Product Description

Phoebe DeThomas has lived life as spectator, confined to a wheelchair, in awe of her beloved Aunt Sadie, and overshadowed by her financial wizard brother, James. But when Sadie dies, leaving Phoebe a flower farm, the world opens up to her in ways she could never have imagined. Taking in three roommates to help get the farm running, she finds herself, for the first time in her life, part of a close circle of women friends. Each displaced from her home, these four women form an invaluable bond as they learn how friendship and purpose can transform even the most compromised of women.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #279586 in Books
• Published on: 2002-04-02
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 384 pages

From Publishers Weekly
The bestselling author of such hits as Hank & Chloe and Blue Rodeo launches a trilogy with this sentimental novel of communal life and reinvented family, centering on four women who come together, tending to each other and healing old wounds. Phoebe DeThomas has lived carefully all her life. Thirty-eight years old and in a wheelchair because of a bad heart, she's always felt dwarfed by her flamboyant aunt Sadie and her successful brother James. Now Sadie has died, bequeathing her a flower farm on California's Central Coast. In order to make a go of it, Phoebe takes in three women as boarder/farmhands. Each of the three is "homeless," having recently undergone traumatic life changes: Ness, a black cowgirl with a horse and a secret fear that she has AIDS, has lost her job; Nance, a down-on-her-luck Southern belle, has broken up with her boyfriend; and Beryl, a former kindergarten aide with a prison record, has been evicted from her apartment. All have families that are less than perfect and, living under the same roof, they soon become like blood relatives as they share their secrets and learn to trust again. Mapson combines poignancy with the good-natured banter of girlfriends in her tale of women in transition, waiting to be reborn. Short on conflict but long on comfort and characterization, this is neither the author's best nor her deepest work. Still, there are enough of the quiet charms that fans have come to expect for them to tune into the second installment when it is released. Agent, Deborah Schneider. 50,000 first printing; BOMC, Literary Guild and Doubleday Book Club alternate selection; 13-city author tour.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Adult/High School-When her aunt dies, Phoebe DeThomas finds herself the owner of a 40-acre flower farm, complete with debts and only one farmhand. Having to deal with her bad heart, her life in a wheelchair, and the financial problems brought on by the inheritance, she takes in three boarders who assist in running the farm. The women form strong bonds that help them all through the joys and heartbreaks of their lives. Phoebe finds love but has to battle pneumonia along with her other problems. Ness, the strong-willed, protective black farrier, discovers that she may be carrying the AIDS virus. Beryl has been in prison for murder, and Nance struggles to recover from her relationship with a boyfriend, even as she falls in love with Phoebe's brother. The setting is a picturesque area along central California's coast, where the weather and environment become major factors in the success or failure of the flower farm. Mapson draws another layer of interest with the detailed storytelling that deals with the naming of Bad Girl Creek. This helps define the physical geography as well as the people who live there. A contemporary story with a realistic perspective and a positive ending, this book should appeal to readers who have enjoyed Barbara Kingsolver's work.

Pam Johnson, Fairfax County Public Library, VA

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Phoebe DeThomas's beloved Aunt Sadie dies and leaves her a 40-acre flower farm in California but not the means to maintain it. Through sheer ingenuity, physically disabled Phoebe secures three animal-loving roommates to help her work the land and save her inheritance. That the women become such devoted friends so quickly stretches credulity. Almost immediately, they become deeply entangled in one another's troubles, dealing with such life-and-death issues as AIDS, prison, and serious repercussions from childhood illnesses. Wonderful men arrive on the scene and rescue them all, reminding the reader of vintage Hollywood. Well-drawn settings and interesting characters aren't enough to rank this among Mapson's (The Wilder Sisters, Blue Rodeo) best. A pleasant diversion and the first of a proposed trilogy. Purchase to meet demand.
- Bettie Alston Shea, formerly with Charlotte & Mecklenburg Cty. P.L., NC
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

Chocolate & Kleenex at Bad Girl Creek
Who wouldn't want to spend time with the ladies of Bad Girl Creek? Prerequisites to being a part of the Bad Girl phenomenon is to have a great pet; an open mind; a sense of humor; a desire to work hard, and a willingness to open your heart. Ms. Mapson's "girls" have all of those things and more!

Phoebe is the driving "wheel" of the group. She has inherited her favorite Aunt Sadie's flower farm. It is in dire need of money as well as able hands and strong backs to make it go. How to do that without selling out to her brother Stinky? Run an ad in the town newspaper, looking for women who will help her run the farm, in return, they may have room and board for themselves and their pets.

As Phoebe welcomes Ness, Nance, and Beryl into her home, each of them brings along their loving pet. They also bring their fears, hopes, dreams and friendship. Unbreakable bonds form among them; they complete and compliment one another. The ladies of Bad Girl Creek have things in common, but each is an individual and strong woman in her own right.

The men in this story are also well defined. We come to know each of them and understand them as we do the women they love. Juan who's only desire is to please Phoebe; James a/k/a Stinky, who realizes that sometimes money isn't everything; the self-centered newspaperman; David with his money and his horses, and the best surprise of all for me - "Buckethead".

Grab a glass of wine, or a cup of tea. Wrap up in an afghan and cuddle up with your favorite pet. Open this book and enjoy an afternoon or evening with the Girls of Bad Creek. Oh yes, don't forget the chocolate and Kleenex too!!

Journey To Bad Girl Creek
This book invites you in from the 1st page and doesn't even let go with the last page! I am thrilled that this is going to be a triology. It was too good a journey not to continue. The book starts out with the reading of Pheobe's Aunt Sadie's will. Phoebe has spent her life in a wheelchair just trying to make herself be seen for what she is. A person. And with this will it begins to give Phoebe life. A flower farm is left to Phoebe and she must decide what to do with it and how to make it work to keep it out of her money scheming brother's hands. Phoebe takes in 3 roommates and the story is about how these four women come together, overcome their pasts and insecurities and learn to live for themselves. The wit and the charm of this novel, along with the wonderful animal characters that are also very much a part of this book, make this a fantastic read from beginning to end. Can't wait to read the second in the trilogy.

Not Bad Girls
This is the first Jo-Ann Mapson book I've read but I'll be looking for more. I love the way she told the story. She takes 4 women from different walks of life and makes them roommates. They learn to share their grief and joys, their fears and successes. They go from not trusting anyone to learning they can trust and depend on each other. They learn to take the risk to love again. They have 3 wonderful pets that help them learn these things.These are the kind of friends we all need to have and need to be, the kind that loves and accepts you just the way you are.