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Summary: Watch Out for the Larksdale Ladies
Review: In 1983, it came to the attention of the Mostly Methodist Club, a group of eight mostly middle-aged, married Larksdale, Minnesota women that it was time to take charge of their lives. Between pensions, social security and meager savings, these ladies were looking at a pretty miserable retirement and old age. So with a little research and self teaching, they organized themselves into the Larksdale Ladies Independence Club (LLIC), put up $1500 each and carefully and cautiously began investing. But, when their youngest member, Skye, befriends a computer geek who tells her all about this amazing Seattle software company that is going to revolutionize the whole industry, they decide to buy Microsoft on opening day and the rest, as they say, is history. By 1986, the LLIC had over 1 million in their account and things were really beginning to take off for everyone..... Cynthia Hartwick has written a delightful and entertaining novel that pulls you into the story from page one and doesn't let you go until the very satisfying end of the novel. Her fast paced plot is full of great, witty writing and vivid scenes. But it's her strong, endearing and unique characters that make this novel stand out and you'll find yourself rooting for these mid-western ladies to the end as they take control of not just their financial lives, but their entire lives and make all their dreams come true. Told with insight, wisdom and laugh-out-loud humor, Ladies With Options is a winner.
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Summary: A Cheer-Up, Feel-Good Money Comedy!
Review: In early-'80s Minnesota, some small-town women decide they're tired of living life on the margins, so they start BUYING on margin'stocks, that is. Thanks to their pink-haired tech guru, Skye Terrell, they latch onto winners like Dell and Microsoft'and boy, do they get rich.Getting rich means the chance to turn the tables on all the bosses, neighbors and family who've dissed them over the years. But it also means the chance to rise above the way they've been treated, and much of the fun comes in the inventive ways the Larksdale Ladies deal with treacherous boyfriends, crooked accountants, envious husbands and, finally, the rust belt threat to their whole way of life. One of the cable networks, naming LADIES to its summer's-best reading list, called it "Bridget Jones meets the Beardstown Ladies" and that sounds pretty fair. The plot's a comic romp like an old-time screwball comedy; but the narrator, a newly-minted lawyer named Sophia Peters, has a hip, modern way of laughing at the whole world, herself included. The result is admittedly pretty light stuff (with heart), but also a very upbeat, jolly read. Perfect for chasing the summer'or winter'blues. I loved it!
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Summary: The Ladies deliver!
Review: Ladies with options is a hoot. Hartwick has created a delightful group of women, each with her own particular foibles, but who, together, make a team that accomplishes miracles. Set in a fictional small town in Minnesota,life in the Upper Midwest is described by the narrator who provides a wry, urban perspective while revealing that she, too, has her needs and dreams. Rest assured, everything works out in the end in a most satisfying fashion, but on the way we are treated to ups and downs ranging from the merely comic to the hilarious. Hartwick also peppers the narrative with a menagerie of witticisms, including a few puns that are real groaners. Suffice it to say that the book carries you from page to page, from chapter to chapter and delivers the goods all the way to the end. We want more from Cynthia!
Rating:
Summary: Delightful and charming
Review: Mix together a group of timid housewives and librarians, middle-aged and older, who live in a town in Minnesota that barely makes it on to the map, add some serious concern about their financial futures and see where the story leads. If you're lucky, you'll end up with LADIES WITH OPTIONS, one of the most charming books in decades. When one of the librarians, rather belatedly, realizes that her pension barely will be enough for her to survive on, the other members of her "Mostly Methodist" club decide that they all must take action to secure their financial futures. Though they're babes in the investment woods, they rally quite nicely with their first small investment. One thing leads to another and...well, read the book. In the course of their marvelous adventures, the reader learns, almost as asides, the details of the characters' private lives and personalities. The reader also learns about the fine morality and strong values that make the Midwest the heart of the American nation. Cynthia Hartwick has authored an endearing book which is touching and funny as well. All in all, LADIES WITH OPTIONS is a wonderful read.
Rating: 
Summary: A Quick and Humorous Read
Review: Once I cracked open the cover, I couldn't put it down or wait to get back to where I left off. Great character builds and "real-life" drama packed into a feel good story about a group of women who choose to take charge of their own lives and those around them.
Rating:
Summary: A Fun Read
Review: Reading about the exploits of the Larksdale Ladies Independence Club and their rise from being a simple ladies investment group to a wily pack of corporate raiders was a lot of fun. There was a great deal of humor in the book with plenty to learn about each of the many characters. Its a quick and easy read but well worth the effort.
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Summary: You Go Girl!
Review: Set in the 80's this book puts you right back there like it was yesterday, yet its message is timely for today and beyond. Ladies With Options is funny and fun; a story delightfully told peppered with real life drama and candid perspective to make this a truly enjoyable and captivating read for women and men of any age. The characters are all people I know! Each as plain and uniquely colorful as you and I. What makes the book a difficult-to-put-down MUST READ is the author's wonderful wit and considerate pen. You Go Girl!
Rating: 
Summary: Fun, but you don't forget it is fiction....
Review: The ladies are fun, but a little old from my perspective (I am 23). I had a little trouble relating because of this. Also, as someone else wrote, it is difficult to believe that the same people are continually in the right place at the right time. When I read fiction I like to think that the story could take place somewhere, but in this case I just couldn't imagine it. It's good if you can read fast, but if you're slower like me it drags on way too long.
Rating:
Summary: Fun, but you don't forget it is fiction....
Review: The ladies are fun, but a little old from my perspective (I am 23). I had a little trouble relating because of this. Also, as someone else wrote, it is difficult to believe that the same people are continually in the right place at the right time. When I read fiction I like to think that the story could take place somewhere, but in this case I just couldn't imagine it. It's good if you can read fast, but if you're slower like me it drags on way too long.
Rating:
Summary: A Must Read!
Review: The narrator's sense of humor had me laughing out loud from the beginning. Once I started the book, I hated to put in down! Anyone who has lived in a small town will recognize each of the characters. For a first book, Ms. Hartwick has a winner. As the characters developed their stories were not all laughs, but this group gave me inspiration to try to form my own investment group. Even though this story is fiction, it gives you the feeling that anything is possible for women who are willing to pursue their dream!
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