FROM THE PUBLISHER
From her sensational sleeper hit Patty Jane’s House of Curl to her heartwarming novel Welcome to the Great Mysterious, Lorna Landvik has won the hearts of readers everywhere by skillfully balancing hilarity with pathos, and bittersweet insights with heartwarming truths. Now she returns to her beloved, eccentric stomping ground of small-town Minnesota where the most eclectic, and engaging group of women you’ll ever meet share love, loss, and laughter.

Sometimes life is like a bad waiter—it serves you exactly what you don’t want. The women of Freesia Court have come together at life’s table, fully convinced that there is nothing good coffee, delectable desserts, and a strong shoulder can’t fix. Laughter is the glue that holds them together—the foundation of a book group they call AWEB—Angry Wives Eating Bon Bons—an unofficial “club” that becomes much more. It becomes a lifeline.

The five women each have a story of their own to tell. There’s Faith, the newcomer, a lonely housewife and mother of twins, a woman who harbors a terrible secret that has condemned her to living a lie; big, beautiful Audrey, the resident sex queen who knows that good posture and an attitude can let you get away with anything; Merit, the shy, quiet doctor’s wife with the face of an angel and the private hell of an abusive husband; Kari, a thoughtful, wise woman with a wonderful laugh as “deep as Santa Claus’s with a cold” who knows the greatest gifts appear after life’s fiercest storms; and finally, Slip, activist, adventurer, social changer, a tiny, spitfire of a woman wholooks trouble straight in the eye and challenges it to arm wrestle.

Holding on through forty eventful years—through the swinging Sixties, the turbulent Seventies, the anything-goes Eighties, the nothing’s-impossible Nineties—the women will take the plunge into the chaos that inevitably comes to those with the temerity to be alive and kicking. Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons depicts a special slice of American life, of stay-at-home days and new careers, children and grandchildren, bold beginnings and second chances, in which the power of forgiveness, understanding, and the perfectly timed giggle fit is the CPR that mends broken hearts and shattered dreams.

Opened tonight at midnight - a wonderful treat from my Secret Santa. Thanks so much, noumena, for everything!!!

From the front cover:

NATIONAL BESTSELLER
LORNA LANDVIK
ANGRY HOUSEWIVES EATING BON BONS a novel

"Highly entertaining... Almost as hard to put down (as) Mary McCarthy's The Group."
-- The Seattle Times

From the back cover:

"A LIVELY STORY AS DELECTABLE AS A FIVE-POUND BOX OF CHOCOLTES... A thoroughly engaging chronicle of friendship and the substantive place it holds in women's lives."
-- ANNE D. LECLAIRE Author of Leaving Eden

The women of Freesia Court are convinced that there is nothing good coffee, delicious desserts, and a strong shoulder can't fix. Laughter is the glue that holds them together - the foundation of a book group they call AHEB (Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons), and unofficial "club" that becomes much more. It becomes a lifeline. Holding on through forty eventful years, there's Faith, a lonely mother of twins who harbors a terrible secret that has condemned her to living a lie; big, beautiful Audrey, the resident sex queen who knows that with good posture and an attitude you can get away with anything; Merit, the shy doctor's wife with the face of an angel and the private hell of an abusive husband; Kari, a wise woman with a wonderful laugh who knows the greatest gifts appear after life's fiercest storms; and finally, Slip, a tiny spitfire of a woman who isn't afraid to look trouble straight in the eye.

This stalwart group of friends depicts a special slice of American life, of stay-at-home days and new careers, of children and grandchildren, of bold beginnings and second chances, in which the power of forgiveness, understanding, and the perfectly times giggle fit is the CPR that mends broken hearts and shattered dreams.

"It is impossible not to get caught up in the lives of the book group members... Landvik's gift lies in bringing these familiar women to life with insight and humor."
-- The Denver Post

"A GUILTY PLEASURE... THIS LIGHT, SNAPPY READ MAY BE HER BEST YET."
-- Midwest Living magazine

Look for the reading group discussion guide at the back of this book

Finished yesterday afternoon. I LOVED this novel! I was kinda worried, because this isn't my usual read, and the last sistahood-type novel I read was the YaYas, and I HATED that book with a passion. But I could not resist this title, so added it to my wishlist without knowing anything more about it, and now I'm sure glad I did!

This book really grabbed me and wrapped me up in the wonderful friendship these women shared. Audrey & Slip in particular were wonderful, vivid characters. I didn't think Faith's character was as well done as the other four, and so found the sections of the novel that were narrated by her a little tiresome, but that is a very very small complaint.

I have already added all this author's other books to my wishlist now, and I may go through and add some of the books AHEB read together as well. Thanks so much for granting my wish for this book, nou, it was a gooder! Book is now Available.

I offered this in the BookRelay Virtual Bookbox Round #5, and it was taken out in Round #6 by Breeze144. To be mailed ASAP. Hope you love this as much as I did, Breeze! :)

Edited 5 May 2006: Mailed yesterday.

Arrived here today! Thanks!

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

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