What do readers think of The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat?

I laughed. I mean I really, really laughed out loud. Several times. And I cried. Oh, I needed a tissue or two. And not just once. This is just one of those books that hits every emotion.

And I loved it!

Written by Edward Kelsey Moore, this is the story of three longtime friends: Odette, Clarice, and Barbara Jean. They are now in their mid-fifties, but they met in high school in the 1960s and became inseparable. They were dubbed “The Supremes.” One of their favorite places to go—then and now—is Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat diner where lots of folks who live in the quiet little town of Plainview, Indiana also go. Good food, good gossip. But it’s more than that. It’s community, security, and solace.

And quite often, our three Supremes are the subject of that good gossip at Earl’s, like it or not.
• Clarice, who is a superbly talented pianist, is married to Richmond, and Richmond has a very active love life—just not always with his wife. She has just about had it with him and his adulterous shenanigans. People are talking, and she is hurting.

• Barbara Jean, who was born to a single mother who had no idea who her daughter’s father was, grew up in poverty but married Lester, a wealthy entrepreneur who loves and adores his beautiful wife. But years ago, their only son, Adam, tragically died when he was eight years old. After Lester dies, too, Barbara Jean suffers both losses terribly, drinking far too much while she pines for a long lost love who has suddenly returned to town.

• Odette is very happily married to James, but she has a few problems of her own. In addition to frequently seeing and talking to the ghost of her dead mother, Odette receives a scary health diagnosis that she tries to keep secret—until she can’t.

Each of the three Supremes experiences great joys and great sorrows—just like in real life—and they are there for each other through it all, a testament to a friendship that has endured through the decades.

This is an engaging and captivating novel with colorful characters and often hilarious plot points. It is a little treasure and an absolute delight. Just like the dishes served at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat diner, this is a literary comfort food for the soul.

Just a note: When I bought this book, I thought it was ChickLit. It’s not. Men: If you want to understand women better, read this book.

Almost all the southerner’s I know can tell and enjoy a good story, and when I say tell, I mean t…e…l…l, with all sorts of long-winded side steps and meanderings before getting to the point. It’s sort of like we were born with the innate ability of knowing just how many adjectives can be thrown into a single sentence before it is time to move on to the next one. Unfortunately, when the author exceeds that limit of acceptable adjectives per sentence some part of the southerner tends to shuts down with the clangy twang of the door of a coon trap, resulting in loss of the rhythm of the story. That is kind of what happened to me with this book. Even though I enjoyed reading it, and in parts it was amazingly touching and humorous, in other parts there were just too darn many adjectives happening to make it a totally satisfactory read.

That said, the plot line was intriguing, it did keep my interest all the way through, and I am immensely grateful it ended in an upbeat way before I used up an entire box of tissues (another sure-fire way to suck a southerner into the plot line, throw in lots of “drama” and this author surely did that well too).

I compare it to taking that spray can of “Fluffy Whip” and squirting a big dollop into the mouth, but once you swallow the sweet satisfaction just disappears too darn quickly. It was, however, a fairly good way to spend a long afternoon in the porch hammock.