. Straddling the Mason-Dixon Line since before the Civil War is Runnymede. And it seems that ever since then, most people in the town have been inherently between good and bad, or love and sex, or male and female, or politics and sobriety. Nicole ("Nickel") Smith is in such a dilemma herself--here she is, an avowed lesbian, having an affair that would shock Runnymede as much as it shocks Nickel herself. And her work seems to be going to the dogs, too, when the beloved newspaper where she is an editor is put up for sale. Thank goodness the weekly bingo games still go on, though Nickel is a little weary of playing referee there for the flamboyant Hunsenmeir sisters, Louise and Julia. Nickel's momma, who is now pushing ninety but clawing like cats over handsome newcomer Ed Tutweiler Walters. A parade of townsfolk and kin weave their colorful way through the trials, tribulations, and ultimate triumphs of our heroines, in this spirited novel of the South that appeals as much to the funny bone as to the heart.
384 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1988
About the author
Rita Mae Brown
158 books2,301 followersRita Mae Brown is a prolific American writer, most known for her mysteries and other novels (Rubyfruit Jungle). She is also an Emmy-nominated screenwriter.
Brown was born illegitimate in Hanover, Pennsylvania. She was raised by her biological mother's female cousin and the cousin's husband in York, Pennsylvania and later in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.
Starting in the fall of 1962, Brown attended the University of Florida at Gainesville on a scholarship. In the spring of 1964, the administrators of the racially segregated university expelled her for participating in the civil rights movement. She subsequently enrolled at Broward Community College[3] with the hope of transferring eventually to a more tolerant four-year institution.
Between fall 1964 and 1969, she lived in New York City, sometimes homeless, while attending New York University[6] where she received a degree in Classics and English. Later,[when?] she received another degree in cinematography from the New York School of Visual Arts.[citation needed] Brown received a Ph.D. in literature from Union Institute & University in 1976 and holds a doctorate in political science from the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington, D.C.
Starting in 1973, Brown lived in the Hollywood Hills in Los Angeles. In 1977, she bought a farm in Charlottesville, Virginia where she still lives.[9] In 1982, a screenplay Brown wrote while living in Los Angeles, Sleepless Nights, was retitled The Slumber Party Massacre and given a limited release theatrically.
During Brown's spring 1964 semester at the University of Florida at Gainesville, she became active in the American Civil Rights Movement. Later in the 1960s, she participated in the anti-war movement, the feminist movement and the Gay Liberation movement.
Brown took an administrative position with the fledgling National Organization for Women, but resigned in January 1970 over Betty Friedan's anti-gay remarks and NOW's attempts to distance itself from lesbian organizations. She claims she played a leading role in the "Lavender Menace" zap of the Second Congress to Unite Women on May 1, 1970, which protested Friedan's remarks and the exclusion of lesbians from the women's movement.
In the early 1970s, she became a founding member of The Furies Collective, a lesbian feminist newspaper collective in Washington, DC, which held that heterosexuality was the root of all oppression.
Brown told Time magazine in 2008, "I don't believe in straight or gay. I really don't. I think we're all degrees of bisexual. There may be a few people on the extreme if it's a bell curve who really truly are gay or really truly are straight. Because nobody had ever said these things and used their real name, I suddenly became [in the late 1970s] the only lesbian in America."
Brown was born illegitimate in Hanover, Pennsylvania. She was raised by her biological mother's female cousin and the cousin's husband in York, Pennsylvania and later in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.
Starting in the fall of 1962, Brown attended the University of Florida at Gainesville on a scholarship. In the spring of 1964, the administrators of the racially segregated university expelled her for participating in the civil rights movement. She subsequently enrolled at Broward Community College[3] with the hope of transferring eventually to a more tolerant four-year institution.
Between fall 1964 and 1969, she lived in New York City, sometimes homeless, while attending New York University[6] where she received a degree in Classics and English. Later,[when?] she received another degree in cinematography from the New York School of Visual Arts.[citation needed] Brown received a Ph.D. in literature from Union Institute & University in 1976 and holds a doctorate in political science from the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington, D.C.
Starting in 1973, Brown lived in the Hollywood Hills in Los Angeles. In 1977, she bought a farm in Charlottesville, Virginia where she still lives.[9] In 1982, a screenplay Brown wrote while living in Los Angeles, Sleepless Nights, was retitled The Slumber Party Massacre and given a limited release theatrically.
