Review: Before the Daisies Grow by Micki Street
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 21, 2012
Before the Daisies Grow is one of those fun little British comedic novels that somehow crosses the American television series Golden Girls with the English Absolutely Fabulous and pulls it off brilliantly.Needing a little fun and adventure in their lives our trio of forward thinking but slightly naive 60 something ladies decide Africa is just the place for them. The idea of doing something totally different and unexpected before they are pushing up daisies appeals to even the most reluctant of the ladies.Dotty, Wilma and Nora are ripe for romance and fun, but not overly good with the details or the risks. With the cost of such an adventure a strain on all of the ladies pocketbooks they decide an invitation to visit the home of an interesting and slightly mysterious man is just the ticket they need. Little do they know they are falling into a trap set by a local drug lord. In fact, they don't even know they have essentially been kidnapped and are being held for ransom. By the time the ladies are aware of the dangerous position they are in, getting out becomes an adventure in itself.Unfortunately, they are not really sure who the bad guys are, and the mistakes they make along the way make for a fun and slightly Keystone Kopish romp through places only the brave dare go.These ladies are not your usual grannies, if the old style granny even exists anymore. They are snappy, quirky and full of pizzazz. Not willing to sit in a corner and knit they will make you laugh until tears form in your eyes. Life doesn't begin at forty, it is just getting started at sixty.This novel is very well written and edited. There are no plot holes and everything is very well tied up by the end. The dialogue is crisp, moves the story well and doesn't pull any punches. With these ladies what you see is not necessarily what you get. They will surprize and intrigue the reader.  The novel left this reader hoping this is just the first in the series and that we will be enjoying more from our trio of mishap prone sluthes in future.Karen Bryant Doering,Parents' Little Black Book