Magnolia Wednesdays by Wendy Wax

ISBN-13: 9780425232354
Publisher: Penguin Group
Published: March 2010
448 pgs
Source: Joan Schulhafer Publishing & Media Consulting

I totally enjoyed reading Wendy Wax's previous novel, The Accidental Bestseller so when the publicist asked if I wanted to review her latest release, Magnolia Wednesdays, I said yes without hesitation.

While The Accidental Bestseller tells the story of a writer's life, this time around Magnolia Wednesdays allows readers to get a glimpse of the life of a journalist and I have to say I totally loved the setting as I have always been intrigued by this profession (and not to mention I am in awe of journalists who would go to great lengths to cover a story).

In this story, Vivien Armstrong is just one of them but it seems she ran out of luck one day when she got shot in the butt while investigating a story. To add up the humiliation, a video showing her getting shot is being circulated on the net and all of a sudden she became the news. Her employer is definitely not impressed by the way she works, and decided she should take a break. Vivien would not allow someone younger to take over her job, so she quits.

She decided to move in with her sister Melanie in suburban Atlanta, thinking this would be a good opportunity to spend more time with Melanie and her family, after all she has been neglecting them; it is also at that time she realised she is pregnant at age forty. She decided not to let anyone knew about her pregnancy, not even her boyfriend since he is a correspondent and he is always travelling. Vivien later found a job in writing columns for a weekly magazine but under the pseudonym of Scarlett Leigh, as she writes about her observations living in the neighbourhood in suburban Atlanta. After staying there for a while she began to see things differently while she search for her own happiness.

Magnolia Wednesdays is basically a story about family, secrets and life in general. One of the things I liked about this story is reading about the changes in Vivien, right from the beginning of her life being an ambitious journalist to being a woman who has a strong liking to her family and the simple things surrounding her. Besides Vivien, there is also a sub-story about Ruth and Angela; both women living in suburban Atlanta and are also friends of Melanie.

As much as I enjoyed reading Magnolia Wednesdays, I would have to say I'd prefer The Accidental Bestseller more partly there are more interactions between the three protagonists comparing to this, as it seems to focus more on Vivien. I understand this is simply a different approach by the author on the plot and style so I do not really have an issue with it and is simply my own preference. Nevertheless, Magnolia Wednesdays is a heartwarming story and if you love a good Southern women's fiction, this book is for you.

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