During Brown's spring 1964 semester at the University of Florida at Gainesville, she became active in the American Civil Rights Movement. Later in the 1960s, she participated in the anti-war movement, the feminist movement and the Gay Liberation movement.
Brown took an administrative position with the fledgling National Organization for Women, but resigned in January 1970 over Betty Friedan's anti-gay remarks and NOW's attempts to distance itself from lesbian organizations. She claims she played a leading role in the "Lavender Menace" zap of the Second Congress to Unite Women on May 1, 1970, which protested Friedan's remarks and the exclusion of lesbians from the women's movement.
In the early 1970s, she became a founding member of The Furies Collective, a lesbian feminist newspaper collective in Washington, DC, which held that heterosexuality was the root of all oppression.
Brown told Time magazine in 2008, "I don't believe in straight or gay. I really don't. I think we're all degrees of bisexual. There may be a few people on the extreme if it's a bell curve who really truly are gay or really truly are straight. Because nobody had ever said these things and used their real name, I suddenly became [in the late 1970s] the only lesbian in America."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews
December 30, 2022
Written in 1988. I was a little worried when I realized that this was a sequel & I hadn't read the first. I don't think I missed any important backstories for the characters and could enjoy this delightful novel. Runnymede is bisected by the Mason-Dixon line and there are plenty of people still fighting the civil war. I don't think this novel could be written today in the current climate that frowns on anything that may make light of the wronged Southerner. Having said that, it is just a small part of the action.
I made a comment in the reading that I thought the octogenarian sisters were a hoot with their constant bickering, but by the time I came towards the end of the story I was ready for them to put down the boxing gloves.
The goings-on of quite an eclectic group of characters that reside in Runnymede is told through the eyes of Nickie Smith, daughter of one of the aforementioned 80 y/o women. She is a journalist on the local paper which was fighting for it's life and she is openly gay during a time of when most stayed in the proverbial closet. Many social and political issues of the day (1980s) are explored albeit superficially and are wrapped in a hilarious package. Besides the human residents, I thoroughly enjoyed the furry characters as well.
Just a fun read.
I made a comment in the reading that I thought the octogenarian sisters were a hoot with their constant bickering, but by the time I came towards the end of the story I was ready for them to put down the boxing gloves.
The goings-on of quite an eclectic group of characters that reside in Runnymede is told through the eyes of Nickie Smith, daughter of one of the aforementioned 80 y/o women. She is a journalist on the local paper which was fighting for it's life and she is openly gay during a time of when most stayed in the proverbial closet. Many social and political issues of the day (1980s) are explored albeit superficially and are wrapped in a hilarious package. Besides the human residents, I thoroughly enjoyed the furry characters as well.
Just a fun read.
August 12, 2019
Taking place in the spring of 1987, I found the social commentary and the historical events of most interest. The shenanigans of Nickel, Mr. Pierre, Louise, and Juts were secondary but entertaining. I call the 1980's the lost decade because I was raising four small children and missed it almost entirely. There was no time for current music, news, movies other than children's movies and it remains a blur, so it was good to get a bit of enlightenment about what was going on back then. I loved the newspaper and the small town interactions, not so much the back-biting and in-fighting as the pulling together when someone was in need, the impromptu parties, and the horse show and tennis competitions. And most of all, the run-away laughter. It's not so much that the reader laughs, but that there is both enjoyment and recognition when the characters go into laughing fits. One of Nickel's comments was very telling for me. She comments that her mother and aunt who are in their eighties have been young and so can understand the young, but it is impossible for the young to understand the old until or if they get there themselves. Somehow I had never thought of aging in this light.
November 3, 2024
Short Berlin trip this weekend to visit a friend and go to another friend's birthday party - gave him one of Brown's books as a present cause he's the only one who knows her. This novel here accompanied me on all my train journeys. Just finished it with 10 minutes left till I'm back in Erfurt. Loved it. It's rare that characters feel this real.
October 20, 2020
I always enjoy reading anything by Rita Mae Brown. My favorite series books of hers are the Mrs. Murphy mysteries & the Sister Jane series. I came to the Runnymede series somewhere near the middle of it & haven't read the books in order so the characters are not as clear in my mind nor the history of this place, but I do like the characters in this book & I really enjoyed the story. The outcome was quite satisfying. I would like to go back & re-read the series in order so I can fully appreciate it.
