Haywood Smith, The Red Hat Club Rides Again

The Red Hat Club Rides Again

Haywood Smith

St. Martin's, Mar 2005, $24.95, 336 pp.

ISBN: 0312316917

Though the membership are all in their fifties, the Red Hats still meet every month for lunch though their choice of locale has changed somewhat since Teeny has twenty million earned during the Clinton stock market boom to waste. Instead of always a high class Atlanta area location, the group also meet elsewhere, incuding the Bahamas, though that was part of a month long, plastic-surgery, extreme makeover cruise.

When member Pru breaks the substance abuse tenet of the twelve commandments, her southern sisters (Georgia, SuSu, Diane, Linda, and of course Teeny - someone has to pay for this extravaganza) ignoring tradition 5 of minding your own business, converge on Las Vegas. Sin City is not prepared for the invasion of the Red Hats who plan to intervene and kidnap Pru so that they can take her to clean herself up in the Rockies at an exclusive rehab center, but first they must play the slots.

The Red Hat Club once again proves that life begins at fifty as these Southern steel magnolias refuse to allow time or family relationships to interfere with their long time friendships. The current tale is intriguingly deep yet irreverent as the members satirically assault anything in their way, just ask Elton John, who will surely wear a red hat in his next public appearance. Haywood Smith provides a warm, delightful tale of strong friendships that mean helping one another live life to the fullest.

Harriet Klausner