Review of The Weed Lady

[XoliswaM]

[Following is a volunteer review of "The Weed Lady" by Shea R Embry.]

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2 out of 4 stars

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The Weed Lady is an adult fiction novel by Shea R. Embry. It is a heartwarming read with a refreshingly unorthodox story that is sure to leave you in stitches.

One day, Jesi notices a strange woman pulling up weeds in her front yard. The woman bears a pained expression as tears stream down her face. Jesi feels an unbearable sadness overwhelm her as she watches the strange woman carry out her task ever so carefully, ever so meditatively. After the woman's departure, Jesi is left with unanswered questions about the woman and the source of the woman's pain. It soon becomes an obsession that consumes her and pushes away her loved ones. Alone and desperate, Jesi goes to drastic measures to win her loved ones back. In true Jesi style, she does this without fully considering the consequences of her quick fix.

This has to be one of the strangest stories I have come across - in a good way. In the early chapters, we learn that Jesi and her friends have lost a dear friend by the name of Aunt Mary Opal. This woman plays a central role in the outworking of the story, but she remains a mystery throughout the story. This added a tantalizing layer of mystery and intrigue as I failed to get the bottom of it.

Another aspect I enjoyed was witnessing Jesi's development. I picked up a lesson along the way too. After Jesi alienates her friends, she works hard to become less aggressive and pushy. As she works on her personality, she discovers that her aggressive nature has impacted her relationships in more ways than one. From this I learnt that personal development takes time; it also requires self-compassion.

What I disliked about the book is that the characters would have inflated reactions to things. An example is how often they would "roll" on the ground from laughter, or how they would break out into heated arguments that cooled down too easily to be believable. This ruined some scenes as it was obvious that they could only exist in the realm of fiction.

All things considered, it was an interesting book to read with lively characters and weird scenerios. I recommend it to female adult readers in search of a quirky yet touching story. The book has been well edited - errors are rare if they do exist at all. Although interesting, I can only give it 2 out of 4 stars as it did feel amateurish due to the inflated reactions mentioned earlier.

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The Weed Lady
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