July 26, 2017
I love Rita Mae Brown! Her writing style is fun to read. She had quite a bit to say in this book about life, love and friendship. It was messy. It was funny. And it made me think. It didn't preach, far from it. Nikki is gay and sleeping with her best friend's husband. That sets up messy all over the place. Her mother and her aunt are only happy when they are squabbling. The whole town knows what everyone is doing. It is just a great little story!
October 26, 2019
After seeing Rita Mae Brown speak at an event recently, I decided to reread my (now autographed) copy of this book. I last read it in the 1990s and can see now how old-fashioned some of its elements are. All in all, though, a very enjoyable book that makes the exaggerated characters come to life and is good for a few laughs.
January 30, 2009
Tried far too hard to recapture the spirit of Six of One. Like most sequels, this is inferior by a lot.
ETA: Hmm. Apparently I liked it better than I remember. My original Reading Journal notes consider it "very good."
ETA: Hmm. Apparently I liked it better than I remember. My original Reading Journal notes consider it "very good."
January 21, 2018
Witty at times and pulls you in to the story of sisters Louise and Juts through the eyes of Juts' daughter.
The author infuses serious social taboos of the times while balancing it with a comedic energy.
The author infuses serious social taboos of the times while balancing it with a comedic energy.
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February 1, 2020BINGO TIPY
Teraz, keď ste sa naučili hrať na bingo, ste si pravdepodobne všimli, že je to čisto náhoda. Stále však existujú určité užitočné tipy na bingo, ktoré môžete sledovať, aby ste získali príjemnejší a dúfajme ziskový zážitok. Tipy, ktoré nájdete nižšie, sú jednoduché, ale môžu byť užitočné pre všetkých začiatočníkov alebo pokročilých.
1. Vyhnite sa veľmi preplneným bingo sálam !
Jednoducho povedané, čím viac ľudí sa zúčastňuje na hre bingo, tým menšie sú šance na výhru. Všeobecne platí, že čím viac hráčov, tým menšia je šanca na výhru. Dôvodom je skutočnosť, že keď je hala preplnená a veľa ľudí sa zúčastňuje na hre, pravdepodobnosť, že niekto bude tvrdiť BINGO skôr, ako to urobíte, je oveľa väčšia. Vo všeobecnosti sú pondelok až štvrtok pomalšie dni pre bingo sály, pretože je tu menej hráčov ako cez víkend.
2. Vždy sa snažte hľadať bonusové peniaze a bonusové hry!
Vysoko uznávané online bingo sály vždy ponúkajú bonusové peniaze a / alebo bonusové hry. Ak ste začiatočník, určite budete chcieť získať tieto bonusové peniaze, pretože by to bola pre vás skvelá príležitosť hrať viac a postupom času si zlepšovať svoje schopnosti.
3. Nikdy nehrajte viac kariet bingo, ako môžete pozerať!
Bolo by dobré, keby každý hráč udržal karty bingo, s ktorými hrá, na minime. Ak hráč hrá s príliš veľkým počtom kariet, nebude schopný skontrolovať svoje karty a správne a včas označiť na nich výherné čísla. Môže mu preto chýbať číslo alebo dve, čo môže hráčovi zničiť hru. Vždy je dobré hrať s toľkými toľko bingo kariet, koľko si môžete poradiť. S časom a skúsenosťami sa naučíte zvládať stále viac a viac kariet, ale ako začiatočník sa môžete ľahko zmiasť, ak budete hrať s príliš veľkým počtom bingo kariet.
4. Vždy venujte osobitnú pozornosť označeniu čísla na vašich bingo kartách
Každý hráč musí pozorne počúvať volajúceho a čísla, ktoré oznámi počas hry. Vždy sa uistite, že ste počúvali pozorne a na kartách označili správne čísla. Chyba tohto druhu vás môže stáť víťaznú hru bingo.
Bingo je jednou z najpopulárnejších foriem hazardných hier, ktoré sa dnes hrali, a zažilo obdobie rozmachu v druhej svetovej vojne v Británii a zasiahlo obdobie úpadku predtým, ako jej prechod na online platformu vniesol do hry nový život. Ale ako začal Bingo?
Kde to všetko začalo
V tejto modernej ére hazardných hier, kde je k dispozícii široká škála hier na hranie jediným dotykom jedného tlačidla online, je ľahké zistiť, ako boli hry, ktoré boli kedysi populárne, ale zmizli z verejnej arény, teraz podrobené tomu, čo môže iba byť opísaný ako druhý príchod.
