• Reading Group Guide

THE RED HAT CLUB is a tale of long-standing female friendships,
Southern style. It celebrates a certain independent mindset based
on the delightful poem "Warning" by Jenny Joseph, which starts,
"When I am an old woman I shall wear purple . . ." George (short
for Georgia) tells the story of her gang of fifty-something
sorority sisters, who continue to support each other through all
trials. These gals, garbed in purple topped with red hats, meet
once a month to lunch, gossip and swap jokes.

The story opens with Diane, one of the Red Hat club members,
confiding that her husband has a mistress. That's bad enough, but
she helped pay for the condo the mistress is ensconced in. The
slimy two-timing husband, a distinguished banker, is also involved
in some questionable financial dealings. Of course, Diane's friends
(all bitterly divorced or terrified of divorce, except for one
happily married woman) are enraged. The Red Hatters scheme up a
plan of revenge, and set it in motion like hot-flash powered CIA
operatives.

The women morph into secret agents, spying on Diane's husband and
gathering evidence against him. Woven between chapters detailing
the club's undercover skulking are tales of their past. George
shares her reminiscences of how the friends met, the adventures
they've enjoyed, and the hard times they've endured together. She
ponders the mystery of one member of their group, long strayed from
the fold. Will they ever find out what became of Pru? George
wonders even more about her old boyfriend, Brad. Sizzling memories
of their romance eclipse George's lackluster relationship with her
husband. She can't help wondering if she should leave her husband
and search for her lost love.

The author has a fine, confiding "I'm telling you this" voice,
which makes for a fast, easy read. Her dialogue is true to life.
She has a wicked sense of humor --- many of her asides and small
tales within the main story made me laugh.

However the characters lack depth, verging on stock "types":
alcoholic slut, dowdy doctor's wife, perfect-lady-with-a-secret,
and devastated wife. Men fare worse than the women, coming off as a
huge population of conscienceless sleazeballs, along with a handful
of juicy studmuffins.

The frequent detailed flashbacks tend to slow down the story.
Appearances of characters from the past, with tidy, instant
resolutions, don't further the plot. Conflicts (including the
"revenge on the horrible husband" one) are resolved just a bit too
easily.

Despite these reservations, I found reading THE RED HAT CLUB akin
to watching Friends reruns --- frivolous and predictable,
yet mindlessly soothing.