Friday, November 5, 2010

The Persian Pickle Club

The Persian Pickle ClubThe Persian Pickle Club by Sandra Dallas

On the library stacks: Adult fiction

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I thought a book about a group of women in dusty Kansas who sit around and quilt would be dead boring. Added to that, I read another book by this author that I was sorely disappointed in. So my expectations going into this one weren't high, but I really ended up enjoying it.

Queenie Bean is a young married woman in a rural Kansas community. She is part of "The Pickles"--a group of mostly-older women who get together once a week to quilt. The Depression is on full force, and there is no rain to be had, which makes the situation in Harveyville pretty bleak. But quilting gives these women a much-needed outlet.

This is a story about loyalty and friendship, but there is also a nice mystery element. Through the eyes of Queenie we see both love and loss, both hard times and good times. And Queenie is as likeable a character as they come. I did have a hard time keeping the characters all straight at first, but eventually they really became distinct personalities.

I definitely recommend this book for book clubs and look forward to discussing it with mine.

Also reviewed by: The Reading Season ~ Lesa's Book Critiques ~ Good Clean Reads ~ 2 Kids and Tired Book Reviews ~ Your link here?

Book 100 for the 100+ Reading Challenge, Book 44 of 50 for the RYOB Challenge
Source: BookMooch

8 comments:

bermudaonion said...

That sounds so familiar - I think I read it years ago.

Tricia said...

Quite possibly! It's been around since 1995.

StephTheBookworm said...

Ooh, this does sound like a really nice and comforting read. I'll have to read it soon!

Kim said...

This was a fun read. What was the Sandra Dallas book that you didn't like?

Tricia said...

@ Kim: The Diary of Mattie Spenser

@ Steph: I hope you do. It's a good one to curl up with.

Veens said...

Oh sounds lovely.

Nina said...

Yes I agree that it does sounds boring, but I'm glad to hear that it's not. Always love it when a book suprises the reader. :)

Holly (2 Kids and Tired) said...

I loved this one too. Sandra Dallas is one of my favorites.