The Red Hat Club

Red Hat Club #1

by Haywood Smith

Meet Georgia, SuSu, Teeny, Diane, and Linda--five women who've been best friends through thirty years since high school. Sit in when they don their red hats and purple outfits to join Atlanta's Ladies Who Lunch for a delicious monthly serving of racy jokes, iced tea and chicken salad, baskets of sweet rolls, the latest Buckhead gossip, and most of all--lively support and caring through the ups and downs of their lives. When Diane discovers her banker husband has a condo (with mistress) that he bought with their retirement funds, the Red Hats swing into action and hang him with his own rope in a story that serves up laughter, friendship, revenge, high school memories, long-lost loves, a suburban dominatrix, and plenty of white wine and junk food. From the 1960s to the present, The Red Hat Club is a funny, unforgettable novel that shows the power women can find when they accept and support each other.

Genres: Fiction, Chick Lit, Book Club, Southern, Friendship, Humor, Romance

336 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, here's the thing. I read a book by this author and liked it, but still was a disgusting snob saying I liked it "for what it was", implying that there's something less about literature in this genre. Someone kick me now. Please. In my hoity toit derriere. There's a lot to be said about novels that are fun and "light" in that you don't have to ponder and reflect on every other paragraph. And if the novel makes you laugh, or grow nostalgic for your own band of friends, and maybe even gets you to pick up the phone and call one, that's terrific.

I started reading this a day or so after hearing Haywood Smith speak. She is without a doubt, one of the funniest women alive, and I look forward to reading more books by her. I cherish my own "red hats" (though we haven't been together since the crack of dawn-- we got together when our children were in school together. Just because they went off to different high schools, no reason for us moms to separate.)

Anyhow, thanks for an enjoyable read, and a glimpse into a world surprisingly familiar and foreign all at once. I got this copy of the book autographed by the author: "For the Bookcrossers: May this [book] have a happy journey! It will be given as a door prixe at our April Convention.

[Cheryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

Abandoning this. I really can't relate to these women. The book is just not for me.

[G · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are closer to 60 and 40, white, female and from the South, you will definitely be able to relate to The Red Hat Club by Haywood Smith. Told from the point of view of one of the members of the Red Hat Club the book bounces back and forth from the ‘60s where the members where all high school girls and members of the Mademoiselles. The Mademoiselles, an exclusive, country club group, lived by the rules of the day, while breaking as many as they could get away with. Under cover of exclusivity, the girls lived with their own secrets. Today, 30+ years later the women are still best friends and hold each other’s secrets closely. When they discover that one of their husbands has a cutie on the side, they go into action to protect their friend from total ruin. They discover secrets about the husband and themselves while having fun and dealing with loss.
This is uplifting for women in that stage where you feel that life has passed you by, and a fun read for all. It is an interesting look at how society has changed from the 60s to today, even if you did not grow up in the south.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It's a great story of Mademoiselles who have shared many of life's journeys and stayed tight-knit through it all. The characters are engaging, and as completely different as they are from myself, I found them highly relatable. I found myself applauding their strengths, sharing their sorrows, and my head-voice read with a consistent southern accent the entire time :) Lol I look forward to reading another of Haywood Smith's books!

[eileen griffin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is light and funny and a great read for a long plane ride!

[Marilyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the book. It's about 50 something women that began their friendship in high school-

[Kym · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprised at every turn! I wasn’t expecting half of the things in this book to happen but omg am I glad they did!

[Antof9 · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was disappointing and I wish I hadn’t bothered. There were some sweet things about friendship, but honestly I couldn’t decide if the author was saying “we used to be racist jerks,” or “we still are,” and that makes me not want to give this to anyone.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author makes a point of disassociating the title from the Red Hat Society, probably at the insistence of that organisation. The story is that of six girls, all members of a sorority that shouldn't exist, and vowed to be friends forever. Some are part of Atlanta society, some are middle class and some are just barely there but they all are prepared to defend each other. The book jumps back and forth between their early days and the present but there is never any difficulty with the jump and each time you learn more about the ties that bind them. Susu (Susan) is the sexpot of the crowd, divorced and trying desperately to trap her ex in Georgia where she can have him served with court papers to obtain the money he owes her, one has an arrangement with her husband that she will live in their home provided he never hits her again, one realises her husband has lifted money from their retirement investments, one has disappeared years before, one is very happily married and one thinks what she has isn't thrilling but will do. The development of each of these story lines is quite enthralling and I thoroughly enjoyed the book, especially as the author puts in translations of southernisms we might misunderstand so I now know what sugarbabies are. The only problem the author has is a difficulty with getting people out of difficult holes and she takes the nearest easy way, including coincidences such as having the bus station ticket agent having a chef husband who can cook the fish for them and the ease with which many difficulties melt when faced with lots of money. Definitely chick lit, though.

[Donna McCaul Thibodeau · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe it's because I've read so many books about female friends in Southern towns lately but I just couldn't get into this book. The plot plodded along and none of the characters really grabbed me. I gave up after 136 pages. DNF.

[Janet R. Cox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Childhood friends forever. Loved the characters and the story.

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is laugh out loud funny, pretty much from start to finish. A group of women, friends since their initiation into an exclusive group called "The Mademoiselles" in high school, offer each other unconditional support and love, as well as a healthy dose of undercover work getting the goods on one of their cheating husbands. I love all of them!

[♥Jessica, ♥Lady of the Library♥ · Rating 1 out of 5]

Blatant racism and misogyny. Written by a privileged white person, here are some points made in the book:

-USA isn't the same now that people of different race and color have begun living here. It's not like home anymore, and the charm of the country is now gone

-Women who live at home and take care of the children without having jobs are the best kind. The rare species of actually decent females. If you're a woman with a job? Gross. That's a man's job.

-Russian people are crazy. Every single one of them. They're all whack-jobs.

This whole book seems like something a conservative redneck would say and it literally disgusted me. Do NOT read this!!

My reaction to this whole book:

[Kathy McC · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have a lot of books gathering dust while waiting to be read. A recent snowday let me sort through them. This was one of that was waiting patiently. It has an endearing storyline for those readers old enough to be in a red hat club. It is the story of a group of friends who have been there for each other since high school. The characters are wonderfully "real". In another link to nostalgia, it almost reads like an old Nancy Drew novel. It didn't require a lot of brain power to read, but was certainly an enjoyable read.
My favorite line, "Looking back though, I realize that the bandmembers were probably happier and better adjustesd than the in-crown ever was."

[Kristi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recently went to the library looking for a book by another author with the last name of Smith. I saw this title and was pretty sure I read it. I opened up the first page, started reading, and knew I had most definitely read it. That's all it took was a few lines on the front page to remember the story. That means, for me, it was a great read.

I can't do justice telling you the synopsis of the story, but I can tell you it was funny! These women are an inspiration (at least to me). I can only hope I have such terrific friends, and such a wonderful spirit when I'm at the "Red Hat age". If my life has 1/2 the adventures they do, I'll be thrilled with life.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love stories involving lifelong friendships like these. That's one of the reason's why Divine Secrets of the Ya-ya Sisterhood will always be one of my favorite movies. I absolutely LOVED the 12 Traditions (or rules) of the Red Hats. The story itself was just okay - but I would have liked for it to have had more depth. I guess because it is supposed to be such a "feel good" story, it was kept pretty light- but I know that these types of sisterhood bonds are forged from going through emotional highs and lows with one another, personal tragedies and triumphs, secrets and scandals, and this story barely scratched the surface of that.

[Bibliophilic Word Nerd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though it took me a few chapters to really invest in these women, once I did, I was hooked. The author drew each woman clearly, each with their own distinct voice and personality. The skipping backwards in time to tell each woman's story, then back to the 'now' was done seamlessly. It wasn't jarring at all as so many are.

