The Goddess Of Fried Okra |  | Author: Jean Brashear
Publisher: BelleBooks - A
Category: eBooks
In Stock
Rating:  55 reviews
Sales Rank: 912
Format: Kindle Book
Media: Kindle Edition
Pages: 242
Number Of Items: 1
ASIN: B003EO8EVG
Publication Date: March 30, 2010
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Product Description
Grief. Hope. Love. Sword fights. And the crisp glory of fried okra. Ex-cocktail waitress and "convenience story professional" Eudora "Pea" O'Brien is filled with grief and regret, low on cash and all alone. Headed down the hot, dusty back roads of central Texas, Pea is convinced she'll find a sign leading her to the reincarnated soul of the sister who raised her. A sign that she's found her place in the world of the living again. At least that's what the psychic promised. In an unforgettably funny and poignant journey, Pea collects an unlikely family of strays-a starving kitten, a pregnant teenager, a sexy con man trying to go straight, and a ferocious gun dealer named Glory, who introduces Pea to the amazing, sword-wielding warrior goddesses of Texas author Robert E. Howard-creator of the Conan the Barbarian novels-and celebrated in festival every year. Six foot tall, red-headed Pea looks good with a sword in her hand. Glory, the goddesses, and a grandmotherly café owner become Pea's unlikely gurus as she struggles to learn swordplay and the art of perfect fried okra. She'll have to master both if she's going to find what matters most-her own lost soul. "Jean Brashear writes with warmth and emotion truth. The depth of her understanding of human nature marks her as a writer to watch, a writer to read and a writer to enjoy." --Debbie Macomber, #1 NY Times Bestselling Author "THE GODDESS OF FRIED OKRA is a fabulous read. Riveting. Original. Those characters grabbed my imagination and didn't let go." --Cathy Maxwell, NY Times Bestselling Author
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 55
 Fabulous southern story! April 30, 2010
K. Kitchens (Augusta, GA)
59 out of 60 found this review helpful
This story follows the traditions of the best southern writers. The characters are offbeat, fascinating and all have skeletons in their closet and yet they are immensely entertaining. This is a fast paced story that you just don't want to put down. When the novel was finished I immediately hoped that Jean Brashear would continue the story line in subsequent novels about these characters. This book is full of strong women determined to make their way in the world and find the only thing that really ever matters - family. Any person who identifies with strong women or loves the south will love this book.
This Book Rocks--So Good! July 11, 2010
Tonstant Weader
23 out of 24 found this review helpful
THE GODDESS OF FRIED OKRA is the kind of book you always hope to find and rejoice wildly when you do.
Full of humanity, humor, fearless creativity, and deep,genuine emotion, this is the story of Eudora "Pea" O'Brien. She is eccentric, vulnerable, and absolutely heroic in ways she herself can not begin to suspect at the beginning of her startling journey.
The book introduces you to a host of vivid characters who will make you care and care deeply, especially "Pea," a woman who truly deserves the title of "heroine." She takes chances, she makes mistakes, she learns,she dares; she is unstoppable--and unforgettable.
Jean Brashear has created a story that works on many levels. It is wonderfully new and original and filled with the local color of Texas. Yet it is also rich in timeless themes and with matters that transcend region or place.
(And, hey, how often do you find a story that seamlessly blends the heroic importance of fried okra as well as a woman's mastery of sword play? A story that is hysterically funny and yet will make you blink very hard to keep from crying?)
This is a keeper. Grab it and cherish it.
Great women's fiction novel March 28, 2010
Deborah Smith (Atlanta, GA)
16 out of 17 found this review helpful
When Pea O' Brien heads across Texas in a grieving journey to resolve memories of her beloved sister, she never expects to become a magnet for other needy souls. First there's the pregnant teen and the stray kitten, then there's the sexy con man who's on the run from an angry husband, and then there is the aging diner maven and the crazy woman who sells guns and trains women to swordfight. Did I mention the shout-out to the Texas author who created the Conan the Barbarian books?
A strange and lovely mix of whimsy, sorrow, humor and romance. Not to be missed.
Craving More Fried Okra!!!! April 3, 2010
Kendall Ewan (Georgetown, Texas)
6 out of 7 found this review helpful
I'm in the middle of this book and I'm hooked! I keep thinking I'll put it down and go to bed, but then I can't help myself and have to read just a little more. This is one of those kinds of books - you know the ones where you can actually smell the smells, taste the tastes and feel the very sweat running down your forehead. I'm there, right there on that crazy road with my beloved Pea. A front row seat to to her quirky, whimsical, sometimes sad, but always real and honest journey. I have a feeling I won't want this book to end...
You're in for a memorable ride with the "professional" convenience store clerk at the wheel. April 18, 2010
Kerrie Lee (Texas)
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
The Goddess of Fried Okra is the story of Eudora "Pea" O'Brien who strikes out across modern-day central Texas in search of her dead sister's soul, gambling on the chance that reincarnation will reunite her with the last vestige of family. With Texas road markers as her milestones, Pea's fascinating journey becomes one of self-discovery and empowerment as she looks, on a deeper level, for forgiveness, for a place to belong, for strength, for folks to love -- for Home.
From the opening sentence, "Nothing else could have put me on the road again, not after eighteen years of being dragged all over creation," you know you're in for a memorable ride with the "professional" convenience store clerk at the wheel. Because she is desperate--and poignantly brave--Pea drives on in blind faith that the road will eventually be her salvation. As Pea searches every face for "Sister's spooky eyes," she encounters and adopts an assortment of unique-yet-believable souls.
Like Larry McMurtry's writing, the quirky Texas details and hilarious/touching inner dialogue give Goddess its original, appetizing flavor. The presence of Conan the Barbarian and kick-ass women wielding swords in the Texas Hill Country are prime examples. The unforgettable characters that befriend Pea on her mesquite-pocked odyssey are beautifully and frankly etched. As Pea, novelist Jean Brashear writes with an authentic Southern woman's voice, subtly examining themes common to stories of unforgettable women: abandonment, regret, redemption, sisterhood, strength and acceptance.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 55
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