Review: THE ADVENTURE OF A LIFETIME!!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 03 28, 2012
Bursts of laughter punctuated the quiet of our household as I devoured chapter after chapter of this hilarious book into the wee hours of the morning. It takes a lot to get a really good laugh out of me, but author Jeff Lee did it with ease!Meet Jack Thibideau, the boyfriend who meets his demise early on in the book. Jack hates large women, mousy women, cops, game show hosts, most teachers, actors, professionals, guys who make more than him, guys who make less than him, and a whole bunch of other things. Now let me introduce you to the Ladies Temperance Club members. There's Vonda, Jack's girlfriend, who considers herself a leader in fashion - though her friends might not completely agree with this; Kay, Vonda's closest friend for more years than she cares to remember; and Francine - a large, honest woman who lives life to the fullest and don't give a heck about what anybody thinks. They love their wine, they love each other, but they're not too fond of Jack.Ingeniously written, with plenty of wit, side-splitting humor and double entendres, the journey these three extraordinary women undertake, isn't only about burying a body in the desert, but also explores how far the best of friends will go for each other. Trust me, when you're in a bit of a pickle, like oh....bludgeoning your abusive, cheating scum of a man to death, these are the ladies you'll want on your side. And they're a riot to boot!If the blurb didn't get you rushing out to your nearest bookstore or over to Amazon to get your hands on this gem of a book, then most likely nothing will. But here's an excerpt which I hope would convince you:Of course she felt bad about what happened; few people on the planet actually deserved to be done in by another, and there were miles of difference between Jack's simple, larcenous no-goodnikness and, say, Hitler, Saddam Hussein or your everyday, run-of-the-mill corporate raider.But looking at it in the light of a new morning, Vonda managed to convince herself that physically removing Jack Thibideau from the census rolls was really an act of self-defense.Because after living with that bitter, abusive, impotent, alcoholic and thieving bastard for twenty years, it was really a case of kill or be killed. If Vonda hadn't exercised a little extreme prejudice on Jack, she would have had to do herself in, to finally be free of his special brand of long-term charm, goodness and warmth.And like those old Highway Safety public service commercials used to say, "The life you save may be your own."Admittedly, the title of the book didn't grab me and if I hadn't read the blurb, I probably would've given it a miss. But by the end of the book, it felt as though I've been on one heck of an adventure with some of the most stunningly real characters - no wait, make those `friends' - I've ever only come across in few other books. We're talking supreme entertainment here."The Ladies Temperance Club's Farewell Tour" exceeded my highest expectations and therefore I enthusiastically recommend it with a richly-deserved 5 stars!