The friendship, the strength of their unwavering support of each other, was beautifully drawn. Through decades of drama and of little spats and misunderstandings, that one thing never changed. What a heartwarming, fun, and wonderful read.

Though I stop short of five stars - very few books are perfect - I highly recommend this book.

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know how I missed this book when it came out. The book was both charming and delightful. I seem to have a weakness for reading books about strong, southern women and their friendships. I am not myself from the South, but I have always envied their steely strenth beneath polished, proper manners. This book is not just about friendships but the life choices that we make. More than than, it is about the life choices that are always available to us. I enjoyed the ladies in this book so very much...I can't wait to read more books by this author. Well done!

[Themoffettfamily]

Hilarious! Written by a late 60's Atlanta Northside High School graduate, this book doesn't have much to do with the Red Hat Club Society but they do meet regularly at the Swan Coach House for lunch and catch up on their lives. It's more like a Ya-Ya Sisterhood group that will make you crack up when they investigate one husband's infidelity. There's more hilarity so I won't give it away. Great beach read!!!

[Mirah W · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're looking for a literary masterpiece, this is not the book for you. If you're looking for a laugh-out-loud read where you can recognize some traits of yourself and your girlfriends, this is the book for you. The Southern drawl was pretty spot-on and so was the quirkiness that's stereotypicaly Southern, but it's done with good humor. A fun piece of fiction worth packing into your beach bag.

[Norma · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book quite a while ago and loved it! I really enjoy reading books about the south, no matter what decade. The bond between these ladies is so strong, true to life and their escapades are hilarious. I think I'm one of Haywood Smith's biggest fan. I look forward to each and every one of her books. Thank yo Haywood for allowing me to escape into the wonderful world of your creative mind.

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up when I saw a more recent book by Smith on the New Books shelf. She has a lively story-telling style, alternating between stories of when the five ladies met in high school and current events. The narrator is a bit histrionic ("all hell broke loose," etc.), and do 50-year-old Southern women really use words like "twat"? A bit forced at times, but a nice look at a group of women who've spent 30 years avoiding acting like mean girls.

[Pamela Ungashick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a lot of fun to read especially if you're around 50 years old. You can relate to the long-lasting friendships, hardships, relationships and in the end, feel inspired about what possibilities are ahead. I had great fun reading this book and enjoyed the character development. Good fictin.

[Angie Butler · Rating 4 out of 5]

A friend of mine found this at Goodwill. What a great find.I loved this book. If you are forty and over you will like it.It is about a group of southern women who have been friends their whole lives. And now are reaching that wonderful middle age part of life. If you liked The Help then you will also enjoy this one.

[Patricia Solla · Rating 3 out of 5]

An odd but interesting story about friends who come from different lifestyles meeting as red hatters. Their lives are changing as they approach middle age. I like the background information of how they came to know each other. The ending is a little odd but it's a to be continued story so I guess reading the next book would be in order.

[Stefanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

SO FUN!! This was a terrific book about 5 fabulous Southern women. I read this along with my 4 best friends as part of our book club and every single page of this book made me think of them. There is a little bit of each one of us in each one of them.

[Tara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fun read- very different from most novels I read. Set in Atlanta and flashbacks to the 60's, I loved the different culture that is Southern ladies. Seeing as how this is about a bunch of women in their 60s, I didn't have a ton in common with them, but more than I expected!

[Hilary · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think Haywood Smith originally wrote a Southern Chick Lit novel about a group of friends called the Mademoiselles, but her editor said, "Change the group to Red Hats, and it'll sell, Haywood." So the thinly disguised Mademoiselles morphed into (nominal) Red Hats...

[Claire Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

On the same shelf as Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood!What women friends can do for each other!!! The ending was stupendous... maybe even too much. I loved the party at the end. A woman's idea of how men should behave and treat a woman! Can't wait to read the sequel...

[Phyllis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this for a vaation book and was actually surprised at want a fun story teller Hollywood Smith turned out to be. I love a book that makes me laugh/giggle and this one did. I'm sure others may disagree and say it's silly but I enjoyed it.