Kayla is a young woman with a bright future. She is in love with Geno and life is good. However, the moniker that her close friends refer to her as “Drama Queen” starts to ring true. One major incident sets off a crazy chain of events. She decides to move her life forward in a different direction and meets Craig. After meeting Craig, she gets more than she bargained for when she becomes pregnant with his baby.
This was an entertaining and quick read. The story was packed with interesting characters and drama filled situations that just spilled over to more chaos. There were some serious moments in the story, but overall, it was a light and funny read. It was a welcomed reprieve from weightier books.
On the heels of her divorce, Jo Walker’s secured station in life is due to child support and alimony payments from her ex-husband Sidney. Although she has financial stability, peace is not always hers to own as she is often reminded by Sidney that he is the sole benefactor of it all. Nonetheless, she focuses on raising their daughter and advancing in her burgeoning career as a jeweler.
Everett “Big South” McClain is a rapper who has sworn off love after his divorce. Casual romantic connections are safe and less complicated for him, until he meets Jo. Like no woman he has previously met, he cannot get her out of his mind. The only issue is Jo is not exactly enamored with him or his status. But Everett proves to be persuasive and soon the attraction between the two heats up. But their relationship is met with resistance from several parties: their former spouses being the biggest opponents.
The story was entertaining. I like the care that Everett showed toward Jo. He was constantly building her up when she tended to lean toward her insecurities. I liked that Jo stood her ground in many instances during her relationship with Everett. The way their connection developed was relatively realistic by showing slight resistance. The only mark I have against the book is that the story could have been a little shorter. However, it was a good story.
Sara Lancaster left Georgia after she is raped. She vowed to stay away as long as she possibly could. However, she is forced to return home when her father becomes ill. With her eight-year-old daughter Alana in tow, Sara’s past meets the present and it’s both bittersweet and hopeful.
Jacob Wyler left Georgia under a cloak of shame. His rich and influential family was brought to near ruin in a trail of unfortunate events. His brother raped Sara Lancaster, his sister Naomi died in a car accident, his father Tom committed suicide, his mother Birdie, normally a cold and indifferent woman, became insufferable.
Jacob sought out work in faraway places as an astrophysicist while simultaneously attempting to rebuild his identity. However, visions of his deceased sister lead him to return home.
In Georgia, Jacob and Sara’s paths cross. Things get convoluted when love develops in the most unlikely of ways.
I read this story as a part of Libby’s Together We Read campaign. This was a very layered story. The theme of forgiveness was evident. I found the building blocks the author used to present forgiveness in the story to be unconventional. I personally found it difficult to grasp the idea of the romantic love that developed between Sara and Jacob. The idea for the concept was explained in the back of the book in A Conversation with the Author.
I do know love can form under unlikely circumstances. However, Sara didn’t want to speak about Daniel, barely wanted to utter his name, or want to see him. Sara’s reluctance and hang-ups about Daniel was still very apparent throughout the book, and rightfully so. So, her falling in love with his identical twin felt out of place to me.
Alana was the bright shining star for me in the book, such a breath of fresh air. She brought everything together. She was the healing source in more ways than one. I also enjoyed seeing the warmth displayed in Sara’s family. Sara’s father speaking only in poems was intriguing. I would have liked to know more about why he chose this way to speak. Overall, I liked this story. It was rich and intriguing.
Angela Strickland has struck out twice at love. She has reconciled within herself that a future where real love reigns supreme is not in the cards for her. She settles fully in her life as a successful hair vlogger. To earn additional money, she rents the other side of her duplex.
Ryan Boye is in town on work assignment. He’s a corporate career man, who likes to keep things causal in his romantic relationships. He is the epitome of “hit it and quit it” and determines to stand ten toes down in that philosophy.
In an effort to make his stay feel a little more like home, he leases a place and his path crosses with Angela. What he finds is that Angela is not the typical woman he’s accustomed to. His fascination with her is deep and leaves him confused.
Angela may have sworn off love, but what she cannot deny is her attraction to her tenant Ryan. However, she is determined to keep things professional between them. How will things play out between these two?
This was a fantastic love story. Ryan and Angela’s mutual attraction heated up the pages (well audio for me; I listened to the audio version). Alexandria House’s books have been on my TBR list for some time. This is the first book I’ve read from her, but certainly not my last. Her storytelling is phenomenal. I am about to dive deep into her other books. Looking forward to it. I have a lot of catching up to do. I suspect it’s going to be a fun and wild ride.
Sheila Johnson overcame immeasurable odds. When she was just sixteen, her family imploded when her father left their family for another woman. It destroyed her mom. Defiantly determined she would not be caught in this predicament as a woman, she set out to prove just that. However, this singular event shaped Sheila in more ways than one.
Music was her refuge. She became an accomplished violinist and managed to get a full scholarship to college. She was well on her way. Then she met a young, ambitious man named Bob Johnson in college. They began dating and married a few years later. Her life and self-esteem was being shaped and molded by her new husband. His drive and ambition had carried them to great heights professionally.
However, behind closed doors, their marriage became a toxic breeding ground of lies, deceit, and emotional abuse. She had come full circle to the moment of her youth that she was determined not to experience again. When her thirty-three-year marriage to Bob ended, Sheila was struggling to find herself and rebuild life on her own terms.
She walked through shame, humiliation, male chauvinism, and racism to find her sweet spot. She became a philanthropist, entrepreneur, and formidable businesswoman. Sheila has indeed walked through fire and triumphantly come out on the other side.
I am grateful to Sheila Johnson for sharing her story. It is a story of courage, redemption, and fierce determination to keep moving forward.
Impactful moments/quotes from the book:
Sheila was reading in her bunk bed and was climbing down the ladder to come down for dinner.
Sheila’s dad to Sheila: “Just jump, I’ll catch you,” Dad said stretching his arm toward me. He’d never suggested such a thing before, so I was excited. I threw myself off the bunk, grinning from ear to ear-and then smack! I hit the floor hard. Confused, with the wind knocked out of me, I looked up at him.
“That’s a lesson,” my father said. “Don’t trust anybody.”
I started crying. “I trusted you,” I said. But he just turned and walked out of the room.
Sheila: “I wouldn’t want to live through that pain again. But the truth is, I wouldn’t be the woman I am today if I hadn’t gone through it. I walked through fire and survived. I am the salamander.”
Sheila: “My journey here has been arduous, as you’ve read in these pages. But going through those awful times built my character and my strength.”
When I read, I like to be engaged. I look forward to enjoying a book. I do not like feeling exhausted by a story. After reading a book that have my interest waning, I need to switch things up a bit. A genre change is in order when this is the case.
I have certain genres that I gravitate over others. For example, I’m not a particular fan of romance, but I do enjoy it from time to time. Right now, it is romance that is coming to my rescue. Light, dreamy, fun, and quick reads are what’s needed in my reading collection at the moment.
I’m still balancing it out with some books that have a heavier subject matter. I am enjoying this romance genre reprieve though. I might just take a walk in the paranormal world next.
Jasmine has had a crush on Sean for years. After years of not seeing Jazmin as a romantic interest, Sean shift gears and entertains the thought of exploring something more substantial with her. Before long, they are involved in a full blown love affair. It’s everything Jazmin could wish for, even down to the impending parenthood between the two. But there’s a catch, Sean is married. Even more, he is married to Jazmin’s sister’s good friend, Rayven.
Jah is the edgy, loud, and rude guy in the friend group. He has full knowledge of the affair between Sean and Jazmin. When Jazmin gives birth to Sean’s baby, Jah becomes invested at first to help keep Jazmin and Sean’s situationship from being exposed. Things get complicated when Jah’s heart is held captive by Jazmin and her baby girl. Will this fire between Sean, Jazmin, and Jah remain contained?
I loved the quick pace of the story. Drama filled and hard hitting, it kept my interest. I read this book in less than a week. It definitely has the can’t put down factor. Sean had quite the nerve to be possessive of Jazmin while still being married to Rayven. I liked seeing Jah’s care and concern for Jazmin and her baby girl. It’s the first book in a series of 3. I will be reading the other books for sure.
