March 9, 2016

Getting Mother's Body


"More respectable things like getting my law degree or at least digging up the treasure and paying off my mother's bills with my percentage of it or I should be thinking how one day I'll become president and pass laws for fairness." ~ pg. 168

With high praise from bookhearts and authors like Pearl Cleage and Richard Russo, I had high expectations for Getting Mother's Body. It is a national bestseller and winner of the Pulitzer Prize. It was mentioned on Better Than the Movie podcast. The cover is very classic literature-ish and what I consider a good book to read in public. Who doesn't like classic cars? And it is actually about a road trip. So when I cracked open Getting Mother's Body and started reading, my hopes were way up.

The first line had me at attention O_O. Who is this unapologetic main character named Billy Beede? She comes home one day to find a notice that her mother's burial spot is about to be plowed up to make way for a supermarket. As the sole heiress to her mother's rumored fortune, she steals a truck and plans to dig up the jewels buried with her mother's body. With her aunt, uncle and mother's lover in tow, it turns into a funny down-on-luck adventure.

So did Getting Mother's Body live up to my high expectations? Not quite. But it is certainly a worthy good read. I would love to see this novel adapted to a play. Literally take these characters on the road. Just don't let Tyler Perry have anything to do with it.

Title: Getting Mother's Body
Author: Suzan-Lori Parks
Published: January 2003
Pages: 257
Edition: Hardcover
Challenge: Popsugar Book About a Road Trip; Popsugar National Book Award Winner
Rating: ♥♥♥♡

 

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