Jednou z týchto hier je Bingo. V závislosti od vášho veku by bezpochyby Bingo bol hrou, ktorá bola súčasťou obrovského rozmachu v krajine, v čase, keď prosperita opäť našla svoje nohy po globálnom konflikte, alebo hrou, ktorá bola pomaly. umierajúc veľmi pomaly na smrť, keď ho starý otec dobehol.
Bingo je lotéria ... Doslova!
Verí sa, že Bingo sa pôvodne začal ako hra v Taliansku už v roku 1530. Bol spojený s pôvodom z talianskej lotérie s názvom Il Gioco del Lotto d'Italia. Prešiel do Británie cez Francúzsko. V 18. storočí sa britské mestá a mestá často hrali hore a dole pred tým, ako sa presťahovali na iné trhy vrátane USA.
Cesta po Francúzsku je miestom, kde sa hra Bingo pretavila do podoby, ktorú poznáme dnes. To sa podobalo francúzskej lotériovej hre s názvom Le Lotto a do roku 1778 bola jednou z najpopulárnejších foriem hazardných hier vo Francúzsku. Toto sa potom presunulo na britský trh ako slovo šírenie tejto vzrušujúcej hazardnej hry.
"Bean!"
Existujú dôkazy, že hra Bingo nezískala svoje meno, kým výrobca hračiek z ostrova Long Island pod menom Edwin S Lowe tento hru popularizoval po tom, ako ju hral pod rúškom Beana na karnevale v gruzínskom štáte USA v roku 1929. Legenda hovorí, že Lowe hral hru s priateľmi, keď sa vrátil domov a jeden z jeho priateľov bol tak nadšený tým, že vyhral, že namiesto toho, aby kričala „Beano!“, Skutočne zakričala „Bingo!“.
Lowe sa rozhodol, že hra bola medzi jeho priateľmi taká populárna, že tlačil karty, zvyšoval možné kombinácie na kartách a balil ich ako hru s názvom „Bingo“. Úspech, ktorý si Lowe užíval pri predaji Binga, mu umožnil pokračovať v predaji kultovej hry Yahtzee.
Zmena vnímania
Keď budeme požiadaní, aby sme vysvetlili, na čo by sme mali myslieť, keď uvažujeme o Bingovi, v mestách, kde sa posedenie obývajú strieborní dôchodcovia dostávajú svoje týždenné kopy vonku, sa objavia obrázky zakalených starých hál Bingo. Toto je možno trochu tvrdý pohľad na stereotyp, ktorý Bingo dlho zastával. Spoločnosť Bingo v Spojenom kráľovstve je dnes koncom približne 1,3 miliardy GBP.
Teraz, keď ste sa naučili hrať na bingo, ste si pravdepodobne všimli, že je to čisto náhoda. Stále však existujú určité užitočné tipy na bingo, ktoré môžete sledovať, aby ste získali príjemnejší a dúfajme ziskový zážitok. Tipy, ktoré nájdete nižšie, sú jednoduché, ale môžu byť užitočné pre všetkých začiatočníkov alebo pokročilých.
1. Vyhnite sa veľmi preplneným bingo sálam !
Jednoducho povedané, čím viac ľudí sa zúčastňuje na hre bingo, tým menšie sú šance na výhru. Všeobecne platí, že čím viac hráčov, tým menšia je šanca na výhru. Dôvodom je skutočnosť, že keď je hala preplnená a veľa ľudí sa zúčastňuje na hre, pravdepodobnosť, že niekto bude tvrdiť BINGO skôr, ako to urobíte, je oveľa väčšia. Vo všeobecnosti sú pondelok až štvrtok pomalšie dni pre bingo sály, pretože je tu menej hráčov ako cez víkend.
2. Vždy sa snažte hľadať bonusové peniaze a bonusové hry!
Vysoko uznávané online bingo sály vždy ponúkajú bonusové peniaze a / alebo bonusové hry. Ak ste začiatočník, určite budete chcieť získať tieto bonusové peniaze, pretože by to bola pre vás skvelá príležitosť hrať viac a postupom času si zlepšovať svoje schopnosti.
