Bonita Faye

By: Margaret Moseley

Narrated by: Carol Herman

Length: 7 hrs and 40 mins

Publisher's Summary

Bonita Faye is Margaret Moseley's colorful and unforgettable Edgar Award-finalist that captures Fannie Flagg's homespun charm and Janet Evanovich's laugh out loud humor.

When small town girl Bonita Faye's abusive husband, car salesman, and fishing guide Billy Roy is killed, she begins an adventurous new life that takes her from Poteau, Oklahoma to Paris and back again in a story of murder and redemption...and more murder...stretching over three decades.

©1996 Margaret Moseley (P)2017 Brash Books LLC

Critic Reviews

"Bonita Faye is one of the funniest, most resourceful and optimistic fictional heroines you'll ever come across." ( Dallas Morning News)

"Bonita Faye is the Eliza Doolittle of the dust bowl." ( Associated Press)

Part Oprah pick, part murder mystery--Great book.

This is a great book. It reminds me of an Oprah selection because it deals with the everyday problems and culture of lower socio-economic women. It differs from an Oprah book in that there are also several excellent male characters (not all the men in the book are bad). It is compelling chick lit. with a very likable protagonist from Arkansas/Oklahoma. The book follows Bonita Faye through her life unwrapping a tale of murder and a love triangle. It is a story about a young woman finding and making peace with herself.

The story is told in an Arkansas/ Oklahoma native accent by a narrator who embodies the character. Carol Herman is Bonita Faye. She does an excellent job capturing the accent, lingo and spirit of this woman. She also does a good job with the French characters.

One of my favorite characters is Patsy, Bonita Faye's best friend. She is a loving, hardworking illiterate woman who has memorized most of the Bible by heart. She is married to the "best good for nothing man" Bonita Faye has ever met. They have 6 children. She deals with occasional domestic abuse by hitting her husband back harder. This book realistically deals with the rural way of life capturing both its strengths and its faults. Very well written and worth your time.

I received this book for free from the author, narrator or publisher in exchange for an honest review.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Great Book!

This is a great book with a wonderful story and well developed characters. The story flowed very well and was very enjoyable. This book will keep you reading long into the night and you will not want to put this book down until you finish. This was such a great read and full of surprises. The narrator did a wonderful job with this book. She did a great job with the different voices of each character in this book. It was very easy to listen to and I didn’t want to stop listening until the end. If you are looking for a great book with well-developed characters then you need to listen to this book. I am looking forward to listening to the next book by this author and narrator.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Bonita Faye

This story follows the life and times of Bonita Faye. Listening to this story seemed reminiscent of listening to an older relative sharing the stories of their life. There were some humorous moments and some very serious moments. All in all, an enjoyable listen.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Worth your time and credit

This was just pure fun! I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It pulled me in immediately and held my complete attention from start to finish. It's a well written, entertaining, engaging, enjoyable sometimes humorous story with a great cast of interesting and quirky characters. The icing on the cake is the fantastic narration.

Even though it's listed as a mystery/thriller you know pretty much from the start who killed Bonita Faye's husband. So there really isn't a lot of mystery or suspense in that regard. In no way does that make the story any less enjoyable though. It's a creative story that in many ways reminded me a little of Crazy in Alabama.

The story is told by Bonita Faye as she recounts the events that shaped her life up until the murder, the events after the murder as well as the lives' of the people she knew or met along the way. You know who did what, why and how, but it's the events after the deed, the lives' effected and the coarse their lives' take after the murder that is the real story.

The characters deserve a second mention. Of coarse Bonita Faye is great and she is one of those characters that will stick with you long after you finish the book, but all the characters were well developed, likable and relatable. Patsy, Claude, Harmon, Simone etc. were all great characters.

This is the first time I have heard Carol Herman narrate a book. She did a fantastic job with the narration. Pleasant voice that is easy to listen to for long periods of time. Great character voices and accents. She did a great job with the French accents. The tone and inflection of her narration in each situation was perfect. Her narration drew me into the story immediately and made it as well as the characters come to life. Very enjoyable.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and voluntarily provided this review.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Loved This!

I absolutely adored this! An original story, great characters and humor - what's not to love? The lovely southern drawl of Carol Herman was the icing on the cake and she gave a terrific performance. Fabulous! I enjoyed the pace and the way that everything leisurely evolved, allowing the listener to really savor the story. Bonita Faye was a great listen and I would recommend it.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review. This review is my honest opinion.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

A great character driven listen

This is very much a character driven story. There's not much in the way of mystery or suspense, but the characters are fully developed, colorful and interesting. There's also a touch of humor in this story.

Carol Herman is the perfect narrator for this audiobook. Her southern drawl is just what the story calls for. She delivers an excellent performance.

NOTE: I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Great!

I really enjoyed this story! I wasn't expecting there to be some humor in this one but there were a couple funny moments. This was well written with interesting characters and the narrator has a very nice voice. Highly recommend!


I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

A Very Good Story And Performance....

This Was An Excellent Book! The Author Was Brilliant In The Description Of Event And Places. I Simply Fell In Love With Bonita Faye And Her Gigantic Heart.. The Narrator Was Perfect For The Voice Of Our Beloved Bonita Faye...I Look Forward To More Audio Books From This Author...BRAVO!!!

“I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.”

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Humorous Listen

I enjoyed this humorous book with its quirky characters that spanned over 30 years. Finding one's self and coming home were part of what I got out of this book. I thought the story was original, the imagery was great, and the performance was very good. Typically I listen to romance books, so this was a fun diversion. I was given this review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily written this review. I would listen to more books by this author and narrator. This is a standalone listen.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

'This is us', the Southern version

Full disclosure: I'm a lifelong Californian so I don't hold much affinity for Southern voices. Once I got past that though, this listen was an absolute, complete and genuine treasure.

It spans the lifetime of Bonita Fay and the why's and what for's of the things she did. Whether you agree with her decisions or not, they were hers and they form the background for everything that happened to her.

This was a great listen from start to finish. The ending was completely unexpected (well, maybe not) and all I thought then was, 'but what happens next?'

Put your feet up and give in to the indulgence that is Bonita Fay's life.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful