Chimes from a Cracked Southern Belle Paperback – April 14, 2013

Chimes from a Cracked Southern Bell is totally amazing. It's starts with Susan Reinhardt's usual humor that makes me feel like she REALLY knew my mama, grew up in my community, and had some illegal way of seeing inside my head about so many little things I've never actually shared with anyone.But this is what I've come to expect from Reinhardt, so it was nothing out of the ordinary. So many hilarious anecdotes more than once made my family come down and see what I was laughing so loudly about---for example: (a) "...the other mothers wore clothes from the Lands End catalog and flat leather shoes and spawned children they dressed in linen and oversized bows and who never got terribly dirty or mucousy...How would I ever fit into this world?" (b) "...She meant well. Only I wasn't well enough for what she meant." (c) "Rev. Bryce Jeter, Satan's Soulmate, had led 26 men and women to salvation during funerals. I always thought it strange that a preacher would issue a call for live souls while trying to send dead ones off with a reverent bang." (d) "...I preferred the Methodist's less dramatic forms of a saving..."It was all the sorts of things I loved from your humor/memoir books, but then again, so much more. The premise of Prudy's near-murder is so twisted that you can't help but laugh a little. We're allowed to do so for so long that it's almost silly, and then----BOOM!---- it gets worse---much, much worse. The real pain in so very intense it's like we've stepped off the edge into a totally different book. Susan Reinhardt NAILS it---the sheer, gut-wrenching pain here is as real as anything else is funny. How can she go to such opposite extremes in 372 pages? And do it SO WELL?The unexpected twists the reader follows with the whole Jeter family are masterfully done. This little book is a classic tale of combining several genres into something all its own, and the author does it with finesse and grace, tears and laughter, and FUN.If you're ready to experience the whole four seasons of emotion, treat yourself and read this book. You won't put it down until you've enjoyed the whole experience!

If you grew up in the South you are going to love Chimes From A Cracked Southern Belle. You will laugh, cry, and see the characters jump right off the pages into your heart. I highly recommend this book for your summer reading. Southerners will recognize these characters who will probably remind them of some of their relatives. Readers who had the good fortune to relocate to the South will hear Southern expressions that became familiar to them after their move. Some events in the story line are sad, but you will find a very happy ending. After reading only a few pages, you will discover the many talents of the writer, Ms. Susan Reinhardt. You will be amazed to see how Ms. Reinhardt finds a way to sprinkle her delightful sense of humor on so many pages in this book. Once you start reading Chimes it is hard to put down. You will be anxious to see what is coming next; and can't wait to read what characters Prudy, Prudy's Mom, and Aunt Weepie are doing now. Regular columns written by Ms. Reinhardt that appear in the Asheville Citizen Times newspaper are a big hit and are appreciated by all her friends and fans. When you read this interesting book, Ms Reinhardt will have even more loyal fans and friends who will be waiting for her next amazing read. She has written several other books to her credit; one titled Not Tonight Honey, Wait Until I'm A Size 6, and another called Don't Sleep With Bubba. Chimes is on the way of becoming another hit for her and success couldn't happen to a more deserving writer than Susan Reinhardt. Give this book a try, you'll like it!!

Having known Susan's wit and her skill as a Southern wordsmith, I fully expected this novel to be entertaining. What I wasn't prepared for, however, was her ability to draw me into the story lines coursing through Prudy's (or Dee's) life. I'm from the South. I know Southern women; the intricacies of their relationships both within and outside family lines. I recognize the acerbic yet eternal relationship between mothers and daughters, between sisters, and between women whose lives were shaken together in what seemed a random manner yet which, upon reflection, was a bit too important to have "just happened".The subject matter, domestic violence and its effect on everyone involved, is a weighty one but is handled with just enough humor and levity to keep things interesting. From funeral-crashing Aunt Weepie, to Dr. Peter Jeter and 104 year old Annie Sue, the characters are unique yet seem familiar. I've shared their squash casserole and Diet Pepsi. I've listened to their Mothers prattle on about being shamed into early graves, and their children laugh while playing in sprinklers on hard-baked lawns. And I've wrangled with the same guilt and misgivings Prudy faces as she attempts to fashion the sow's ear of her life into the silk purse it can (and should) be. The weightiness of life-altering decisions made too young and too soon which seemed right at the time but unraveled despite the best attempts to save them.The novel is exquisitely wrought, and comfortable yet intriguing. It's the perfect book for a summer's day in the South (or for any time you think YOUR family is the nuttiest in town). I actually found myself pacing the rate at which I read so I didn't finish it too soon--I simply didn't want it to end.