Book Review: Rag Lady by Susie Black

“Remember, God put our heads on facing forward for a reason.”

Don’t we all need that reminder?

Rag Lady, prequel to Susie Black’s Holly Swimsuit Mysteries, is a wonderful, hilarious, heartwarming journey of a book. Resonating with timeless wisdom and humor, it also inspires.

Instant classic.

The main character is Holly Schlivnik, new college grad ready to take on the world. While Holly is charmingly relatable, loveable, and funny, her Nana is the real star of the book. Wise, caring, and all brass tacks, she calls things as she sees them, no hesitation. She also encourages her granddaughter to live her best life.

Holly graduates from college with high honors, poised to be a reporter. When she doesn’t get what she expects right away, she’s disappointed. To her astonishment, she finds herself working as a traveling sales rep with her father. She doesn’t realize that the course of her life has changed.

Until she does.

As Nana says, “Man plans and God laughs.”

Rag Lady is about Holly’s journey, her adventures and struggles as she finds her place in the world. Author Susie Black carries off the first-person narrative superbly. I felt as though I was right there with Holly through it all.

It is a poignant story of familial love and loyalty, about hard work, and doing what it takes. It’s also the tale of a young woman’s undaunted spirit, determination, and success, complemented with a riotous dose of humor.

At the end of this bookish journey, I was laughing through my tears.

Love you, Nana!

Don’t miss Rag Lady by Susie Black.