Nona Davenport left Mississippi angry, hurt, and determined. Running away from everyone she knew, she heads to Chicago. She is estranged from her father and sister due to a betrayal that Nona takes deeply personal.
While away, she transforms into a different version of herself, a version she settles for but is far from owning fully. She makes a new life, one that is built on the importance of history and truth, which is a contradiction to how she currently orchestrates her personal life. When her father dies, Nona returns home. She comes face to face with her own history; a history buried by denial, lies, and assumptions.
Julia Curtis is a woman with abandonment issues. All of which was brought on by her mother leaving as a child and her sister years later. Now she is tasked with burying her father. One of the first steps of this process is notifying Nona, her estranged sister of over 20 years. As she does, her abandonment issues comes to the surface. Will the sisters rebuild the bond they once shared or will the distance and estrangement between them widen the gap even further?
I wanted to like this book better than I did. I’m not against a slow burn at all, which I consider this book to be. There were too many chapters for it to move so slow. I loved the premise of the story. The multiple narratives in the story had many loose ends. With the different narratives not being tied in, it seemed disjointed at times and became an exhaustive read. It was rich with potential, but didn’t hold my attention. I was ready for it to be over.
Jacob Swinton’s life is coming to a close. He is met with a sense of urgency to write to his son Isaac. He shares his life’s story through a series of letters. The letters; part revelation, part remorse, detail Jacob’s upbringing, his marriage, his divorce, and his beliefs on manhood, etc.
Jacob’s view on life and manhood is challenged when his son Isaac is born. Isaac, an expressive child bubbling over with feelings, did not enter the world in typical male fashion. This serves as the catalyst for the complexities that make up he and his father’s relationship.
Jacob’s letters shed light into the intergenerational divide of societal norms that is so deep between father and son. Although vestiges of growth is apparent in the letters, it struggles against his innate inability to have a demonstrative love towards his son. He is a flawed man ridden with inner conflict that is true to men of a particular generation.
What I appreciated most about Don’t Cry For Me is the authenticity. It shed light on the less than ideal reality of some family relationships.
*****Some insightful and poignant quotes from the book:
November 27th, 2003 chapter “If you still don’t understand why I’m telling you all this, just keep reading. A man’s history is all he has. It says more than his mouth ever will. You’ll see what I mean soon enough. ” ~Jacob
November 28th, 2003 chapter “I stood there wondering how this had happened to me, thinking of all the things I’d do differently if I could live again. It was useless thinking, if course. Nothing was about to change. Not for me. There are no do-overs in this life. Either you get it right or wish you had.”~ Jacob
December 24th, 2003 chapter I always called you boy. When a father calls a boy son, he’s declaring his pride in him. I didn’t feel this way about you, even when you got grown.~Jacob
January 17th, 2004 chapter The more I read, the more I saw myself. Knowledge is a funny thing, Isaac. It informs by exposing. It shows you precisely how much you don’t know.~Jacob
January 26th, 2003 chapter Silence isn’t always quiet though. It troubles a man’s soul, forcing him to admit what he’d rather forget.~ Jacob
February 5th, 2004 chapter Reading taught me that a man’s own life is his own responsibility, his own creation. Blaming others is a waste of time. No one can make you happy if you’re determined to be miserable.
All I wanted was to look you in the face and tell you I’m sorry. I had wounded you beyond my capacity to heal you.
Love doesn’t make us perfect; it makes us, want to be. By the time you discover this, your imperfections have done their damage.
February 8th, 2004 chapter A man’s son is his truth unadorned. When he can look at him and be proud, his fatherhood is complete.
February 10th, 2004 You must learn to uproot unwanted seeds without destroying the entire harvest.
After a long and exhausting time reading, I need to read something light and funny. I just finished reading a book that took way too long for me to read. I could have abandoned it, but wanted to soldier on and finish. I finally did after well, two months. It just fell flat. (I’ll review it later.) I was easily distracted and kept doing other things. Almost any and everything except reading the book. I’m just glad I’m finished with the book. I thought I would be more engrossed in this book than I was. I had the intention of reading a specific book after this (with an assumed heavy subject matter), but I’m opting for something a little lighter. Yes, I’m coupling it with also reading a memoir, which is not exactly light, but the engagement level is a breath of fresh air, which I really need in a book right now.
Eleanor Bennett is dying. She lost her husband, her children aren’t speaking to each other, and her daughter is disconnected from the family. This is not how she wants things to end. Eleanor solicits the help of a close family friend, Mr. Mitch, to record her telling the story of her life and for it to be played upon her death.
Byron and Benny thought they knew their mother. After hearing their mother’s story, in her words, everything they ever knew was not as it appeared. They are trying to understand how this newly revealed information will lead them forward.
Although it was quite lengthy and a little disjointed at times (the “seemingly random” characters as well as the constant era changes), it was a good book. It’s a rich story that kept me engaged. Wilkerson strategically brings everything full circle in the end. The journey had many excursions, but the destination was worth it.
“Artists are quickly labeled, and my label was “force of nature”. ~ Jenifer Lewis
Jenifer Lewis recounts her life to bring us a funny, insightful, and rich memoir. From her humble beginnings in Kinloch, Missouri to Broadway to Hollywood, Jenifer’s life was filled with crushing lows and equally exhilarating highs. She bares her soul in the most raw and truthful fashion as only she can. From sex addiction, a bipolar disorder diagnosis, to spiritual exploration, Jenifer owns her life boldly and unapologetically. Through it all, she comes full circle to find serenity and balance to live a rewarding life that commands the label “force of nature” in the most glorious and happy existence that shines through the pages.
I laughed out loud often (especially about a song that came from a camel ride), yet I gleaned many gems from Jenifer’s story. To see the beginning to the end and everything in between, was a lesson. Jenifer shows us what fighting for one’s own happiness looks like. Though difficult at times, she pushed through to get out of destructive cycles to get to her happiness. As if the retelling of her life wasn’t powerful enough, she wrote a letter to the reader at the end of the book. I really enjoyed that. It was the perfect end to sum it all up. I found myself reading it more than once and soaked up as much as I could. Great book.
Cool Quotes From Book
“Your playing small does not serve the world. Who are you not to be great?”~ Nelson Mandela
“There’s no greater journey, than the journey within.” ~ Beverly Heath
“The fact is many parents don’t or can’t give you everything you need. Mine couldn’t. So, I went in search of substitutes. I often advise young people in this situation to understand there are probably people around every corner who will take them under their wing and help them on their way. But you have to ask.”~Jenifer Lewis
“If you can dream it, you can make it happen.”~ Shirley MacLaine
“Your landscapes are vast”~ Shirley MacLaine
“I’ve learned in life that what you give to others is what provides the most value to your life.”~Jenifer Lewis
“When you are not at your best, surround yourself with good people.”~ Jenifer Lewis
“You have to slow your roll; give yourself quiet time and stop to smell the roses, thorns, and all.”~ Jenifer Lewis
3 Stacks released a new album after quite some time on Friday 11/17/23. Many people aren’t here for it to say the least. Black Twitter especially is eating this alive. I really don’t want to laugh but some of these comments are laugh out loud funny. Many die hard Outkast fans are vicious with the comments. All laughs aside though, I don’t share the same sentiments. First off, music is near and dear to my heart. My musical tastes span far and wide, always have. I listen to many genres, it just depends on what I’m feeling in the moment. On any given day, I can listen to classical, jazz, ambient or space music, and back around again to gospel, zydeco, and southern soul. You get the picture.
What Andre 3000 put out in the world with this album is both new and not so new. Musicians and artists in general have done what he is doing with this album for eons and centuries; experimenting, exploring, and embracing where they are in their art’s and life’s journey. This is a time stamp in his life, I’m sure, and he chose to contribute it to the world. It’s the beginning of something and even more so, the evolution of something much bigger.