3. Nikdy nehrajte viac kariet bingo, ako môžete pozerať!
Bolo by dobré, keby každý hráč udržal karty bingo, s ktorými hrá, na minime. Ak hráč hrá s príliš veľkým počtom kariet, nebude schopný skontrolovať svoje karty a správne a včas označiť na nich výherné čísla. Môže mu preto chýbať číslo alebo dve, čo môže hráčovi zničiť hru. Vždy je dobré hrať s toľkými toľko bingo kariet, koľko si môžete poradiť. S časom a skúsenosťami sa naučíte zvládať stále viac a viac kariet, ale ako začiatočník sa môžete ľahko zmiasť, ak budete hrať s príliš veľkým počtom bingo kariet.
4. Vždy venujte osobitnú pozornosť označeniu čísla na vašich bingo kartách
Každý hráč musí pozorne počúvať volajúceho a čísla, ktoré oznámi počas hry. Vždy sa uistite, že ste počúvali pozorne a na kartách označili správne čísla. Chyba tohto druhu vás môže stáť víťaznú hru bingo.
Bingo je jednou z najpopulárnejších foriem hazardných hier, ktoré sa dnes hrali, a zažilo obdobie rozmachu v druhej svetovej vojne v Británii a zasiahlo obdobie úpadku predtým, ako jej prechod na online platformu vniesol do hry nový život. Ale ako začal Bingo?
Kde to všetko začalo
V tejto modernej ére hazardných hier, kde je k dispozícii široká škála hier na hranie jediným dotykom jedného tlačidla online, je ľahké zistiť, ako boli hry, ktoré boli kedysi populárne, ale zmizli z verejnej arény, teraz podrobené tomu, čo môže iba byť opísaný ako druhý príchod.
Jednou z týchto hier je Bingo. V závislosti od vášho veku by bezpochyby Bingo bol hrou, ktorá bola súčasťou obrovského rozmachu v krajine, v čase, keď prosperita opäť našla svoje nohy po globálnom konflikte, alebo hrou, ktorá bola pomaly. umierajúc veľmi pomaly na smrť, keď ho starý otec dobehol.
Bingo je lotéria ... Doslova!
Verí sa, že Bingo sa pôvodne začal ako hra v Taliansku už v roku 1530. Bol spojený s pôvodom z talianskej lotérie s názvom Il Gioco del Lotto d'Italia. Prešiel do Británie cez Francúzsko. V 18. storočí sa britské mestá a mestá často hrali hore a dole pred tým, ako sa presťahovali na iné trhy vrátane USA.
Cesta po Francúzsku je miestom, kde sa hra Bingo pretavila do podoby, ktorú poznáme dnes. To sa podobalo francúzskej lotériovej hre s názvom Le Lotto a do roku 1778 bola jednou z najpopulárnejších foriem hazardných hier vo Francúzsku. Toto sa potom presunulo na britský trh ako slovo šírenie tejto vzrušujúcej hazardnej hry.
"Bean!"
Existujú dôkazy, že hra Bingo nezískala svoje meno, kým výrobca hračiek z ostrova Long Island pod menom Edwin S Lowe tento hru popularizoval po tom, ako ju hral pod rúškom Beana na karnevale v gruzínskom štáte USA v roku 1929. Legenda hovorí, že Lowe hral hru s priateľmi, keď sa vrátil domov a jeden z jeho priateľov bol tak nadšený tým, že vyhral, že namiesto toho, aby kričala „Beano!“, Skutočne zakričala „Bingo!“.
Lowe sa rozhodol, že hra bola medzi jeho priateľmi taká populárna, že tlačil karty, zvyšoval možné kombinácie na kartách a balil ich ako hru s názvom „Bingo“. Úspech, ktorý si Lowe užíval pri predaji Binga, mu umožnil pokračovať v predaji kultovej hry Yahtzee.
Zmena vnímania
Keď budeme požiadaní, aby sme vysvetlili, na čo by sme mali myslieť, keď uvažujeme o Bingovi, v mestách, kde sa posedenie obývajú strieborní dôchodcovia dostávajú svoje týždenné kopy vonku, sa objavia obrázky zakalených starých hál Bingo. Toto je možno trochu tvrdý pohľad na stereotyp, ktorý Bingo dlho zastával. Spoločnosť Bingo v Spojenom kráľovstve je dnes koncom približne 1,3 miliardy GBP.
