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The Lolly-Madonna War
It is one of the books written before Sue Grafton began the "Alphabet" series.
It is a story of two feuding families, and how their love of violence impacts the lives of those in their family and around them.
It is a story of two feuding families, and how their love of violence impacts the lives of those in their family and around them.
- GenresFiction
159 pages
Published January 1, 1973
About the author
Sue Grafton
185 books6,653 followersSue Grafton was a #1 New York Times bestselling author. She is best known for her “alphabet series” featuring private investigator Kinsey Millhone in the fictional city of Santa Teresa, California. Prior to success with this series, she wrote screenplays for television movies. Her earlier novels include Keziah Dane (1967) and The Lolly-Madonna War (1969), both out of print. In the book Kinsey and Me she gave us stories that revealed Kinsey's origins and Sue's past.
Grafton never wanted her novels to be turned into movies or TV shows. According to her family she would never allow a ghost writer to write in her name. Because of these things, and out of respect for Sue’s wishes, the family announced the alphabet now ends at “Y”
Grafton was named a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America and received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Private Eye Writers of America, the Ross Macdonald Literary Award, three Shamus Awards, and many other honors and awards.
Grafton had three children from previous marriages and several grandchildren, including a granddaughter named Kinsey. She and her husband lived in Montecito, California, and Louisville, Kentucky.
Grafton never wanted her novels to be turned into movies or TV shows. According to her family she would never allow a ghost writer to write in her name. Because of these things, and out of respect for Sue’s wishes, the family announced the alphabet now ends at “Y”
Grafton was named a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America and received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Private Eye Writers of America, the Ross Macdonald Literary Award, three Shamus Awards, and many other honors and awards.
Grafton had three children from previous marriages and several grandchildren, including a granddaughter named Kinsey. She and her husband lived in Montecito, California, and Louisville, Kentucky.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
May 22, 2019
BOTTOM-LINE:
There's a reason this is out of print
.
PLOT OR PREMISE:
I loved Sue Grafton's Kinsey Millhone series, and since I'm a bit of a "completist", once I like an author's books, I try to read everything by them. Although it was made into a movie, the book has been long out of print. Which made no real sense…how could a book written by an author as prolific and popular as Sue Grafton, and that was made into a movie, not be available ANYWHERE? Now that I've read it, I can see why. Like Keziah Dane, one of her earlier books, the characters are dirt poor backwoods families. Isolated from town, this story takes place entirely on the properties between two neighbouring families. If you have ever heard of the old Hatfields and McCoys feud of two warring families, fighting for reasons they no longer remember, you have the Lolly Madonna War.
.
WHAT I LIKED:
The book picks up mid-war with the latest skirmish. The one family, the Gutshalls, has let slip to the other family that there is a girl coming to their house, a girl named Lolly-Madonna who will be a potential mate for one of the sons. Except it is entirely fictitious. Until the second family, the Feathers, sees a girl hiking along the road and decides it must be Lolly-Madonna and therefore kidnap her to get back at the Gutshalls, depriving them of their prize. The girl protests, but to no avail. The war escalates with incursions on each other's territory, shots fired, stills overturned, pigs slaughtered. And a budding romance with the girl.
.
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
The story is incredibly depressing from start to finish. With a giant plot-hole right in the middle…three of the kids are still friendly and talk occasionally, pretending to fight when they need to but not doing any real harm to each other. And when the Feathers tell their Gutshall friend that they have Lolly-Madonna, he doesn't say, "But we made it up". It would have ended the story. Instead, he decides to say nothing, tell his parents, and they get it in their head to say nothing but maybe they should rescue her. Just as an excuse to keep the feud going...if one does something, even in retaliation, the other has to respond. And the ending is beyond depressing, not to mention you don't really "see" the ending, you just turn the page and find out how it all ended.
.
DISCLOSURE:
I received no compensation, not even a free copy, in exchange for this review. I was not personal friends with the author, nor did I follow her on social media.
There's a reason this is out of print
.
PLOT OR PREMISE:
I loved Sue Grafton's Kinsey Millhone series, and since I'm a bit of a "completist", once I like an author's books, I try to read everything by them. Although it was made into a movie, the book has been long out of print. Which made no real sense…how could a book written by an author as prolific and popular as Sue Grafton, and that was made into a movie, not be available ANYWHERE? Now that I've read it, I can see why. Like Keziah Dane, one of her earlier books, the characters are dirt poor backwoods families. Isolated from town, this story takes place entirely on the properties between two neighbouring families. If you have ever heard of the old Hatfields and McCoys feud of two warring families, fighting for reasons they no longer remember, you have the Lolly Madonna War.
.
WHAT I LIKED:
The book picks up mid-war with the latest skirmish. The one family, the Gutshalls, has let slip to the other family that there is a girl coming to their house, a girl named Lolly-Madonna who will be a potential mate for one of the sons. Except it is entirely fictitious. Until the second family, the Feathers, sees a girl hiking along the road and decides it must be Lolly-Madonna and therefore kidnap her to get back at the Gutshalls, depriving them of their prize. The girl protests, but to no avail. The war escalates with incursions on each other's territory, shots fired, stills overturned, pigs slaughtered. And a budding romance with the girl.
.
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
The story is incredibly depressing from start to finish. With a giant plot-hole right in the middle…three of the kids are still friendly and talk occasionally, pretending to fight when they need to but not doing any real harm to each other. And when the Feathers tell their Gutshall friend that they have Lolly-Madonna, he doesn't say, "But we made it up". It would have ended the story. Instead, he decides to say nothing, tell his parents, and they get it in their head to say nothing but maybe they should rescue her. Just as an excuse to keep the feud going...if one does something, even in retaliation, the other has to respond. And the ending is beyond depressing, not to mention you don't really "see" the ending, you just turn the page and find out how it all ended.
.
DISCLOSURE:
I received no compensation, not even a free copy, in exchange for this review. I was not personal friends with the author, nor did I follow her on social media.
August 1, 2026
Hillbillies. So dangerously volatile.
July 6, 2011
I don't know why I had not added this to my books before. This is seriously one of my favorite books and I love the movie as well (although, of course, not as much). If you are a Hatfields and Mccoy's fan you must get a copy of this book. Very hard to find. I got a copy at www.abebooks.com
January 17, 2026
This book was a disappointment for me. I have loved Sue Grafton's Kinsey Millhone series. I had to get this books from my inter-library loan program. The fun part of that was that my library evidently could only get it from The Library of Congress. It was a real treat to be reading a book that rare. But that meant I had to read it in our main library and could not take it home with me. So it took me a while even though the book was not that long. And the story line was not to my liking and at times I had trouble following it. But it was the last of Sue Grafton's books that I had not read and so now I have read her to zero!
In 1973 the novel was adapted into a motion picture.
In 1973 the novel was adapted into a motion picture.
May 4, 2013
Sue Grafton's style is not yet honned, but her insight in human nature is certainly displayed in this book.
These two families, deeply embroiled in feud, demonstrate the inability to demonstrate reason or rational behavior.
I would like to see this book be read by every High school senior in the USA. It is the best treatise I have ever read, as to why violence is not the solution. Or I suppose one could say, "violence" is the ultimate solution.
These two families, deeply embroiled in feud, demonstrate the inability to demonstrate reason or rational behavior.
I would like to see this book be read by every High school senior in the USA. It is the best treatise I have ever read, as to why violence is not the solution. Or I suppose one could say, "violence" is the ultimate solution.
June 7, 2014
This wa a horrifying book. I'm glad she didn't continue with this storyline .
May 21, 2016
Powerful and haunting. Short read but well written.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews