Gods in Alabama

By: Joshilyn Jackson

Narrated by: Catherine Taber

Length: 8 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's summary

When Arlene Fleet heads up north for college, she makes three promises to God: She will stop fornicating with every boy who crosses her path; never tell another lie; and never, ever go back to the "fourth rack of hell", her hometown of Possett, Alabama. All she wants from Him is one little miracle: make sure the body is never found.

Ten years later, God has broken His end of the deal. Alabama has landed on Arlene's Chicago doorstep in the form of her high school archenemy, a young woman who wants to find the golden-haired football hero who disappeared during their senior year.

To make matters worse, Arlene's African-American boyfriend, Burr, has given her an ultimatum; introduce him to her lily-white family or he's gone. Arlene would rather burn up in a fire than let him meet her steel magnolia Aunt Florence; her eccentric, half-mad Mama; her sweet-as-pecan-pie Cousin Clarice; and all the rest of her deeply racist kith and kin.

But the fickle finger of fate is pointing her south. All too soon she and Burr are on their way to confront Arlene's redneck roots, the secret she ran from, and the crime that stole her peace of mind. Back in the small town of her girlhood, Arlene's demons are closing in, and after a decade of running away, Arlene must face them all. Yet while the truth threatens to destroy the life she has built for herself, it just may open her eyes to a love powerful enough to revise her past and alter her future.

Crackling with humor, defiantly endearing characters, and plot twists that will astonish even the most jaded reader, Gods in Alabama will send you careening from tears to laughter and back. Most of all, it brings a unique, rough-around-the-edges heroine to life and makes her a permanent part of your own.

©2005 Joshilyn Jackson (P)2005 Time Warner AudioBooks

Critic reviews

"Cleverly disguised as a leisurely paced southern novel, this debut rockets to the end, even as the plot turns back on itself, surprising characters and readers alike. Book clubs will enjoy this saucy tale, as will fans of southern fiction with a twist." (Booklist)

Amazing performance

Narration on this is crazy good...story is paced extremely well too. I'm not a huge fan of this genre but the audio version impeccable. Not sure I'd have felt the same if I'd read the book instead.

Great story!

I loved this book, so much, I bought Backseat Saints. it was about Rose-pop and a fitting climax to a very interisting saga of three young women growing up in a different life and time from me. Both get fifteen stars from me!

Not your "run-of-the-mill" crime story

The story is unusual and, although I found it somewhat strange at points, it was nevertheless enjoyable. The characters are also powerful and it was interesting to listen to their personalities unfold further during the course of the novel. If you are looking for something different then I would recommend this book.

EEntertaining

Entertaining, unpredictable story with an interesting main character. Good narrator. Not too long.

Surprising Southern Novel

From the minute I started this book, I could not stop listening. Arlene, an Alabama girl trasplanted in Chicago, must go home to face her complicated past and the secrets it contains. This was a well-crafted book, and the story moves quickly. I loved the narrator, who has a quiet easiness, and who paces the narrative perfectly for the story, told through Arlene's inner voice.

One will not regret the time spent on this book. Worth every minute and every penny spent!

Good Listen

This is not the type of book I generally listen to but I took the leap and am glad I did. The narration was excellent and the story was easy to get into and stay hooked.

Good story

Really good story that I can highly recommend.
Narrators were very good.
PRODUCTION with background music DISTRACTS. When I read this book on Kindle it was quiet except for what the written word generated in my mind. I want the same from an audible book. Just read it to me. Please.

This isn't the first Audible book I've recently found with this disruptive addition. It makes me uneasy that Audible may ruin a good thing attempting to make it better. I've already looked into another online book source for verbal narration. I don't want to change but if the musical addition continues, I will have to.

I hope Audible producers take note of this review.

Great Story!

Great story. I really enjoyed this book. The narration was excellent and fit the story. The story line never got boring and the book was easy to listen to.

Good story and narration. Awful background music.

This story was interesting. There is a spot of female victimization. It drives me nuts that authors use this to move their story along. But it wasn’t gruesome or overly done. I thought the narration was excellent. There was this REALLY TERRIBLE background music throughout the whole book. It detracted from the story and narration. If I could give this no stars for editing/producing, I would.

Wonderfully Written

This book submitted me in! It kept me guessing, and I'm sad it ended. I will look for more books by this author!