Feb 2, 2007 3 min read

Canada            289 pages Seen any good parades lately?

With the Thanksgiving parade, the Rose Bowl parade and other assorted such fun for the holidays, you’ve probably seen your share of high school marchers, dancing elves, Santa’s sleighs, and a whole bevy of waving beauties.

So now strike up the band, parade on out yourself and pick up the new novel “The Sweet Potato Queens’ 1st Big… Novel” by Jill Conner Browne (with Karin Gillespie). They say it’s a novel but it might not be.

Jill always knew she was royalty. Back in grade school, she was quite benevolent to her little subjects, including a moon-faced girl named Patsy (whom everybody called Poot because… well, you understand). Patsy once stole Jill’s Valentine Queen crown, but that didn’t stop them from becoming best friends years later in high school.

Mary Bennett was in their clique, too, but mostly because she wanted to be. Well, and partly because that snobby little Marcy Stevens and her friends wouldn’t let Mary Bennett in their group because they thought Mary Bennett was a tramp. She smoked and ran around with no supervision and she slept with all the guys on the football team. Mary Bennett knew how to make things happen, though, and Jill was glad to have her as a friend.

For some reason – and nobody could really remember why – Gerald hung out with the girls. He never really fit in with the other boys; he wasn’t athletic or aggressive and he knew a lot about fashion. Strangely, although he was friends with Jill and Patsy, he was closest to Mary Bennett.

When Tammy was transferred in high school from Killeen, Texas to Jackson, Mississippi, she didn’t know a soul. Tammy’s mother was a maid and because of that, Marcy Stevens wouldn’t let her in the elite circle. Still, Tammy always wanted to live the life of a Queen. Jill, being the best friend anyone could ever have, decided to make that happen.

Through the years, through marriages and divorces, health scares and relationship crises, new jobs and old desires, childbirth and parent death, the Sweet Potato Queens remained strong friends.

Well, mostly so.

Sweeter than candy thrown from a float and more fun than a post-parade party, “The Sweet Potato Queens’ 1st Big… Novel” is the ultimate in girly-girl books and is easier to slip into than a taffeta formal gown. Although the overall plot of this book is a bit predictable, I was charmed by the story itself and the complicated yet close friendships of the characters. Author and Boss Queen of the Sweet Potato Queens Jill Conner Browne says the entire book is “completely made up” and that “none of the characters exist in real life – except a couple of ’em”.

Which ones? Well, far be it from me to rain on your parade by telling.

Start your New Year off right. March right out today and pick up a copy of this book. “The Sweet Potato Queens’ 1st Big… Novel” is one very yammy… uh, yummy little novel.