The Red Hat Club (ISBN 1593976100)

my thoughts:
I thought it would be really cool to be part of a society that wore red hats in public. Being part of a club where one could identify another club member because they are wearing a certain item of clothes while in public, fascinates me. But then I started reading the book. I found the characters non-believable. The rules of the club, do overs and make overs were just too restrictive. Life is not about squashing dialogue with your friends because you are too uncomfortable or too polite to say what is on your mind. The scene about catching Harold in the act truly stretched my imagination. The amounts of money thrown around boggled my mind. And the ending? It reminded me of the last episode of Seventh Heaven.

CHURNING OUT DRIVEL FOR THE ALMIGHTY BUCK:
If you saw the movie First Wives Club when it came out in the mid 90's, there is very little reason to read The Red Hat Club. The themes are similar and Olivia Goldsmith did a much better job with First Wives than Haywood Smith has done with Red Hat. First Wives featured three divorced women who band together to wreak revenge on their husbands who left them for younger women. Red Hat features five married women, friends since high school, who band together to support each other through cheating husbands and other personal and marital mishaps. The fact that the five ladies of Red Hat get "dolled up" once a month in purple outfits and red hats and "do lunch" is an obvious ploy meant to boost book sales. Since the REAL Red Hat Society has hundreds of thousands of members, Smith evidently sought to capitalize on this fact and most likely assumed that she would have a built in audience eager to spend their hard earned dollars on this bit of fluff. I suppose the message the book was supposed to convey is that by making positive choices in their lives and supporting each other rather than tearing each other down, all women.....regardless of their age can lead stimulating, challenging and exciting lives. Unfortunately for Ms. Smith, other writers like Anita Diamant and Margaret Atwood have already sailed those waters and produced more clever, interesting and complicated characters whose stories are worth the reader's investment of time and money. Recommendation: Life is short....eat dessert first! Oh yes, and skip The Red Hat Club!

liked it a lot:
I picked this up at my local used book store, just because of the cover and it sounded interesting. glad i did. it turned out to be funny and hardwarming. i could relate to these ladies(even being a little younger!)and found my self wishing i had such a group of wonderful, funny and just plain great ladies in my life. that's ok, I bought the sequel and laughted and enjoyed just as much. i just wish there were more books.

Revenge And Good Friends, What Could Be Better?:
Georgia, the narrator, lives a stable but all too predictable life with her undemonstrative husband. SuSu is always late. Teeny is frail, vulnerable, and abused by her husband. Linda is happily married. Diane thought she was too, until she found unmistakable evidence of Harold's philandering. All five ladies have been friends since high school, sorority sisters, a lifelong support group. Now in their fifties they meet monthly wearing red hats to exchange jokes, gossip and emotional support. Over the years they have developed a marvelous system of "Sacred Traditions" to help them through the rough spots of communication. Most of the plot revolves around the girls helping Diane to "get" her erring husband, which she does, and ah--revenge is good. There are many subplots, and the Red Hats continually learn new and surprising facets of each other. The plot elements have been done before. What makes this book special is the picture of lifelong friendship and loyalty--among five very flawed women--and through all kinds of difficult circumstances, which the author is able to portray. Author Haywood Smith does a great job making the improbable believable. The story rolls quickly along and is an enjoyable "fun" read. I recommend it. Reviewed by Louis N. Gruber.

escapist and exclusive:
There's definitely a market for this type of book, and I'm not sure why I read it, since I'm not a baby boomer and I definitely wouldn't call myself a southerner. Nevertheless, I read it, and was not impressed. Not only is the plot not believable, but i was put off and offended by the exclusivity of the club and some of the name calling. If you liked the Ya Ya Sisterhood, you may like this book, but then again, you may not. The Ya Ya Sisterhood was infinitely superior to The Red Hat Club, though this book was another "revenge of the woman" sort. I'd recommend "The Ya Ya Sisterhood" and "How to Make an American Quilt" instead.