Hot Fudge Sundae Blues

This book was a great read, that captured not only my attention, but my heart.I was surprised because when I saw the title-I believed I wouldn't like it at all. Yet, I became captivated by the main character/narrator Layla Jay and her rural family's experiences in Mississippi during the 60's. Eventhough the book is set back in that time frame, the author manages to write a story about a family's struggle,hardtimes and goodtimes-that very well could have been about a family of today. I found some of the stories laugh-out-loud funny, like Pawpa's mishaps with the hen,etc. Then others, like the slimy "saved-again" stepfather Wallace's actions toward Layla Jay, nearly left me in tears. Very very good book. I want to read more by this author now and I would recommend others to do the same.

Basically, I had nothing in common with Layla Jay's character except that I was a girl, had once been a teenager, have a mother and feared God! This was more than enough to connect to this intensely fascinating story of a wonderfully, interesting family that basically struggles to survive and find a greater understanding of things beyond our control. The characters are interesting, sometimes charming and mostly flawed! This is what makes it a great story because on some levels it is a true reflection of humankind! Great work Bev!

I picked up this book after reading "Walking through the Shadows" by Bev Marshall. That was a great book, she is such a talented storyteller. However, I must say though, I loved this book more. I will not give away any hints as to what this book is about. There was one point when I felt that if I did not finish the book that I would come apart with worry and angst over Layla Jay's situation. Ms. Marshall really grabbed me with this one and I really, couldn't put it down.

In 1963 at the Pisgah Methodist Church, thirteen years old Layla Jay week after week disappoints her grandma by not accepting Brother Thompson's offer of salvation. Grandma fears that her only grandchild will follow the sinning examples of her husband and her daughter. However when Jehu Albright comes to the church Layla Jay decides to impress this teenage Steve McQueen hunk of a boy by accepting Brother Thompson's prayers. However God answers in mysertious ways as she sees Jehu with another "woman", her drunken mother marries Brother Wallace Ebert and is in a car accident, and grandma dies. When Ebert starts with twitching her nose and leering at her, but soon tries to rape Layla Jay, her mom intercedes with a 7-Up bottle. Life will never be the same in this household. HOT FUDGE SUNDAE BLUES is more than a historical perspective glimpse of the 1960s in small town Mississippi; although that provides the background, the tale is more a deep family drama that looks closely at love between extended kin in spite of flaws, and deception and dishonesty to hide these defects from loved ones. What makes a loving relationship is not just shared gene pool, but the ability to forgive not necessarily to forget even the biggest transgressions. Bev Marshall provides a powerful perspective of the good, the bad, and the ugly of human interactivity. Harriet Klausner

I shied away from reviewing Mrs. Marshall's second novel, Right as Rain, because I suspected that I couldn't do it justice. I suspect the same with this novel, but I enjoyed it so much that I must input my opinion regardless. I haven't a word to say to contradict the critics whose reviews I've read so far; the central theme of forgiveness is unmistakable and the importance of it seems to be indisputable. Frieda and Layla Jay are easy to forgive because we see that they are inherently good, and this can be said for other characters as well. There is also a more nebulous element-we forgive them because Mrs. Marshall presents them to us in a way that makes them virtually members of our own families or close friends, and that may be the key. I would say that for the most part it is human nature not to allow the bad to outweigh the good in the cases of close friends and family. We may waver and we may take time to forgive, but ultimately we will, and this may be one of the most respectable qualities of humankind. The book showcases it well. Aside from the fact that the writing is strong and clever, each page demands that the next be read, the characters in general are undeniably enchanting, and Layla Jay in particular is lovable as Annette and Ruthie from the first and second novels, I was very much interested in an element that is not present in her other novels. The concept of a significant character being a lesbian and that having an unavoidable effect on the main character drew me to the book even more. Consider how difficult it is to write about that topic with the setting being Mississippi in the early 60s and still do so in a way that is sensitive and understanding as well as realistic and convincing. She does that extremely well, and I found it to be a very cathartic read. This third offering is by no means lacking in the humor that makes me enjoy her writing. There's nothing quite like laughing and crying simultaneously, and there are instances for that. I must say that I'm still laughing about Frieda's ironic reaction to Our Town and Layla Jay's declaration that she is not a "lesbianism." I also want to recommend this to anyone who has never read Bev Marshall before. It's a great place to start and discover one very impressive storyteller.