It’s avant-garde and frankly ahead of its time for a “hip hop” artist. Art is expansive, free. It is not intended to be held, stifled, or caged in a box. Blue New Sun is the epitome of the very thing art is meant to be. So many artists before him have traveled this very road, Dizzy Gillespie, Lonnie Liston Smith, Miles Davis, Earth Wind & Fire, Jimi Hendrix, and George Clinton and Parliament and that’s just a few. All have branched out of their respective boxes to bring us all sheer ecstasy in music. True music lovers and the world at large are the better for it.
Our taste in art and music is subjective, yes. Everyone is entitled to their preferences and tastes. Not everything is for everybody. But when artists chooses to walk in the freedom of being authentic and have the bravery to deliver it to the universe, those who it’s meant to touch, it’ll touch. More importantly, the contribution will be magical and simply a blessing to the world at large.
I am here. I am finally down to one book to read. I intend to keep it that way (for a while at least). I’ve been wanting to get here, if only to absorb one book so I can get to many others. I’ve accepted that my life is different these days, to continue reading multiple books at once as I did in the past is not feasible. For one, things are way too busy for me now. Secondly, my reading patterns have differed, it’s much slower these days. I first noticed this during the pandemic.
So I am adjusting starting now. It’s not so bad though. I’m rather excited about it. It may be a small trivial thing for some people but it’s major for me. The fact that I started reading again and writing about it is a big deal for me. The pandemic did a number on my reading and writing. But it was also a blessing as well. It slowed things down for me, which centered me and put things in perspective.
Joking (not joking) (reading one book like a normal person). Who wants to be normal right? Not me. I am sure I will return to reading multiple books some time in the future because it was always fun for me (like flipping the channel between two of your favorite TV shows.) But for now, I’ll just enjoy reading one book at a time. And that is alright for me. Now let’s see how many books I can get through by year’s end, shall we?
Cleo Forsum, a novelist, is relatively successful in most aspects of her life. She writes best sellers, turned those best sellers into a successful TV show, and has a loving husband and extended family. So why does she want to abandon it all to start anew? When people close to her start turning up hurt or dead, it is evident that something sinister is lurking in the shadows beckoning her to leave it all behind. These criminal acts are almost identical to the crimes in her best-selling novels, which gives reason to the police to be doubtful of Cleo’s innocence.
Cleo just wants the violence to end. Will her compliance with the demand from a figure from her past be enough to stop the bloodshed?
This book was a slow burn. The story became predictable quite early on. About the halfway mark, the predictability was laid right out in the open only to twist ever so slightly and on to another trajectory making this a beautifully treacherous ride. My only grievance was that the book was a bit too long, it could have been shorter. I will be reading more from Dorothy Koomson though, she has tickled my fancy for her other work.
Eleven powerfully rich stories are the building blocks that compile this masterpiece.
In “Cutting Horse”, a story set against the backdrop of the recent police killings towards black citizens, introduces us to a former drug dealer/ horse breeder who gave up life as he knew it for his college educated wife. Although, he got a piece of the American dream for himself and his family as a homeowner in a HOA community, his free spirit is chained and stifled. When a horse breaks loose and stumbles onto his property, he and the horse connect, and he is reminded of the inner freedom he tucked away so long ago.
Highlighted quote: “Black boys need two things, a man to help form them and something they could look away to.”
In “Sweat”,a woman’s resentment of her husband’s existence grew to epic proportions one evening.
Highlighted quote: “He always choosing the wrong damn thing”.
In “Everything’s Fine”, a young pastor openly expresses his displeasure in his wife’s downward spiral. He ends his diatribe of disappointment in her by entertaining thoughts of a separation. She in turn blames him for ruining her life. She blames her biological daughter for her sudden hate of children. All this juxtaposed with the outward display of her seemingly gracious service of being a foster mother. She silently seeks retribution in the most sinister way.
Highlighted quote: “God make folks just the way he want them.”
Highlighted quote: “Makeup couldn’t cover the ruin of her life.”
This collection of stories blew me away. I often had to sit in a reflective state after reading. Judgement is turned inside out as the characters present the depths of their reality. Watkins knows how to get to the heart of a matter and arrest the reader and make us invested in what is being shared.
Watkins is a fearless writer who reached down in the crevices of the human experience to extract choices, pain, regret, sorrow, and trauma and fine-tuned it to create literary gold.
I am in awe of her stories and looking forward to reading more from her. She is a force to be reckoned with in the literary world for sure. Now, I must back track and check out her debut novel, Perish.
This is an intriguing and loaded question for a book lover. I have lived many lives as a reader. I’ve been a gang banger, a therapist, a queen, a thief, a cop, a teacher, a cheerleader, a soldier, a slave, a free woman of color during a tumultuous time in history, to name just a few things. I traveled all over the globe. I have lived a thousand lives and experienced adventures overflowing. Reading is such an enriching experience because it allows me to escape and learn simultaneously. I don’t have a favorite life regarding the stories I’ve read, I just enjoyed experiencing it in the moment.
Adventures are always great. The things I learn when I read are priceless. Some things are silly and trivial, while other things are deep and profound. By engaging fully in the story, morphing into the characters and transporting to other continents and worlds, my perspective of the world at large increases and I gain more insight in and about the human experience.
I went to the library today in search of more books to add to my TBR list (despite already having three books currently checked out). One can never have or read enough books. Adding books to my TBR list is just as exhilarating as cracking open a book for the first time to start reading it.
Although I am reading the current book a little slower than usual, I am savoring the story and thoroughly enjoying it. I think after reading these three, I’ll go back to reading one book at a time for a while. It seems the busyness of life is interrupting my practice of reading multiple books successfully at this particular time. All is well though because the simple fact remains that I am reading.
Debra Lee sends the following message in the beginning of her memoir: “To all the shy girls, the introverts. Believe in yourself, work hard, use your voice, and you can be anything you want to be.” As a shy young girl herself, she started on a straight trajectory to college and then law school. The strong love for Black culture that she held fiercely throughout her young life came full circle when she started her tenure at BET.
Starting as general counsel and ending as CEO, she was a trailblazer who walked through the murky and sharky waters of office politics to carve out her own path. A path carved by fortitude and forged by fire that resulted in her becoming a force to be reckoned with in the business. She developed her skills by absorbing, observing, and working tirelessly in the trenches.
As a female executive among many male colleagues, she was oftentimes subjected to the patriarchal structure that sought to silence her contributions and ideas. However, she masterfully adjusted her sail and forged ahead with creative ways to use her voice. She stated: “That’s one of the many challenges of being a woman in the workplace, you always have a double consciousness.”
She used everything she experienced, good and bad, to build and cement her legacy. Debra Lee left a great blueprint to navigate through both career and life.
Debra Lee on perseverance: “I persevered not by becoming someone else but by embracing who I was (plus practice, practice, practice).
Debra Lee on leadership: “Stepping into your flaws and all is the only way to lead.”
Debra Lee on self-acceptance: “Whatever you do, own it. Because the consequences-good or bad- are yours and yours alone.
Debra Lee on self-awareness: “There’s nothing wrong with not wanting to be the center of attention.”
This was an insightful read. It was written in a straightforward way that provided great advice on how to show up in the workplace and the world at large. I liked how she demonstrated with grace an alternative way to show up in the workplace that may also garner success and grant one’s greatest desires.
She also demonstrated how a shy person can walk in their purpose by simply embracing all that they are, standing firm, and forging ahead despite insecurities. She worked and led in that perspective, and it unlocked so much for her. I am happy that she shared her story with us.
As Jenifer said in her own words about this book in the epilogue, ” Auntie ain’t playing in this one.” Truer words couldn’t have been spoken concerning this beautiful collection of Jenifer’s journey of life as she lives it. There was never a dull moment reading Walking In My Joy In These Streets. It was a joy to soak in all the lovely and sage wisdom oozing through the pages.
Jenifer Lewis’ larger than life personality shined throughout this book. It was laugh out loud funny at times. Other times, it was profoundly reflective. I was inspired by her ability to always push through and own who she is in her fullness. All of her experiences led her face to face with herself, which she revels in with raw honesty. Jenifer’s bravery of walking in her truth is a testament to the gift she truly is.
I found Jenifer’s honesty in the book refreshing. I especially love the balance she struck between the funny and weightier nuances of life discovered along the way. This book was a fantastic read.
