Ladies in Low Places Reviews
Kirkus Reviews
“…(A) healthy dose of Southern humor and style…told with a fresh, sensitive voice likely to appeal to readers who appreciate Southern culture in all its myriad forms. Read more…
Chanticleer Reviews
Mary Ann Henry’s debut short story collection, Ladies in Low Places, paints a vivid portrait of multiple generations of Southern women examining where they fit in with today’s rapidly changing world. Deeply imbued with a sense of place, most of the stories in this captivating collection are set in or around Charleston, South Carolina, a city where the past bleeds dramatically into the present. Read more…
Blue Ink Review
All of the stories are told with warmth, humor, and insight into human nature. They may take place in a specific locale, but the themes are universal. Like the call of the Lowcountry, readers will find themselves wanting to return to these pages again and again. Read more…
Amazon Reviews
THE WORLD NEEDS MORE GUTSY FEMALE CHARACTERS…it’s the author’s ability to weave authentic women’s stories together in a way that makes me examine my own life that made many of these stories stay with me. ~ Darla Blue
WOULD BE HARD TO PICK MY FAVORITE…Ms. Henry’s ability to develop these different characters and bring them to life as though they were telling their own stories makes for one fine story-teller. Thank you, as one Southern woman to another, for this most delightful book about women. ~ J LeBlanc
FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO LAUGH, LOVE, AND LEARN ABOUT THE SINS OF THE SOUTH…Henry’s descriptions of the Lowcountry put you there smack dab in the middle of the muck. You can smell the stink of the pluff mud, feel the pull of the moon on your toes at ocean’s high tide, lick the salt from your lips after a walk along the beach…these stories are sassy and much more than satisfying. ~ Shannon Cavanaugh
Goodreads Reviews
LADIES IN LOW PLACES IS A MUST READ…I was so inspired. by every story. Within each, there was charm and humor. ~ Emily Louise Tomlinson
THE SETTING AND NARRATIVE IN LADIES IN LOW PLACES ARE DELICIOUS…funny, witty, frank and whimsical. ~ Lauren G.
NOT TO BE MISSED, this little book is full of surprise endings and delightfully amusing, and interesting characters. ~ Gail Hecky
Mary Ann,
I won’t pretend to be an expert in anything written, but for what it is worth, I loved reading about your Lowcountry women. Their struggles, victories, and growth are universal, but the context with which these life challenges are given are entertaining and relatable. I would love to keep reading about Keely and her adventures, as well as the housewives (I’m eagerly awaiting your next book!!). I think it’s hard for women to read about some of the focuses of your stories (loneliness, independence, fulfillment being a few) because these are fears we all share. The way you turned these fears into something women can take ownership of, and then live up to their potentials (or begin the steps to do so) is something I truly admire and appreciate.
The Lowcountry is one of those places where people go to find themselves. Your characters become stronger after the challenges they face, and the way you describe the character of the southern environment itself makes me want to spend my entire life there. My mother always said that salt water can heal any wound, and, despite being from away, I think the Lowcountry has that ability too.
Thank you for these awesome stories, I can’t wait to read more!
Fair winds and following seas,
Lindsay
Hello Lindsay, Thank you for your wonderful review of Ladies in Low Places. It does my heart good to know that it touched a reader in this way. It’s exactly what I was hoping when I wrote it. I was at a point when I decided that what my soul needed in my reading AND my writing was a little less edgy and a lot more uplifting. But, then, of course, I had to make my female protagonists real, aka ‘saucy’ or ‘sassy’, take your pick! As for the Lowcountry, its character permeates the stories because, when one lives in this beautiful part of the world, it permeates every aspect of one’s life. Thank you for that great line about it being “one of those places where people go to find themselves”. I hope you won’t mind if I quote you? Mary Ann