The Chili Queen by Sandra Dallas

-

The Spinster and the Madam

The Chili Queen by Sandra Dallas. Emma is a thirty-something spinster who sets out to marry a man she’s only corresponded with, but never met.  Her brother thinks she’s a twit and minces no words about his opinions of her when he helps Emma board a train to Nalgitas, New Mexico in the late 1800s.  He makes sure she sits next to a respectable woman during the train ride to keep his naïve sister safe.  That woman, however, ain’t no lady. She’s Addie French, a madam at a brothel called The Chili Queen.  When Emma reaches Nalgitas, instead of her dream man waiting for her, she discovers a note calling the whole thing off.  Poor Emma can’t return to her brother with the bad attitude. She does the only thing she can think of and sets off to find Addie at The Chili Queen, which she thinks is a boarding house. Addie agrees to take Emma in and together they develop a plan that involves secrets, deceptions, greed, and justice. 

While I liked The Chili Queen, I have to be honest that one particularly dark part cast a shadow on the entire book.  Granted, there were several dark parts in The Diary of Mattie Spenser, which I loved.  In fact, one scene was very disturbing, but the rest of the book pulled me through it.  However, I have to cry foul regarding the brutal portion in The Chili Queen.  It was unnecessary roughness and seemed out of place in this type of book.  Don’t get me wrong, I still liked it. I still recommend it, just be prepared for a nasty bump in the road.

Of the three Sandra Dallas books I’ve read, I give the following ratings:

The Chili Queen – Good
The Diary of Mattie Spenser – Very Good!
The Persian Pickle Club – The Best!!

Happy Reading,
Annette


Comments

Anonymous said…
Thank you for the review. Now I really want to read it just because of your review. I need to know what happens.
December 15, 2014 at 8:48 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro

-
Image
 Remains of the Day This book immediately struck me as a character study. I didn’t expect much action, and predictably, didn’t get much.  Mostly it was about getting inside a stuffy, dignified butler’s head, listening to his internal dialogue, his thought process, and his many recollections of a thirty-year career, annnnnnnnnnd—I LOVED IT!!  💗 It had such depth and insight that I couldn’t wait to return each day to see what Mr. Stevens would reveal and what the outcome of his quest would be.  I was not disappointed.  In fact, the book stirred me more than I expected.  Yes, those tears fell freely when I wasn’t looking.  It snuck up on me—all of it, all of Mr. Stevens’ days that he shared moved me in some way.   I’m not sure this book is for everyone.  "Boring" is how one friend described it as he politely set it aside. BUT I truly believe if my friend got into his Zen mode and picked it up again, he might—if not quite LOVE it—at least appreciate it.  In my opinion this book
Read more

Liebster Award

-
Image
Ich Liebe the Liebster Award!   In July Marianne from Let’s Read blog nominated me for the Liebster Award , an award given to smaller blogs.   I was extremely honored, especially coming from Marianne, whose book review blog I just love.   My beautiful mother passed away at the time Marianne nominated me, and although I already had posts scheduled in advanced, I wasn’t in the mood to do much, even the simple rules of the award below…until now.   Rules for the award: 1.    Thank the amazing blogger who nominated you.  (check) 2.    Answer the 11 questions the nominator provided (answer on your blog.) (check, see below) 3.    Nominate 11 other bloggers who have less than 200 followers. 4.    Post 11 different questions for your nominees to answer on their blogs. (check, see below) 5.    Contact your nominees to let them know that you've nominated them.  (check) Unfortunately, I really got hung up on #3 (Nominate 11 other bloggers who have less than 200 fol
Read more

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

-
Image
  You Go, Girl! Pure love—that’s what I felt about this book!  It’s smart, witty, and emboldening! I don’t know how many countless times I cheered or chuckled.   A female chemist struggles to rise above the chauvinistic male domination of the 1960s and live life on her terms despite ingrained oppression of women.  Hooray for this feminist heroine who points out that just because women’s bodies are smaller than men's doesn’t mean their brains are!   I fell in love with brilliant Elizabeth and her support system:  her impressively  smart daughter Mad; her straightforward neighbor Harriet; her kind-hearted producer Walter, the irreverent Reverend Wakely; and her obstetrician/rower Dr. Mason. Oh, and let’s not forget Six-Thirty, her beloved dog!   I would definitely be one of Elizabeth’s devoted fans of her show,  Supper at Six !  If my kids were still at home, I’d mimic Elizabeth and tell them, “Children, set the table. Your mother needs a moment to herself.” (Even though I’m not the
Read more