Janie Crawford was a young girl born with a freedom in her spirit. That freedom was stifled by her grandmother”s fear for her future. Janie’s grandmother knew she was all she had in her world, and wanted to ensure security for Janie when she was no longer here.
Janie fought against it initially. Though she didn’t lean into it, she did resign herself to her grandmother’s suggestion that she marry an elder gentleman named Logan Killicks. Janie settled into her marriage with Logan. Janie’s restlessness bubbling beneath the surface, created conflict almost immediately. The union appeared shaky from the onset.
When Joe Starks passes through town, Janie takes her chance to escape from what she perceives as a life of gloom. Joe Starks was distinguished and self assured, a man going places. They married and hopped on a train to a town in Florida where he became the mayor. Janie became a woman expected to stifle her own ideas. As the mayor’s wife, she was not allowed to mingle too closely with the common townsfolk.
Once Joe Starks is no longer in her world, she emerges as freedom personified. She looses her hair and takes to wearing overalls, and embraces her innate carefree spirit.
A young and carefree man named Tea Cake crosses Janie’s path. From the beginning of their encounter, Tea Cake was Janie’s home. Wild, beautiful, and free best describes their love and union.They celebrate each other with joyful abandon. Janie is encouraged to come forth fully as herself, which was discouraged prior to Teacake’s presence in her life.
A storm appears in their town and changes things; bringing with it loss and uncertainty. It changes the course of Janie’s life profusely. Janie’s journey of walking in the freedom she always had within was fascinating to experience as a reader. I read this book years ago as a high school student and loved it. It was a joy to read it all these years later as an adult. The story is part cautionary tale, part deliberate allowance. Their Eyes Were Watching God is truly a classic work art .
** Impactful Words From The Book**
It’s uh known fact, Pheoby, you got tuh go there tuh know there.
Two things everybody’s got tuh do fuh theyselves. They got tuh go tuh God, and they got tuh find out about livin’ fuh theyselves.”
Driven, focused, and present. That’s only a few attributes to describe Angie Martinez. From an act as simple as showing up, Angie carved out a path for herself that allowed her to walk into her purpose. Simultaneously, she gained legendary status in radio by reveling in her genuine love for hip hop and possessing fierce work ethic.
It was inspiring seeing a young woman figuring it out as she goes along, yet be very present and intentional in that exact space. Angie’s integrity and awareness has served her and her listeners for the greater good. This was a remarkable read with loads of life gems. Especially inspiring was her marathon experience. Angie sums it up like this: “Challenge yourself. If you can’t imagine the finish line, the first step is to just show up. And don’t worry about what everyone else is doing. Run your own race.” It was a pleasure to read her story.
I’m struggling with my reading as of late. In an effort to both push myself forward and hold myself accountable, I joined a two month reading challenge.
My problem is, I’m distracted by many things, both personal and entertainment things alike. I know that single minded focus is needed to get through it. I think I’m more baffled that something that I did with ease appears to be so challenging now.
I have 3 books to read. This once was nothing for me to do. It was as if I ate books for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. But currently, just one book is tough. My reading pace is slower. Me no likey this at all. I’m not going to accept defeat though. I’ll fight my way through it by any means necessary.
Delilah Reddick is a woman trapped in her own life. She’s in a brutal cycle of abuse at the hands of her husband, Chase. Her best friend Carmen constantly pleads for her to leave, but it’s not so simple.
As Delilah folds into herself and examines her life both present and past, she sees a very small glimpse of a silver lining in the unraveling of the tight grip of the abuse. However, exactly what that silver lining will cost, is a thought that shakes Delilah to her core. There is her son Jackson, who would be collateral damage in it all.
This book delves deep into multiple perspectives of what abuse and the decisions linked to it looks like, depending on what a person’s viewpoint about it is. It explores how an abused person wrestles with vaccillating and ruminating thoughts and the difficulty in deciding weighty matters.
Delilah’s inner guilt leaped through the pages. I felt her guilt of how she found herself in what she viewed as a very pitiful place in her life. It appeared most of her guilt involved what she viewed as a betrayal of her own self.
As a reader, it was important to know the delicacy of the situation and not judge her, but to feel compassion. This book opened my heart and made it sensitive to inner battles that others may have to deal with, sometimes with very arresting characteristics. The author really captured the essence of the whirlwind, the fog, and the ties of a toxic relationship. It was a great book.
Finding Me is a tour de force. It’s a memoir that encompasses self development, determination, resiliency, and so much more.
Viola recounting her childhood of abject poverty and trauma was heartbreaking to read. However, knowing about her origin and all what she defied in the face of many challenges was inspiring.
I loved the memoir. It’s evident that Viola’s life serves as a powerful reservoir she can pull from in her craft. Her illustrious career is the result of her blood, sweat, and tears. It was great to read about her journey.
This was an interesting read. Will laid his life out as honest as he could. He bared his inner struggles with what he deemed as cowardice early in his life; a trait that he appeared to carry and battle with throughout his life.
He spoke of how inadequacies in his early life fueled his personal recipe for success. He was able to carve a successful path for himself and his family at least it appeared so externally. He confessed that the success did not always transfer internally within his family.
I enjoyed reading this memoir. It had a few gems as takeaways sprinkled throughout the book. One downside was that in certain instances the book came across as preachy. I would have liked for it to remain matter of fact and/or recounting solely on his experience in those instances.
It felt as if he was giving a lecture to his readers at times instead of trusting his readers enough to get it.
Impactful quote: Living is the journey from not knowing to knowing. From not understanding to understanding. From confusion to clarity.
Jay Gatsby, an alluring young man with promise, was shot to death at his West Egg, NY home. For all intents and purposes, this is a clear cut case of murder-suicide between local mechanic George Wilson and Jay Gatsby.
Not everyone believes this solid and neatly crafted conclusion to this unfortunate ordeal. Enter Detective Frank Charles, who is called in to find out what really happened. Detective Charles is relentless and is determined to do just that once he finds a diamond hairpin near the murder scene.
During his investigation, three women become persons of interest. Daisy Buchanan, a woman from Gatsby’s past who is currently married to Tom Buchanan, a philandering millionaire. Jordan Baker, an excellent golf player who plays on the national circuit, is Daisy”s best friend and knows Gatsby from earlier years as well. Catherine McCoy, a suffragette, passionate about women rights, whose sister Myrtle Wilson, is in an abusive marriage, is also a familiar acquaintance of Gatsby.
All three women are entangled in an intricate web of deception and obsession, carefully orchestrated by Gatsby himself. Will Detective Charles uncover the truth of who really led Gatsby to his demise?
A brilliant remix on the classic, The Great Gatsby, Beautiful Little Fools, offers a strongly crafted possibility of what happened to J. Gatsby. It is told from the perspectives of the women in Gatsby’s world.
I absolutely loved the reworking of The Great Gatsby. In Beautiful Little Fools, Cantor with much care and respect for the original story, beautifully offered a nuanced retelling of the timeless classic. It brought into focus the women of the Great Gatsby in an interesting way. I thoroughly enjoyed every drop.
This is a great collection of stories covering the nuances and idiosyncrasies of womanhood. It explores their emotions, loves, memories, and reasons of why some women choose some things that govern their lives. Below are some of the stories that I liked most.
We Moons: I loved the sheer honesty of womanhood. It was beautifully written. It reached deeply into intricate parts of being a woman.
Pink Bubblegum and Flowers: Is about the awareness of the harshness of life’s circumstances layered right beneath the innocence of youth. The sweet smell of bubblegum and flowers provided a calming balm for the less than ideal situation at hand. It cemented the mutual love in the midst of chaos.
Knock Out The Heart So We Can Glow: This story represented the deep longing of a woman wanting love in her very specific way.
Some lines that were poignant were: “She was drawn to the dusty items no one else seemed to love.”
“She asked her husband if he remembered when she was eating pineapple and started to cry because she was alive and some people weren’t. Reminded him of that morning after church when her hair was baptism-wet. How she sat at the kitchen table, born again, drowning in the sunlight.”
