Pug Sheridan

Rating:
Summary: Entertainment with a dark edge
Review: Set in Alabama in the early 1900s, this novel tells the life story of a young white woman, Sadie Lou Sheridan, who answers only to the nickname "Pug" and who is growing up during the time when the Ku Klux Klan spread fear and hatred throughout the southern portions of America. During her childhood, Pug forms a secret society of friends called the Seven Sisters, a benign, trusting association that is misunderstood and maligned due to the fact that not all the members are white. Pug and her friends fall in love, suffer losses, find out secrets, endure terrible tragedies, and learn how strong women can be in times of terror, grief, and turmoil, especially when caring friends and family support them.

Even though the plot points often seem overly familiar - involving chases through dark woods, missing children, rape, and revenge - overall this is a lovely book that concentrates on revealing what one person most wants from another: "respect, love, and kindness." Of course, sometimes the descriptions of the "bad men" become a bit funny since they are so unmistakably meant to depict the characters' inner evil. For instance, Moose and Mookie Gaither, two of the women's earliest tormentors, wear "long strings of snot," "yellow and caked" on their upper lips. Yet the character of Pug, the style of writing, and the mix of feminism, racism, theology, and mysticism remain extremely engaging. If you are looking for an entertaining read with a dark edge that includes a dash of social consciousness for good measure, this is definitely the book for you. -- by Cheryl Crenshaw for the FEARLESS REVIEWS

Rating:
Summary: Took the book everywhere
Review: As an avid book club member, I read a l o t of books. Some accompany me everywhere, some are easy to leave at home, some even get lost. Pug Sheridan was one of the books that came with me everywhere, in fact I actually didn't want to go anywhere once I'd started reading, I just wanted to stay at home and keep reading, I absolutely had to know what happened to Pug. Sandy Cline does a wonderful job of drawing the reader in - cold chills went up and down my spine, my heart quickened, shivers...the full kinesthetic experience. What a marvelous book. I thoroughly recommend it (however many other "Southern" or "coming-of-age" books you've read, this is different).

Rating:
Summary: Poetic Masterpiece
Review: I loved this book; the author takes you gently by the hand and weaves a story that is beautiful in its' contrasts - I was entranced from the first page and found that I couldn't put it down, especially after the halfway point.

Pug Sheridan reminded me of To Kill a Mockingbird - It would be wonderful if this book becomes required reading in our high schools!

Rating:
Summary: Loved Pug Sheridan
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed reading this first novel from Ms. Cline.
I loved Pug and was touched by her loyalty and spunky character.
Pug is someone you want in your corner, a true friend.
Sandy Cline is a wonderful story teller. She's descriptive,
poetic and engaging to read.
Looking forward to more novels from this gifted writer.


Rating:
Summary: Pug Sheridan
Review: I was completely engulfed, couldn't let go, couldn't put it down. The characters, especially Pug, instantly had my love. This read is unlike others in that it comes alive, through the reader, and the energy of the courageous young woman is tangible. Rarely have I enjoyed a journey so thoroughly. My thanks to the author, she takes you on an adventure you'll not soon forget. You'll love this book and you'll want to share. Where has this author been hiding? A Masterpiece!

Rating:
Summary: Pug Sheridan - A Hero for Our Time
Review: Pug captured my heart on p. 1. She's funny, sassy, bold and determined. I laughed and cried, but above all was inspired by her courage to stand up and fight for what she believed in, to battle the dark forces of prejudice and hatred and bring justice and hope to her loved ones, to her community.

I couldn't help but feel the relevance of Pug Sheridan for our world today, as the same dark, ugly forces threaten to destroy life as we know it. Pug beckons all of us to carry her torch, to make a difference. Though she lived a hundred years ago, Pug emerges as a hero for our time.


Rating:
Summary: Pug Sheridan - A Story for Everyone
Review: Pug is a character with whom you journey and in that process, become something more. I fell in love with Pug: learned from her life experiences, her insights and fought by her side during troubled times.

I closed the last page overflowing with tears of joy - this is a story that celebrates life, its mysteries and its characters who are glorious examples of how to live with courage and with love.

Rating:
Summary: A dramatic, soul-searching story of growing up
Review: Pug Sheridan is author Sandra Cline's debut novel, a work in which she drew upon interviews with more than fifty elderly residents in the area in which her story is set. Set in the rural South of one hundred years ago, Pug Sheridan tells of a young tomboy girl who survives the difficult transition to womanhood, and must struggle against the evil of a resurgent Ku Klux Klan that threatens her family and cherished friends - members of a secret sorority that dares to transcend racial taboos. Yet the darkness in the world around her will force her to put her courage, resourcefulness, and even her willingness to enact violence to the test. A dramatic, soul-searching story of growing up, coming of age, and daring to take a stand.

Rating:
Summary: Girl Power
Review: This book delved into so much within its pages that it is difficult to create a decent summary that would do the entire book justice and cover everything. The story begins very slowly at first, creeping at a pace that aggravated me. However, when I finally realized the author's intent, I was amazed at the wonderful story that emerged. Cline took her time to craft a unique cast of characters that laid the framework for a magnificent tale. I realized that the girls and the boys represented two different factions in the book.

From the Seven Sisters we learn about the struggle for women's rights, how to treat all people as racial equals and how to give complete loving acceptance despite the person creed, race, or circumstance. The young men, on the other hand, taught separateness by race and gender, prejudice against all that were different from them and a deep hatred that could destroy all of them. As the dogma of the two factions clashed in this novel, each of the young women came into her own. Each of their stories, though hard to bear at times, was fascinating. Girl power is indeed a beautiful thing. Sandra Cline is a very gifted storyteller and I am looking to more from this author.

Reviewed by Brenda M. Lisbon
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers


Rating:
Summary: Pug's life
Review: With Sandra Cline's background of growing up in Alabama, her research and her interviews with people who lived there in years gone by, she has been able to write an engaging story about life there 100 years ago. Her descriptive language lets you get a feel of the times, and lets you immerse yourself along with the characters in the book. You become one with Pug in her dealings with the group of Seven Sisters, through the joys and through the sorrows, and with their dealings with the Ku Klux Klan and racial tensions. The story pulls you along from beginning to end.