On Tuesday, September 25, I met with my first Book Club–the Bay Ridge Book Club. What a wonderful evening! I was nervous for days before. A retired professor, I haven’t given a presentation in years. I have been caring for my husband and at home writing. And none of my presentations had anything to do with my novel. So, this was new. My son and friends all said, just go, be yourself and have fun! It was so much fun.
I began the evening by talking about how I began as a writer. Then we had a free-wheeling discussion of Wildflowers. It doesn’t get better than hearing a room full of women, ages from fifty to eighty, tell you that they loved your characters, and related to the incidences in their lives. One, a retired teacher, read the book twice. They were retired teachers, social workers, business women, a variety of career backgrounds. Yet, they talked about how the circumstances of their lives, were so similar to the things that happened to my characters as college students, and as women, so much so that they felt that there was a universality in the story. They related to my characters thoughts and feelings, and connected with them. One expressed it this way, “I know these women. I hung out in the same kinds of places. I did these things.” One mentioned that the protests that the main character was a part of, reminded her of her own participation in protests in grad school. Another said that she found herself thinking back on her own friendships reevaluating them as the character in the book had. They then mused that they could see the characters and the story Wildflowers done as a film or extended series.
That was Tuesday , and then today Friday, September 28, I see this review on Amazon.
5 out of 5 stars
Wildflowers is a great book to curl up with
ByLinda C. Pierce on September 27, 2018
Format: Kindle Edition
Right from the start, when Camille…one of the main characters of the novel…mentioned her preoccupation with reading the “Obituary” column in the New York Times, I was intrigued. Sure enough, at some point in her perusing, Camille came upon the obituary of Jewel, a dear friend from days gone by. Apparently, Jewel had passed away at age 64…alone in her apartment, with no visitors in months. Now, I was really curious to find out more.
And so the story of three best friends …Camille, Saundra, and Jewel…unwinds. Each of these “wildflowers” opens up to the reader, petal by petal, in individual chapters. Each narrative is compelling, unique, and memorable. And the individual narratives intertwine resulting in a story you will not easily forget.
The action initially takes place in NYC on Hancock Street in Brooklyn where three little Black girls…Camille, Saundra, and Jewel…first meet and play together. We get caught up in their lives and see how childhood experiences have profoundly informed the women that they have become.
If you are looking for a good book to curl up with, Wildflowers is it. And, I would be remiss if I did not mention that the novel is beautifully written. In the expert hands of author, Delores Lowe Friedman, the figurative language and imagery are skillfully rendered as the plot keeps you engaged and captive.
I highly recommend that you add this novel to your list of books to read. You will be glad you did.
https://www.amazon.com/Wildflowers-Novel-Delor…/…/1974638596