“Her husband was a good man and she loved him, but he didn’t know how to be special, how to glow. She said it was pretty simple and she’d teach him. There was no big secret. You just had to let the things in your heart get real dark first.”
Two Cherries Under A Lavender Moon: This was about the sweetness of fantasy love and the heady, fast, and swelling feeling of which that love provides.
Boy Smoke: This story was about a wife discovering her husband’s affair and kicking him out of the house, while his students were driving pass their home. Some memorable lines from this story were: “Her face looks like a country song: smudged black eyeliner, red wine teeth.” “He’s Max and I’m Nina,” Coach’s wife says, snapping to normal in the way that only women can when they’re holding up the Earth. Nina says thanks to us and smokes at the front of the car, standing there like a crownless queen in streetlamp light.”
Dandelion Light: This is a sweet account of acquaintances slow dancing towards reconnection.
I absolutely loved the lyrical and poetic flow of how these stories were written. It captured the essence of each subject of each story. It was a beautiful collection of stories. This is the second body of work I read from this author and it was another great reading experience.
This book is about the different facets of faith. It expounds on how to start our faith walk by having childlike trust and taking baby steps to accomplish that. It even speaks about how to walk in faith when we”ve lost hope to do so.
There were many concepts that spoke to different places that one can experience in their faith walk. The book explores what to do if our “faith has been hijacked.” It also touches on how to move through disappointment when we hope for something great but it doesn’t happen right away and how this can be accepted through God’s timing and through patience. That’s only the tip of the iceberg. It explains what active faith looks like and even what it’s like to have crazy faith. There are many more deep gems that the author shares.
This is a book that is meant to be absorbed and meditated on. I don’t normally reread books, but this is definitely one that requires a reread and then some.
Maggie Franklin grew up in a family of ill-repute. Her mother was a former prostitute, while her father was the town drunk. She becomes really fast friends with Hubert Wiggins. Hubert, comes from a prominent family in their community of Lexington, Alabama. Both Maggie and Hubert knows deep things about each other that solidifies their friendship.
As they grow up, Hubert becomes one of the most eligible bachelors in their town. Maggie, on the other hand is not so lucky. Both of their parents however, are pressuring them to get married. Neither of them are interested in marriage at the time. However, in an attempt to stop the parental pressure, they make a pact to marry one another. Their family is complete when their son Claude is born.
The Wiggins become the most revered family in Lexington. Maggie now has a charmed life. She’s the daughter-in-law of a pastor, her husband runs the family funeral business and works part-time at the turpentine mill, and she’s the doting mother to a wonderful son.
All is going great until her son grows up and becomes involved with a young woman named Daisy. Daisy proves to be a very challenging person. Claude’s relationship with Daisy sets a domino effect of events in Mrs. Wiggins life that threatens all that is good in it.
I enjoyed this story a lot. It showed how life can turn out, depending on how the person living it perceives the circumstances that they’re faced with. It was a story loaded with life lessons. I was hooked from start to finish.
Escaping the shattered home life she shared with her parents, ten-year old Joan relocates to Memphis with her younger sister, Mya and their mother, Miriam. Memphis is quite the experience and wide-eyed, Joan takes it all in, this magical, colorful place.
When they all arrive in Miriam’s childhood home, a home built by love, Joan feels the weight of a thing in this very safe haven they’ve escaped to. Her artwork is her balm for the powerful weight she’s carrying from years ago.
Joan melts into the fabric of her community, which includes people like her sassy aunt August and the ever present elders Miss Dawn and Miss Jade. She is surrounded by love, secrets, and wisdom. It ushers her into an understanding of both her family’s past and her own identity and purpose.
I absolutely loved reading this story. I especially appreciated the lyrical language the author used. It was a well written and poignant story about fierce women and their life choices and journeys. It was a refreshing experience to be overtaken by such a rich story.
Nella Rogers is the only black employee at Wagner, until a new black girl, Hazel McCall enters the scene. Hazel is everything Nella is not. She’s a breathe of fresh air with her bold African-inspired esthetic and fashion and affable ways. She’s a welcoming and friendly face for Nella, who since her beginnings at Wagner, has had to battle microagressions from white people at Wagner all alone. Nella’s only reprieve from shedding the weight of those microagressions was by sharing her true feelings with her good friend, Malaika.
Nella is intrigued and hopeful in Hazel’s presence. Could she finally exhale and enjoy some genuine comradarie with a fellow coworker? Nella shares the inner workings of the office with Hazel, providing to Hazel something she was not privileged to have upon her own arrival at Wagner years ago.
Although, Nella and Hazel are the only black girls employed at Wagner now, years ago there were two black predecessors (author, Diana Gordon and editor, Kendra Rae Phillips) working at Wagner. What were their experiences like? Could they provide some perspective on how to work while black at Wagner?
All seems to be moving along great, until Nella starts receiving threatening notes demanding that she “leave Wagner now”. Nella wonders who is leaving these notes? Even more so, is Hazel also receiving these notes? Nella goes on a quest to learn the truth.
This book was an interesting yet exhausting read for me. I really wanted to connect with the book. There were many characters that showed up frequently throughout the story but there was no character development. I would have liked to see these characters more fleshed out (i.e. Nella, Malaika, Hazel, Jesse Watson, Richard Wagner). When a character did something or a particular viewpoint from a character was introduced it was not expounded on. It confused me often.
I would have liked to see a more concrete and parallel connection shown between Diana and Kendra’s experience against Nella and Hazel’s experience at Wagner. Some positives from the book is that it may spark dialogue about the very real microagressions black people experience being employed in non-diverse work spaces. It also may spark a dialogue among blacks about the different types of black employee and how differences can be embraced and celebrated instead of becoming a breeding ground for unhealthy competition.
I expected much more from the presentation of the story. I do respect the hard work it took for the author to present this body of work. It just wasn’t my cup of tea.
Belle de Costa Greene is a formidable collector in the art world. As the personal librarian to Mr. J.P. Morgan, she is entrusted to secure art for one of the most powerful financiers in America. However, there is more to Belle than meets the eye. She is not all she appears to be.
Belle was born Belle Marion Greener, the daughter of a prominent Black professor and civil rights activist. With growing racial tensions developing in the nation, her mother made a fateful decision that the entire family was to pass for white. This destroyed the family as Belle knew it. Belle’s father leaves the family because he did not agree with his wife’s decision. He continued to live the rest of his days as a Black man, while Belle, her mother, and her siblings passes for white.
Belle hides in plain sight by being somewhat of a socialite while acquiring art for Mr. Morgan. While researching and mingling in social circles to acquire art for the library, she is unapologetic in her approach. She accepts the advances of a fellow art enthusiast, Bernard Berenson. Berenson is in an unconventional marriage with his wife, and due to his accepted dalliances outside of his marriage, he and Belle engage in an affair. She falls in love with him. However, as time moves forward, Belle discovers many things that alters her view of him in a tainted way. She reluctantly accepts the truth and is forever changed in matters of the heart.
When Mr. Morgan dies, Belle briefly struggles to see her purpose in the world. The family chooses to keep her on as the personal librarian for the library. She continues building on Mr. Morgan’s legacy by acquiring art for the library. She uses the skill she honed in her profession to also govern other areas of her life and lives her life on her own terms. The story flowed at a natural pace, which kept me interested. I enjoyed the various layers unfolding in Belle’s life. The authors fleshed Belle out nicely.
Daunis Fontaine feels like an outcast amongst her Native American community due to her mixed heritage and extremely pale skin.
She’s 18 and about to start her life’s journey by way of college. She meets an attractive young man named Jaime, who is a player on her brother Levi’s hockey team. Two tragedies occur within her inner circle of family and friends that changes her path. She initially puts college on hold to face these personal setbacks in her life. Both tragedies brings Daunis into an FBI investigation.
Jaime Johnson, a mysterious teenager who blows into town with his Uncle Ron, is not who he appears to be. He takes center stage in Daunis’ orbit. It’s a laborious yet delicate investigation for Daunis. She discovers so much hidden information in the investigation. This journey results in shocking discoveries that Daunis must face head on.
