The Cherry Cola Book Club is an ode to libraries. Maura Beth, the 28-year-old director of the Cherico, Mississippi library is in a battle-to-the-death with Councilman Durden Sparks. To the death of the library, that is. Councilman Sparks just doesn’t think that there is enough money in next year’s budget to keep the library going (he’s hoping, of course, to put the funds towards building an industrial park). He gives Maura Beth five months to make the Cherico Library an essential part of town life. Inspired by a new resident, Maura Beth starts a book club to discuss classic Southern literature – and eat some good food. Soon the members of the book club become essential in each other’s lives as friends who are always there when needed. Now they just need to convince the town and the Council that the library is just as necessary as good friends.
This is a book I expected to love, but I honestly can’t give it more than a “liked” rating. I never really understood Maura Beth, even though she is who I’ve always wanted to be (a librarian with red hair, that is). The supporting characters were unique and lively in their own ways, but never really felt “alive” or three-dimensional enough. They were too predictable, and I think that sums up my problem with the book as a whole. You know how the book is going to turn out just by reading the back cover. Even the “twists” were predictable to a certain extent.
This isn’t to say that I didn’t like the book. I did enjoy reading it and meeting the members of the Cherry Cola Book Club. But at the end of the day, it just wasn’t filling enough. There wasn’t enough in the story or characters to remain in my mind and heart after I closed the cover for the last time.
But we can’t forget the message of the book, which should be shouted from the rooftops – Save the Libraries!
This is a book I expected to love, but I honestly can’t give it more than a “liked” rating. I never really understood Maura Beth, even though she is who I’ve always wanted to be (a librarian with red hair, that is). The supporting characters were unique and lively in their own ways, but never really felt “alive” or three-dimensional enough. They were too predictable, and I think that sums up my problem with the book as a whole. You know how the book is going to turn out just by reading the back cover. Even the “twists” were predictable to a certain extent.
This isn’t to say that I didn’t like the book. I did enjoy reading it and meeting the members of the Cherry Cola Book Club. But at the end of the day, it just wasn’t filling enough. There wasn’t enough in the story or characters to remain in my mind and heart after I closed the cover for the last time.
But we can’t forget the message of the book, which should be shouted from the rooftops – Save the Libraries!
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