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Jonah Eastman, grandson of a New Jersey mobster, once again finds himself in search of a job and security. He has taken responsibility for several stupid things stated by the President of the United States and has been fired as press secretary. On his last day at the White House, a beautiful, mysterious woman hands him a letter. The letter is from a woman, Claudine Polk, whom Eastman knew as a teenager. Now Claudine needs the type of help that only Eastman can provide. Unsavory people want to take over Claudine’s family plantation and only Jonah with his atypical connections can find a way to make this happen. To this end, he enlists of the aid of strange and unusual friends and acquaintances to save the plantation and redeem himself in Claudine’s eyes. A good portion of this book is told through flashbacks. This book provides details about Jonah’s teenage years as he works with horses, deals with the threat of his grandparents’ mob friends and covers the highs and lows of falling in love. I am not a fan of flashbacks, and while they have their place in the mystery genre, it is possible for too much of the book to be devoted to the past. I understand that using flashbacks is necessary for this story – otherwise Jonah Eastman’s motivation would not make sense – yet I kept waiting for the action to happen and the book to move on. If the majority of the story takes place in the past, then I prefer the book to move chronologically rather than haphazardly. I dislike getting up to the present and the plot to save the plantation, to then be stuck back in the past as Jonah falls in love. I have enjoyed the previous books in the series, but SPINNING DIXIE did not work for me. Some of this is due to the use of flashbacks as discussed above and some of it is due to the writing style. If SPINNING DIXIE had more substance and depth, I would like this book more. I am tired of Jonah Eastman’s personality, as he still has not begun to grow up and his relationships with others leave something to be desired. While lighthearted humor is normally appealing, a talented writer needs to include character development and plot growth in order to remain successful in the market. In addition to Jonah’s lack of personal growth, the use of stereotypes and one-dimensional characters makes the book even more painful to read. Most of the problems I have with SPINNING DIXIE are due to the fact that I have been following the series from the beginning. I think that if SPINNING DIXIE were the first book in the series that I read, I would not notice these flaws or be so frustrated with the lack of growth. If Eric Dezenhall wants to remain fresh, he needs to give more attention to plot development than to humorous dialogue.
Reviewed by Sarah Dudley, February 2007
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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