This book moved at an extremely slow pace for me. It did nothing to hold my interest. There were a lot of details in the book that I had difficulty understanding, like the Native American expressions. As a result I found myself lost when I came up on those in the book. This was especially disappointing because I knew the importance of that and was eager to learn.
I really wanted to connect to this story but was unable to. I do however, respect the tireless labor of love ( it took ten years) this author put in to tell this story and represent her culture. That is a huge feat and is to be appreciated. Unfortunately, it didn’t connect for me.
Milton and Yvonne are both on the money train provided to them by their neighbor, Odell. This was made possible due to their knowledge of him living a double life outside of the one he lives with his wife, Joyce. With the money they are pulling in both together and individually from their blackmail of Odell, along with their successful bootlegging business, they’re living the life. They’re looking forward to being on easy street very soon with this arrangement. Odell is fed up with his neighbors blackmailing him. He is determined to get from under their grip by any means necessary. One evening, Odell meets with Yvonne and Milton to finally discuss putting an end to this blackmail. Odell discovers something that will change the course of all of their lives forever. It took a little longer in this book to get to what I wanted to know; but it still was a great conclusion to a trilogy.
It’s been a ride for me lately. Certain factors knocked me off my reading momentum. I’ve been reading, however, the pace of my reading has decreased dramatically. Quite frankly, it’s excruciatingly exhausting. I’m reading a particular book that is not helping this situation at all. I want to move on. I do not want to abandon it. I want to power through. It’s a lot. I have to get past this book. Anyone else ever been in this position? Leave a comment.
Milton and Yvonne Hamilton are former convicts who met each other at a time each of them were trying to turn over a new leaf in life. Fresh out of prison, Yvonne moves in with her man, Lester, who supported her while she was in prison. One night she goes home and discovers that Lester and her best friend Katy is having an affair. After she heaps revenge on the two, she moves forward in her life with Milton. They marry and he gets her a job as a waitress at the restaurant where he is the head cook. Milton’s friend, Willie Frank, gets them into the bootlegging business. The combination of their salaries and profits earned from their bootlegging operation, helped the Hamiltons move to a well-to-do neighborhood. Their business topples out the competition and they do exceedingly well in their new neighborhood.
They meet their next door neighbors, Odell and Joyce Watson. They are upstanding citizens in the neighborhood. Joyce and Odell are role models for Milton and Yvonne. They’re friendly and neighborly with the Watsons. When Milton discovers that Odell is living a double life, he starts blackmailing Odell, simultaneously keeping secrets of his own.
In a drunken stupor one night, he spills the beans of Odell’s double life to Yvonne. She tips her hand to Odell and starts getting paid from him due to her own blackmailing scheme. Things come to a head when the Hamiltons are raided during one of their parties on trumped up charges. Who is responsible for toppling the Hamilton’s bootlegging operation?
What I loved about reading this book is the immediate way it grabbed my attention. The story was entertaining and the pace moved right along without dragging out. I wanted to read more and more to see what was going to happen next. Once again, this is what I love about reading Mary Monroe’s books. This is a great formula and I’m glad she sticks with it. This story ends with a major cliffhanger. I’m ready to read the next installment in the series to see if everything gets revealed. I’m so ready for that.
These collection of stories are complex, deep, and reflective. Eula touches on a young woman who blurs the line between basking in her fleshly desires and living as a devout Christian. She’s in total denial of the reality of her relationship with her best friend, Caroletta. In Not Daniel, a married man and a single woman whose mothers are both in hospice care engages in an affair of convenience and provides a temporary reprieve of the heaviness of imminent death lurking around the corner. Peach Cobbler is told from a young girl’s perspective about her mother’s affair with the pastor.
I enjoyed the personal and nuanced touches that Philyaw painted each story with. It is the realization that the face of a thing is not necessarily an absolute truth. The characters were raw, real, and rich in their complexities. My favorites were Dear Sister, Peach Cobbler, How to Make Love to a Physicist, and When Eddie Levert Comes.
Louise is a single mother of a young son. She lives a self-proclaimed non-eventful life. One night she goes to a local pub and meets a handsome stranger, who she flirts with to the point of a kiss. The stranger admits he’s married and they go their separate ways. When she goes to work the next morning, she discovers that the stranger, is her new boss, David. She later runs into his wife Adele. They strike up a conversation and a friendship. Adele forces Louise to keep their friendship a secret from David. As time goes on, Louise and David act on their attraction with one another and enters into an affair. Louise is caught in the middle of the husband and wife’s sadistic marriage.
I was excited to read this book. However, it became exhausting after awhile. It was very lengthy, which is not necessarily a bad thing. The story just felt like it dragged through a huge portion of the book. It took beyond the halfway mark for the mystery to unfold. The ending was a twister that I didn’t see coming; which I did enjoy. I only wished that I wasn’t dragged along for this long ride to get to the mystery of it all.
Medallion City, Ohio was a place separated by the white people in the valley and the black people up in the hills. The hills were known as the Bottom. When the slave master was negotiating with the slave of what piece of land to take, how he persuaded the slave was to tell him that it was “the bottom of heaven.” The Bottom was an exciting, magical, and colorful place with multiple characters who lived interesting and complex lives.
Nel was raised by a cautious woman named Helene, who lived a very intentional and meticulous life. Home life for Nel was orderly and ridgid. One day she and her mother boarded a train to take a trip back to her mother’s hometown of New Orleans for the impending death of her great-grandmother Cecile. As they traveled through the Jim Crow South, Helene was reminded quickly of the reality of what it meant to be black in the South, but she is determined to keep her dignity intact. When they arrive, they are too late, Cecile already passed away. As the smell of gardenia filled the air, little Nel is transfixed on the women in the yellow dress she comes to know as her grandmother, Rochelle.
Unbeknown to Nel, Rochelle was a Creole whore, who was the cause of such a ridgid and careful life her mother and great-grandmother cultivated for fear of continuing a legacy of loose morals they associated with Rochelle. Nel, however, was fascinated by the pretty lady in the yellow dress that smelled like gardenias. She said to her mother, “she smelled so nice. And her skin was so soft.” Helene tells Nel, “much handled things are always soft.”
“When she returned home after Cecile’s funeral she became herself. Nel declared, ” I’m me. Me. She continues, “I’m me. I’m not their daughter, I’m not Nel. I’m me. Me.” I was very fascinated when I read that because I felt like it was on the cusp of a young woman coming into her own and I was excited to see what would become of Nel; especially when this new found self awareness was sure to clash with her mother’s attempt to stifle any such liberty. How Nel chose to walk in her independence was when she befriended Sula, a girl her same age with an opposite upbringing than that of her orderly one.
Sula was raised in chaos and disorder. With a gentle, yet promiscuous mother named Hannah, she was accustomed to people in and out of her house that her grandmother Eva took in. People with names like Tar Baby (a lonely man who didn’t want to die alone) , the Dewey’s (three kids with no parents who were inseparable) and her Uncle Plum, who came back from the war a little damaged. Sula and Nel’s friendship was a beautiful thing that was forged through a tragic event in their childhood. Sula however, was exposed to more that one tragic event in her life and it shaped her tremendously. From the deaths of her uncle and her mother, to things whispered, overheard, and seen, it all shaped who she would become as a woman.
Nel marries a handsome man named Jude Green. By accounts he “had an enviable reputation, among the girls and a comfortable one among men.” Jude worked in a hotel but really wanted to work on roads. He asked Nel to marry to build a life and start a family. After a huge wedding, Sula leaves town and Nel settles into married life. Ten years go by and Sula returns to the Bottom.
When Sula returns, Eva tells Sula she needs to marry and that it will settle her. Sula responds, “I don’t want to make somebody else. I want to make myself.” She and Nel pick up where they left off until a major incident tears their friendship apart. Sula becomes sick and reaches out to Nel. Nel brings Sula the medicine she requested. Sula finally has the opportunity to ask Sula why the incident that tore their friendship apart happened. After that moment, Nel is forced to face her core self vs. her perceived self. One line in the book spoke volumes after I read it. The statement explains a multitude of things in the story: “Sula never competed; she simply helped others define themselves.” One of my favorite statements in the book was, ” She was completely free of ambition, with no affection for money, property or things, no greed, no desire to command attention or compliments-no ego. For that reason she felt no compulsion to verify herself-be consistent with herself.”
