The Florabama Ladies' Auxiliary and Sewing Circle

Before writing this review, I read all of the reviews previously written, and was horrified by the arrant snobbery of SOME of the reviewers. These, in particular, were Southern readers whose opinions left me flabbergasted by their narrowness of mind in condemming the factory workers who were left jobless by the closure of the factory in which they worked. One reviewer even suggested that these women, uneducated as they were, would never be capable of belonging to a quilting bee. Happily I know that this attitude is completely false having spent time recently as a guest of a number of Southern ladies who would be totally horrified to learn of attitudes like this.The female workers of a recently closed lingerie factory band together with the help of a recently divorced counsellor who is suffering from the shock and disillusionment of finding out that she now has to make her own way in the world--in her late 40's--as her husband became bankrupt and took off with a younger woman.Over the course of a year, these women learn not only how to support themselves, but also how how to gain strength and courage from mutual encouragement. I truly believe that this is a wonderfully inspiring book and I enjoyed it thoroughly.

Having never read Lois Battle, her newest tome is my first adventure into her writing. I will now go back and look for other titles she has written. Do I recommend this story of middle-age women struggling to survive? Absolutely! The spirit of the displaced homemakers from Cherished Lady lingerie's now closed plant is led by an unlikely cultured and privileged lady, Bonnie Duke Cullman. Bonnie also finds herself in this displaced homemaker category, but for a much different reason: bankruptcy and divorce. Rescued by her family connections, her daddy Duke is rich and influential, Bonnie finds work as a job counselor in tiny Florabama's junior college. It is there, with the help of her long time friend Cass that Bonnie also finds herself. The Cherished Lady ex-employees comprise a mix of hard-working, down-on-their-luck seamstresses who have a new opportunity to go to college and learn the skills to get new jobs. Of course they must do this while drawing unemployment, raising their grandchildren, resisting their spouses attempts to keep them down, caring for disabled spouses and dysfunctional adult children. They are a colorful and realistic set of characters who grow on the reader.Key to the plot are the women: Hilly, Ruth, Roxy, Albertine, Lyda Jane and Celia. Key to the women's lives are the emotional baggage they have accumulated by living and the individual tastes for life that both bring them together and separate them. Their small town plant has given them earning power and a sense of community. With its closing, as the plant owners seek cheaper labor in Mexico, they are at the mercy of a world that looks for education in its future employees. Their lives have to be upgraded and the local college has a government grant to provide that upgrade.While one cannot help but laugh over the spirited and straight shooting expressions of Hilly, this novel also reflects the heartbreaks and disappointments that represent the dark side of the characters' lives. This is also a love story, the story of Bonnie with Riz, Cass with Mark, Hilly with Jess. Each partnership takes a different road, with the women coming out stronger and less dependent on romance or sex or men. Bonnie is the protagonist: the divorced mom of grown, spoiled children, the daughter of wealth, the step-daughter of a restless, mouthy step-mom. First, she surprizes herself by learning to respect and love her displaced Florabama homemakers. Then she surprizes herself by realizing that independence is a good thing. Furthermore, she surprizes herself with her own entrepreneurial abilities. She lives through her time in Florabama and emerges realistically triumphant.The love of friends is important in Battle's story: the love of Cass and Bonnie, and Hilly and Ruth. Author Battle understands that women do not have it easy in a man's world, but that they can survive and rise above life's challenges. This is a positive, can't-put-it-down read. Brava!

Lois Battle, with the engaging "Florabama Ladies," continues that favorite American genre: Southern women, or at least women who talk "Southern," winning against the odds. Ms. Battle's "Florabama" sits on my shelf next to its sister novels, which have proven a good reading list for our local book club's discussions: Fannie Flagg's "Fried Green Tomatoes," Rita Mae Brown's "Rubyfruit Jungle," Allan Gurganus' "Oldest Living Confederate Widow," Jack Fritscher's "The Geography of Women: A Romantic Comedy," as well as "Ya Ya Sisterhood," etc. I really enjoy novels that show how we arrive at our identities and a deeper understanding of self and community, especially when humor trumps politics, and good writing triumphs in the "moral heart" of small towns. Hollywood can't make these books into movies fast enough for me. That's okay. I love the way these authors spin words out on the page. Lois Battle is a remarkable writer in a genre that always entertains.

I have been a Lois Battle "fan" for many years, and although I have enjoyed reading each of her novels, without reservation the "Florabama Ladies" is her best. To my good fortune, a local independent bookstore owner,seeking a genuine response, shared her advance copy . To summarize my reaction in simple terms, I could not put it down once I started it--emotional, truthful, and sprinkled with wit and wisdom.The "ladies" represent the dilemma facing many dedicated working women caught within the boundaries of a "down-sizing-for-profit" business mentality, and the reality of survival. Each woman has her unique array of personal problems, coupled with trying to pursue a new occupation in today's competitive workforce.Ms. Battle is a natural "storyteller", who smoothly captures her readers and carefully places them into the action. The story-line presents itself in such a way that one can easily recognize one of her characters, or identify with personally. The Florabama Ladies' Auxiliary & Sewing Circle is not just a story, but a journey. I highly recommend this intriguing modern novel to those who appreciate a captivating well-written story. Certainly one I intend to purchase for my personal bookshelf and for friends.

Southern Belle. The words conjured up thoughts of genteel, tea-sipping ladies or feisty harridans the likes of Scarlett O'Hara. But these days, southern women are a rich combination of both sets of characteristics, and excellent examples of this can be found in Lois Battle's new book, "The Florabama Ladies Auxiliary and Sewing Circle." Atlanta socialite Bonnie Duke Cullman has come to a life-altering crossroads in her life. Her husband has run out on her for a younger woman. To add insult to injury, he has also spent their life's savings and filed for bankruptcy. Accustomed since birth to a country club existence, she has never done a "real" day's work in her life. So, for the first time in her life, 50-year old Bonnie is facing life alone and financially strapped. Hope for Bonnie comes in the form of a position at a tiny community college in Florabama, Alabama. The Cherished Lady lingerie factory is being closed down, and the college hires Bonnie to run its program for displaced homemakers and workers. In a blind-leading-the-blind proposition, Bonnie is supposed to help the women, many who had never known another job, figure out what to do with the rest of their lives. She starts out by gathering them into a weekly group session to help everyone air their opinions and concerns, and begins to learn just how hard "real" life is for these women.Determined to help the ladies better their lives, Bonnie calls upon friends from her former life to help them set up a cottage industry using their skills as seamstresses to design a line of unique children's clothes. The project is a huge success, but teeters on the brink of disaster when one of their own runs off with their first big paycheck. But with resolve and resilience that surprises even the most skeptical in the group, the women regroup and come back to prove they are capable of overcoming the odds to be victorious.Author Lois Battle has gathered a delightful group of women in this heartwarming tale. In sharing their stories, the "Ladies" form a delightful patchwork quilt of characters. There's patient, saintly Ruth, who has always wanted to be a teacher; the hot-tempered, slightly bigoted Hilly who finds the second love of her life in a Mexican restaurant; and Roxy, the irresponsible young mother who takes anything she can get, as long as it doesn't involve work. But the star of the story is Bonnie, who proves to herself that she is capable of overcoming her own obstacles to find a happier life and, in doing so, develops a healthy respect for herself. She even finds a little love along the way."The Florabama Ladies Auxiliary and Sewing Circle" provides a genuine glimpse into the lives of modern-day southern women. Don't be surprise to find there is a little tea-sipping Scarlett in each of these resilient ladies.