THE RED HAT CLUB

While the title of this novel springs from a poem about individuality (Jenny Joseph's "Warning"), its characters, the five Atlanta women of the Red Hat Club, work hard to fit a certain genteel image. The story tries to be part STEEL MAGNOLIAS, part DIVINE SECRETS OF THE YA-YA SISTERHOOD, but fails because of its flat characters, who profess to be something they clearly are not. As the friends unite to help one of their club seek revenge on a cheating husband, their adventures are punctuated by flashbacks to younger days. What has been engaging in other literary efforts is here stale, false, and slow. Anne Gartlan offers an able performance--the best that can be expected from a text that has intelligent women using phrases like "Dadgum it!" While some may find this a harmless diversion, the concept has been done better. L.B.F.
(c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/MAY 04]