A couple of things I took away from the story were: all is not always how it appears, evil can be camaflauged as good very well, and things in a person’s life (i.e allowances or what they are convinced is real) can be justified if another person is a scapegoat. Sula is a classic tale of the importance of self awareness and embracing and walking in one’s own truth.
‘This is a beautiful collection of stories about the many different facets of love. The first story was bursting with jewels. “One could enjoy but never possess. Experience but not capture” was a description of Osun but as the story progresses, it was also a testament of perspective of Shango’s and Erinle’s feelings about Osun and love in general.
I was not familiar with much of the source material that many of the stories were based off of. However, the richness of love flowed through each story. What I really appreciated about this collection was the beautiful, deep and raw testaments of love. I thoroughly enjoyed experiencing these lovely stories.
Afi is a young Ghanaian girl who marries Elikem in a marriage arranged by his family, the wealthy Ganyos. Afi, her mother, Elikem, and his family are all in agreement with the arrangement, but for very different reasons. Afi feels an obligation to restore her mother’s status in society after her father’s death contributed to their lowered status within their community and family. Afino, Afi’s mother, has agreed to this arranged marriage because she feels an obligation to the Ganyo family due to the matriarch of the Ganyo family helping her and her daughter financially in many ways after the death of her husband. Elikem Ganyo agrees to this marital arrangement because of the obligation he feels not to go against his mother and family’s wishes in public. The Ganyo family arranged this entire marriage because of their disapproval of the relationship Elikem has with a Liberian woman named, Muna. She is the mother of his young daughter, Ivy and by their accounts does not respect their traditions or their family.
After Afi marries Elikem in a traditional Ghanaian ceremony, in which he did not attend, their life as a married couple begins. Afi starts to see the comfort and status symbols of what it is like to live as a wealthy young wife. However, certain things become very apparent within her marriage to Elikem. Reality comes into focus when she makes her desires for an ordinance marriage known to Elikem. She has tough decisions to make that will carry a lot of weight no matter what she chooses.
I loved seeing different things unfold within the story. The cultural aspect of the story was very intriguing to read. As a person from another country whose culture is very different from that of the characters, I had to allow myself to sit in that reality and feel the weight of all the challenges several of the characters faced. It was a great experience reading this. It forced me to view several events within the story through a different cultural lens. I recommend reading this rich and well written account of a young woman’s decision of what she will accept and embrace in her life.
In 1925 Chicago, Honeree Dalcour is a showgirl at one of the hottest clubs in town. She has socialized with the likes of Louis Armstrong, Lil Hardin, Oscar Michaux, and many other famous celebs.. Her life is fabulous and exciting on the Chicago jazz scene. She befriends a quiet and aspiring showgirl, Bessie Palmer, who becomes like a sister to her. They are protective of one another. They have determined to make the best life possible. Between their dancing, developing friendships with local celebrities, and Honeree’s tailoring skills, they’re well on their way.
Life takes a turn, when she spots Ezekiel, her first love, in the crowd of the club where she dances. The last time she saw him was when he and his family vanished three years ago, leaving her broken hearted. But, there’s something different about Ezekiel. No longer is he the quiet boy from a well-to-do family, there’s an edginess to him now. Ezekiel has connections with several unsavory characters that lends to his edginess. Honeree is torn between anger and the deep seated longing she’s held for him since he left three years ago. Will things work out for them or has the time passed for their youthful promises to be fulfilled? Will Ezekiel’s unscrupulous dealings threaten any semblance of happiness for them?
In 2015. Ms. Honeree is in a senior facility in Chicago. She is visited by a young film grad student, Sawyer Hayes. Sawyer is working on his thesis, which involves a lost Oscar Michaux film that Ms. Honeree can help provide some missing information about. When Sawyer and Honeree meet however, it doesn’t make for an easy rapport at first. Honeree is reluctant and Sawyer is impatient. Over time, Honeree opens up only to weave a story laced with lies and clouded in cover-ups. Sawyer discovers so much about himself during his time with Honeree. Honeree gets to free herself of some ghosts of her past.
This was a gripping story filled with beautiful imagery of Chicago during the 1920’s. I loved the alternating timeline between that time and the present day with Sawyer. It was needed, because it helped to explain the importance of knowledge in many situations. It filled in many blanks for me and brought the story full circle.
Identical twin sisters Stella and Desiree Vignes were products of a small black community in Louisiana. The community had clear expectations based on class, as well as a more definitive way of being that was rooted in colorism. After running away at the age of sixteen, the twin sisters’ lives take on different forms. Stella decides to leave all she knows to live out her life as a white woman. Desiree, lost after being abandoned by her twin, decides to move on and purposely goes in the opposite direction of her sister. Years later, their paths cross again by way of their daughters’ lives. Will they pick up where they left off or will the wounds of abandonment and betrayal be too much to heal?
This was such a rich and interesting story. The layers of lies that Stella had to weave to ensure a solid chance of a self proclaimed better life was hard to watch. It seeped into her daughter Kennedy’s life in the strangest of ways. Desiree restarting her life in a fit of rebellion caused by resentment and betrayal, affected both her and her daughter Jude deeply. Even though the chasm between Stella and Desiree was profound, the connection that resurfaced was undeniable and ran extremely deep. A beautifully written tale of loss and love with many lessons sprinkled in between. I really enjoyed reading this.
On a rainy Thursday evening, Tallie Clark sees a man about to jump over a bridge. She stops her car in the rain to save this troubled soul. She manages to get him over the safe side of the bridge and into her car. They get coffee and get a little acquainted. Taking a leap of faith, she invites him to her home to spend the night. He finally reveals to her that his name is Emmett. Her home is warm, inviting, and safe for Emmett. He finds it easy to talk to Tallie. Tallie tells Emmett that she is a teacher by profession, when in fact she is a therapist. Over the course of a weekend, they talk for hours opening up and confessing deep hidden emotions they had initially battled alone to one another.
When Tallie’s older brother Lionel have a Halloween party, Emmett gets to meet some of Tallie’s family and friends. An unfortunate accident occurs that puts Emmett front and center and he gets deemed a hero. Afterwards more secrets are revealed. All truth starts pouring out. Tallie and Emmett has to make sense of what the truth reveals.
Seeing the connection between Tallie and Emmett unfold was beautiful to see. The story presented a great lesson of how far having a caring and giving spirit towards another person can go, especially if they’re open to receiving it. This was a powerful and sweet story. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Reid Sutherland is a handsome man, reminiscent of a work of art. He is scheduled to marry a beautiful lady named Avery. A year later, it is discovered that the marriage never took place. Reid comes looking for Meg, the business owner that made the wedding programs for he and Avery’s special day. When he reaches her at her place of business, he has one single question for her. He asked her ” how did you know?” Meg is taken aback and flustered all at once. When he sees she is either truly clueless or feigning cluelessness, he shows her the pattern in her lettering work , that actually spelled out M-I-S-T-A-K-E. She can’t explain immediately, she’s too embarrassed. Now Meg has yet another dilemma piled on to what she’s currently dealing with; the growing distance between herself and her best friend Sibby. How will she navigate through these choppy waters?
Meg hides behind a cheerful and pleasant persona because it’s all she knows. If she has feelings of displeasure, she suppresses it. But she is an artist at heart, so she is perceptive and passionate about her work. As an artist, no matter how she tries to suppress unpleasant feelings or warnings, it either manifests itself as one of her “blocks” or comes out in a hidden message in her work. With the growing distance between her and Sibby, it was more avoidance, and she starting having inspirational blocks. With Reid and Avery’s relationship, it came out as a warning and subconsciously, it manifested as a message. Reid and Avery was a trigger for her because they were reminiscent of her parents’ marriage, the signs were familiar.