May 17, 2025
matthew and i randomly picked this book out at a used bookstore for our book club because it was one of the only books that had two copies and the premise sounded interesting. i’m so glad we did because this book was so heartwarming and i loved the conversations they had about the different kinds of love
May 1, 2018
This a hilarious book. Two sisters in their 80's constantly argue and physically fight. They
disrupt Bingo games and fight over the same man for his attention. The people around them
try to keep the sisters in line but that's a really hard job!!!
disrupt Bingo games and fight over the same man for his attention. The people around them
try to keep the sisters in line but that's a really hard job!!!
June 27, 2020
Mind-blowing how a book can be so packed with over-the-top scenarios and still be such a drag
January 15, 2022
No trips back in time in this Runnymede book, I missed that. Still the underlying sense of everything is going to be okay endures.
January 31, 2022
Such a fun romp with great characters! I just want to crawl inside this book and be part of the action.
July 23, 2024
I gave this 5 stars for the chapter "Blowout Bingo" alone. I thought the author created the perfect lead-up to this "perfect storm" of hilarious misbehavior. It kind of made me think of a Garrison Keillor type of story on Prairie Home Companion. Ridiculous characters--yet somehow believable in their imperfections & idiosyncrasies--that you can't wait to see what they'll do next. The majority of this book covers only 6-1/2 weeks, March 24 - May 8, 1987. Then in the last 10 pages it jumps ahead 7 months, & then another 3 months.
Now I see the one marked as Runnymede #3 is going to go back to 1941??
Now I see the one marked as Runnymede #3 is going to go back to 1941??
August 29, 2015
If it is true that laughter is the best medicine, then Rita Mae Brown's, BINGO, will cure anything. I laughed so hard! The small southern town of Runnymede, Maryland, is split down the middle by the Mason-Dixon line. The war between the states is still being played out, and how could it not be?! In trouble with the law in the South? Run north across Town Square and you're free of that jurisdiction. Two sheriff's, two city halls; hilarious!
Nickel Smith is often (always) smack-in-the-middle of her mother and aunts' outrageous sisterly competitiveness. And I do mean outrageous. One of my favorite examples is when her nearly ninety-year-old aunt, Louise, sometimes called Aunt Wheezie, wears falsies when competing with her sister, Julia, sometimes called Juts, for the attention of a newly arrived, available, Ed Tutweiler Walters. The antics these octogenarians pulled were not befitting their age and made me forget mine as this sort of funny is ageless!!
Nickel is a newspaper journalist, born and breed. When the town's only newspaper, the Clarion, is sold out from under her feet her world seems to be crumbling down around her. But, with the help of friends and happenstance, the Mercury newspaper is established giving Nickel her much-needed newspaper job, and the town an opposing daily.
This book was published in 1989, before being gay was a fad. Back when coming out of the closet could close a lot of doors. Yet, the main character, Nickel, is a proud publicly professed lesbian, amongst other well-rounded qualities culminating in a well developed, fascinating main character, surrounded by a family and town of "characters". Funny, funny, funny.
A friend loaned me this book. Guess I will have to give it back.
Nickel Smith is often (always) smack-in-the-middle of her mother and aunts' outrageous sisterly competitiveness. And I do mean outrageous. One of my favorite examples is when her nearly ninety-year-old aunt, Louise, sometimes called Aunt Wheezie, wears falsies when competing with her sister, Julia, sometimes called Juts, for the attention of a newly arrived, available, Ed Tutweiler Walters. The antics these octogenarians pulled were not befitting their age and made me forget mine as this sort of funny is ageless!!
Nickel is a newspaper journalist, born and breed. When the town's only newspaper, the Clarion, is sold out from under her feet her world seems to be crumbling down around her. But, with the help of friends and happenstance, the Mercury newspaper is established giving Nickel her much-needed newspaper job, and the town an opposing daily.
This book was published in 1989, before being gay was a fad. Back when coming out of the closet could close a lot of doors. Yet, the main character, Nickel, is a proud publicly professed lesbian, amongst other well-rounded qualities culminating in a well developed, fascinating main character, surrounded by a family and town of "characters". Funny, funny, funny.
A friend loaned me this book. Guess I will have to give it back.
December 24, 2014
Definitely not on par with "Six of One", not even close. There are major discrepancies between the supposed history of the characters as compared with "Six" - I thought Nicole was going to be an architect, what's with this newspaper business? That was never mentioned. And just WHAT is she doing in bed with a guy? What is THAT all about? I had never imagined Nicole Smith sleeping with a male in my entire life - it's almost as if RMB is "apologizing" for Nicole's lesbianism. Major turnoff!
