| | Never has Revenge been so Satisfying:
A Review of Revenge of the Kudzu
Debutantes by Cathy Holton
Reviewed by Yuzhi Yang |
A new generation of "Steel Magnolias" comes to life in Revenge of the Kudzu Debutantes: a novel following three small-town housewives married to partners in the same Georgia law firm. Scorned by their husbands' betrayal, they're now sworn to payback. Follow their stories for a funny and fun read; the dark undertone is sometimes jarring, but you will be too busy chortling to let the serious theme drag you down.
Cathy Holton created three characters that may seem stereotypical at times; however, at least some of the experiences will ring true with readers. There is the doormat Nita, married to a controlling and self-absorbed jerk, and the brash and larger-than-life Eadie, who makes huge fertility sculptures when not playing games with her philandering husband, and the down-to-earth Lavonne, who gave up a successful accounting practice to stay home, but has only weight-gain to show for it.
Each woman delivers interesting quips and funny one-liners from time to time, true to the Southern Humor genre. The languid storytelling picks up when the women discover their husbands' annual Montana hunting trip is nothing more than an excuse to cavort with hookers. Every woman is soon stunned into realizing they've been living a lie and only they can control their lives. If the reader was bored by the complacent lifestyles before, she will now cheer on the devilishly-clever revenge schemes cooked up after some heavy tequila drinking. The revenge range from the practical, i.e., getting a fair share of the money, to the slapstick, as they try to ruin the hunting trip with some unwelcome guests.
The kudzu in the title is a tenacious vine common to the south. It takes over everything in its path: trees, buildings, power lines. Nothing is a match for its ferocity. Holton is ingenious to name the women the Kudzu Debutantes: the vine is a great metaphor for the
women growing up and growing out of their placid lives.
About the Reviewer: Yuzhi Yang
Yuzhi Yang is a web producer and translator. She takes reading chick lit very seriously.