When Reid confronted her a year later about the mistake message, she couldn’t run from it. With Reid being direct, it forced her not to lie to herself. She could not retreat to her safe space. It opened her up to face how she felt about her work, her friendship with Sibby, and her feelings for Reid. There were very sweet moments in the story. Like when Reid expresses his hate for the city, yet he tells Meg, “You’re the best part of the city.” When I first read about Sibby and the distance, I didn’t like her. Even though it wasn’t revealed initially why the distance between her and Meg was happening, I was already leaning toward Meg. It felt like Meg didn’t deserve the treatment. Once it was revealed, I was still upset because I felt like it was a selfish reason. Sibby later gained my approval because she was there for Meg when it really counted. I also liked the Lark and Cameron development in the story. I liked how Meg gained a new friend in Lark. Albeit from a business venture, it was a friendship that proved to be beneficial for both of them.
I did enjoy the story, but honestly, it became exhausting, I was ready to be finished with it at times. The pace started great. I was engaged early on, but somewhere in the middle it was a little flat. I think it was the letter and font descriptions throughout the story, it was a bit of an overkill for me. I think it was so much of it, that it contributed to the lackluster parts of the story.
Jocelyn was a young girl born into the aristocratic Holt family. Her parents are Lady Virginia and Lord Alexander Holt of Lake Hall. Her young life is suddenly upended when her nanny Hannah, disappears from her life. When Jocelyn inquires of why Hannah has left, her mother says Hannah has left because Jocelyn was a bad girl. In the years after Hannah’s disappearance, the distance between Jocelyn and her mother Virginia grows deeply. She moves to the U.S, gets married, and has a daughter named Ruby. While she’s away her father dies. She did not attend the funeral. When her husband Chris dies, she reluctantly moves back to England to her childhood home, Lake Hall. When she returns, the distance is almost deafening between Virginia and Jo, a new and shortened name that Jocelyn insists on being called.
Ruby is a spirited young girl who loves her grandmother. Virginia takes to Ruby and admires her spunk. However, Jo does not want Ruby to be influenced by her mother. One day while Ruby and Jo are at Lake Hall, a skull is found in the lake. Jo’s mind turns immediately to wondering if this is her nanny that disappeared all those years ago. Many sinister developments begin to unfold. Jo can’t decide who or what to believe.
It took me longer than I wanted to read this book. It wasn’t boring, it was just slow taking off. Once it got under way, though, it was pretty interesting. As things started coming to light, I got the sense that nothing was as it seemed. My least favorite character would have to be Jo. She kept questioning her intuition. Even her daughter Ruby accepted her own intuitions more than Jo did. It took so long for her to see the writing on the wall, in my opinion. Although the book took a while for me to get into it, it was ok.
Gordan Rankin Jr., affectionately known as Rank, is battling what he considers a betrayal from his friend, Adam. For most of his life, Rank has been inaccurately judged and misunderstood. His life was dictated by others since he was a kid. Large in stature at a young age, he was expected to be an enforcer against the young men that would be a nuisance at his father’s ice cream shop. An unfortunate incident happened after he addressed a situation between his father and one of the young men. This is the beginning of the way others would perceive him over the course of his life. He has a complicated relationship with his dad, Gord. He had a brief stint in a juvenile detention center. While there, he connects with Owen Findley, his social worker, who also becomes his hockey coach. Findley takes time with him and helps him navigate through the troubled waters of guilt over the incident and his teenage angst. Findley arranges for Rank to be released early. Rank goes on to start a semblance of a normal life. He enters college through a hockey scholarship. He meets a few guys, Kyle, Wade, and Adam who he hangs out with.
They settled into a shallow form of familiarity. They develop a tolerance for each other that could be disguised as friendship. Because of this, feelings of inner turmoil of the past may have been uttered by Rank and received by Adam under the guise of understanding. One fateful night, while all of them hung out at a club where Rank worked , things escalated between a bouncer and a patron. The bouncer winds up dead accidentally. This accidental death appears to be the catalyst to cement Adam’s perception of Rank. The guys go on with their lives. Rank becomes a teacher and soccer coach. Adam becomes a writer. Years later, Rank moves back home with his father, to take care of him after he takes a fall. While back home he runs into Kyle, who he hadn’t seen in years. They catch up and Kyle tells him Adam is a writer now. After they part ways, Rank looks Adam up and starts reading his book. He discovers the book is loosely based on his life. Rank is angry that Adam didn’t care enough to ask him about things in his life. Adam just took it upon himself to write about Rank through his own misconceptions about him. Rank is so livid, he starts “writing his own book” by emailing Adam. He wanted him to know that he had no right to speak on his life, and “get it wrong”. In his mind, he couldn’t let Adam’s version of him stand in the universe without him letting people know who he truly is.
It was a good book but at times it was tough to read because it jumped around a lot. Some of it was understood, like when Rank emailed Adam about how he felt. He was erratic, but his anger was palpable. The audacity of Adam not to be a true friend to Rank and use his vulnerability to be the subject of his work is a bit of a conundrum. I could see both sides. Writers do this all the time. They either based their work on a version of some events; whether it be from their personal lives or that of others. Write what you know, right? It makes the story more authentic and tangible for the reader. But on the other side of that, if things are the perception of the author’s view of a situation, is it such a bad thing? It presents a viewpoint that can help or hurt the reader, depending on what experiences the reader has within them while reading the material. Then one can also argue, there are always two sides to a story, as is the case of Rank and Adam. Adam condemned Rank without know fully who he was. He sat on the fringes of Rank’s life and judged it unfairly. Rank spent his life running from people’s misconceptions of him and fighting to be his authentic self, struggling the entire way. It was exhausting for him. So when he thought he got a reprieve by fostering a friendship and possibly finding an understanding of who he truly was through a friend, it was nice for him. But years later, when he discovered it was all a façade, it naturally angered him. I do feel like he finally broke free from it all while he channeled his anger in writing Adam about his feelings. I got that sense at the end of the book.
Alex and Lacy are mothers whose lives crash into each other as a result of a tragic event. Though they possess different parental styles, the women simultaneously face inner turmoil and self doubt in how they reared their children. They are uncertain of their role and standing in their children’s lives. Josie and Peter are young adults trying to figure out life and how they exist in the world. But lurking just beneath the surface of their identity, is the pure unadultered truth of who they really are. That particular fact shows up differently in Josie and Peter, causing them to travel slightly different paths.
For Peter, what is has always been. For Josie, it’s a very fine line she walks that shuffles her between two very different worlds. For Peter there is absolution in how he exists in the world. For Josie, her identity is warped within her inner self. She’s aware of who she is deep down but struggles with the person she presents to the world. This causes a painful inner turmoil in her. Will she find the tools to soothe her tortured soul?
What about Alex and Lacy? When things are brought to the light, will they continue to let self doubt wash over them? Or will they accept that other factors also play a role in how life turns out for an individual?
I felt this story with my whole heart. I ached for certain characters in different ways. It seemed that Alex could not find her footing as a parent, while Lacy was initially confident in her role as a parent. However, everything Lacy thought she had right was soon placed under a microscope, prime for dissection. Lacy’s husband, Lewis, was detached in my opinion. He kept measuring reality against formulas and probabilities. I kept wanting him to be in the moment, to stare at the truth in its fullness. He did show glimpses of that in a few situations, which was good.
The story left me with several takeaways. It’s easy to judge others while you are standing outside their world. But when life sends you challenges, how you handle a situation is based on many factors, not isolated ones. It’s never just one thing. How you handle things can be affected by your experiences, your viewpoints shaped by those experiences, your feelings about yourself and the world, and the truth as you know it to be in your mind. Sometimes it’s hard to see other people’s truth if you staunchly view the world differently. It can be possible but it requires compassion and empathy. If you don’t have those traits and are not willing to find them, then hope in some situations will remain dire.
I read another novel by Jodi Picoult years ago (Small Great Things) which I enjoyed also. After reading this novel, Picoult has secured a place as a favored storyteller. I like how she can leave me bewildered with all the complexities in the story. More times than not, I questioned myself on how I really felt about a situation in the story. She arrests the reader in how she delivers her stories. If you want to be challenged in how you think you view things, Picoult masters this as an author.
FOREVER BOOK FEVER 