The sisters are not nearly as charming or witty in this one (though Juts has her moments still). And the supporting characters add little to nothing. I especially despised the ending - how convenient (and incredibly false-feeling).
RMB's work has dropped several notches with this potboiler of a novel. Really awful.
The sisters are not nearly as charming or witty in this one (though Juts has her moments still). And the supporting characters add little to nothing. I especially despised the ending - how convenient (and incredibly false-feeling).
RMB's work has dropped several notches with this potboiler of a novel. Really awful.
June 6, 2012
I think this is my favorite of Rita Mae Brown's novels. I don't care for how wishy-washy she makes some of her characters, especially the main character Nicole Smith whom I'm surprised can stand up without help since she lacks a backbone. But overall, this is Brown at her funniest.
I do, however, get the feeling that Brown is a self-loathing lesbian. I've noticed that in almost every one of her books that have a lesbian character, they all sleep with men, thereby making them bisexuals. If it was just one book, I'd chalk it up as an aberration. But it's almost every one of her books. If she wants her characters to be lesbians, then have them actually be lesbians, goddamnit. None of this "I'm a lesbian except when I have sex with men" bullshit.
I do, however, get the feeling that Brown is a self-loathing lesbian. I've noticed that in almost every one of her books that have a lesbian character, they all sleep with men, thereby making them bisexuals. If it was just one book, I'd chalk it up as an aberration. But it's almost every one of her books. If she wants her characters to be lesbians, then have them actually be lesbians, goddamnit. None of this "I'm a lesbian except when I have sex with men" bullshit.
May 19, 2009
Rita Mae Brown spins a good yarn. When I need a little light-hearted snack to get me comforted before bed, I turn to Brown and her eccentric cast of characters, with whom I fell in love in "Six of One." This tome is told from the POV of Nickel, the adopted lesbian daughter of the spirited Juts - she's having an affair with her best friend's husband. Bingo is missing the heart that I loved so much in "Six of One," and the madcap bickering and capers start to wear a little thin. But still, it's always comforting to read Brown, whose philosophy is: "I finally figured out the only reason to be alive is to enjoy it."
October 6, 2012
If you need a good laugh, then read this! SIX OF ONE is the earlier book, then this follows. But don't have to read the earlier one to appreciate the hilarity. Read it years ago & have recommended it to so many people who also loved it. (I remember the dog in it as absolutely hysterical, but the whole family consists of such funny characters!
July 26, 2015
I loved Six of One and could not get enough of the battling sisters, Julia (Juts) and Louise (Wheezie). In this novel the sisters are in their 80's and still going at it. This time they are fighting over a man. Many of the characters I enjoyed in the first novel are dead by now, but there are many others to get to know.
November 25, 2009
One of the better books I have read of the Runnymede series. Funny, entertaining & q quick read. I highly recommend this series to anyone who likes books with southern setting & eccentric, quirky characters! This one is sure to make you laugh out loud!
January 14, 2010
Not in the same leauge as Six for One which was priceless but an entertaining read all the same.
The only thing that bugged me is how Nickel went from architecture (in Six of One) to a newspaper reporter iwth a whole lot of tradition behind it unmentioned previously,
The only thing that bugged me is how Nickel went from architecture (in Six of One) to a newspaper reporter iwth a whole lot of tradition behind it unmentioned previously,
March 25, 2014
One of my all-time favorite books... the follow up to Six of One. I think I read this duo at least once a year. Don;t bother with Loose Lips, though.. it is terrible, and was clearly written as an afterthought.
December 3, 2010
This is the second in the series and I loved the characters in both books. I am re-reading all my Rita Mae Brown books currently. This is a wonderful series and a good read the second and third time around.
July 7, 2012
this was laugh out loud funny the first time I read it, which was a few months before it was first published. The second time through, it didn't seem quite as good, but I'm sure that was because in part I sorta remembered what happened.
February 7, 2013
This is the second book in the Runnymede series about the battling, competitive Hunsenmeir sisters, although chronologically speaking, it should be number 3 because it deals with the life of Julia's daughter Nicole (Nickel) Smith. I liked the book and thought it was the best of the series.
January 22, 2014
Delicious! Especially since I grew up with one foot in the Shenandoah Valley in a newspaper family. People there were a lot less....shem..."boisterous" than the two warring sisters, but otherwise it feels very familiar.
January 25, 2008
Great for a laugh.
January 26, 2008
Not as good as Six of One, but cute, nonetheless
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