Rating: 
Summary: Bebe Moore Campbell Serves Up an Uplifting Gospel Chorus
Review: Enthusiasts of Campbell's novels depicting American life through the lens of a race-conscious society may initially be disappointed in her latest offering, Singing in the Comeback Choir. When compared to her earlier efforts, Your Blues Ain't Like Mine and Sweet Summer, her newest book seems to avoid the hard-hitting racial conflicts that formed the nucleus of those works. Nevertheless, Singing in the Comeback Choir provides an intimate view of a recurring theme in contemporary African-American life-the struggle to move forward in the white world without disavowing the past and the African-American community. When we are first introduced to Maxine McCoy, she exemplifies the lives of many upwardly mobile black professionals. Despite the gentrified façade, Maxine's life is in complete upheaval. She is pregnant and struggling to rebuild her marriage, her job as a television producer is jeopardized by flagging ratings, and her elderly grandmother has fallen ill and has not fully recovered. Torn between her job responsibilities and her commitment to her family, Maxine journeys to her childhood home to help her grandmother, Lindy, through her convalescence. When she is confronted with her old neighborhood, she is shocked to see that the effects of urban blight have robbed the street and its denizens of hope, in the same way that illness, hard living, and shattered dreams have robbed her grandmother of her vitality. While Singing in the Comeback Choir does not have the moving pathos of the racial strife depicted in Your Blues Ain't Like Mine or the easy simplicity of her recollection of her relationship with her father in Sweet Summer, it navigates the diverse emotions of contemporary life with ease. Readers who have struggled to maintain their affiliation with family and community while fulfilling their job responsibilities will undoubtedly identify with Maxine's dilemma. Men and women who have weighed their life on the "fast track" versus their idealistic impulses will re!cognize this dichotomy in Maxine. With her deft characterization and moving plot, Campbell weaves a tight tapestry in which Maxine, her family, her job, and her community all contribute to the richness of the story's fabric. In the end, Singing in the Comeback Choir leaves the reader with a strong message of hope and faith that is both uplifting and inspiring. Your Blues Ain't Like Mine characterized the mournful blues and jazz riffs of the 1940's. Sweet Summer evoked the ebullient melodies of 1950's rock and roll. In Singing in the Comeback Choir, Bebe Moore Campbell serves up the intricate, rousing harmonies of gospel music in a way that makes her readers want to shout. Can I get an "Amen?"
Rating: 
Summary: Thoughtful and timely examination of very important issues
Review: Maxine Lott McCoy, at thirtysomething, is not only successful in her chosen career as the executive producer of a television talk show, but has a husband, Satchel, and a baby on the way. But, there's trouble in the promised land. Devoted to her grandmother, Lindy Walker, whom Maxine believes sacrificed her career as a blues singer to raise Maxine after her mother died, Maxine is called away from Hollywood to help her grandmother at a critical time in the television show's production schedule. Lindy, at 76, already has had a near-stroke and appears to be ready to succumb to the brutal forces of aging, drinking, and smoking. Lindy's life, the future of the show, and Maxine's career in television hang in the balance. As the story unfolds, it is revealed that Maxine also is struggling with the complex emotions resulting from her discovery of a brief affair that Satchel had already ended. Satchel is determined to regain her trust and the "hardcore" love they had before his affair. Maxine must decide whether it is possible for the two of them to rebuild a life for themselves and for their unborn child which will make her want to take the emotional risks that forgiving Satchel requires of her. While trying to help Lindy, Maxine can no longer ignore the deteriorated state of her old neighborhood in Philadelphia - the one from which she thought that she had escaped - and the destructive conditions and social forces - such as illiteracy, the absence of a variety of desirable role models and mentors for the youth, and drugs - which make it unlikely that the new generation of children growing up on her old block will achieve the kinds of successes that she and Satchel have had. A former public school teacher, Maxine begins to feel deeply within herself a conflict between her lingering desire to utilize her talents to help Lindy, the children and others in her community and the powerful attraction of the money, prestige, and blinding glamour of television, where even a slight drop in Nielsen ratings can result in the withdrawal of the welcome mat. Even if she were to return to teaching, she is not certain that she can make a difference in their lives, given all of their other problems. This book is about having the vision to see beyond the flaws in our loved ones and in our communities and then finding the courage to commit ourselves to fostering their growth until they flourish, instead of abandoning them for what appears to be a better life for ourselves. In the course of dealing with these issues, Maxine decides who and what is really essential to her life, and shapes a more personal definition of success for herself. Campbell's very readable prose is interspersed with imagery that reveals a clever wit; many readers will recognize the "Universal All-Purpose Negro Two-Step" and the grandmothers who are "fluent in English and Leather Belt" from their own lives. I enjoyed this book and think that most thoughtful readers will, too.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointed
Review: After 'Your Blues Ain't Like Mine' I was expecting something great from this talented writer. Unfortunately that was not the case. This book was predictable, dull, and could not capture my interest or attention. I, too, had to force myself to finish the book. Maxine's story with her husband, although poignant, was forced and too sugar-sweet. Very unrealistic. The author's desire to have an uplifting ending resulted in a diluted story with an all too familiar "give-back-to-the-community-message" that drowns out the REAL story in this novel.
Rating:
Summary: After a slow start the book really gets going!!!
Review: At first I thought I had wasted my money on this book. It started off real slow. But I was determined to finish this book and boy am I glad I did. After getting to the meat of the story this was a great book.
Rating: 
Summary: Much coffee needed
Review: Bebe Moore Campbell does it again. This time portraying today's African American woman Maxine who's juggling a demanding career as a TV Talk Show producer, Lindy her depressed grandmother who was once a vibrant singer, and a husband who has made a mistake and is yearning for her forgiveness. You have to read this novel, it will take you on a path of memories and definitely show how people comeback.
Rating:
Summary: Two Strong Endearing Women
Review: Bebe Moore Campbell does it again. This time portraying today's African American woman Maxine who's juggling a demanding career as a TV Talk Show producer, Lindy her depressed grandmother who was once a vibrant singer, and a husband who has made a mistake and is yearning for her forgiveness. You have to read this novel, it will take you on a path of memories and definitely show how people comeback.
Rating:
Summary: Campbell Hits a High Note--A real page-turner
Review: Campbell effectively addresses many issues in Singin' in the Comeback Choir. She delves into the insecurities of Maxine, who is a high powered executive by day and one of the walking wounded by night. The reader is given a guided tour of Maxine's life, her losses and her victories. Orphaned at an early age and left in the care of her maternal grandmother, who is not the average "milk-n-cookies" Granny Smith, Maxine's quest for her own identity takes many unusual turns. Personally, I think many people will come to identify with the challenges that go along with caring for an aging loved one. The route that Maxine takes to empowering her grandmother was indeed a creative solution. My hat is off to Ms. Campbell.
Rating:
Summary: The author missed the "real" story
Review: I am a huge fan of Ms. Campbell's writing, however, I felt this book lacked the honesty her other books are known for. The entertainment industry is pretty shallow and the author's portrayal of was a bit banal and recycled from other books on the same subject. I had a lot of problems with the dialogue which was pretty flat; and the characters were annoyingly uninteresting. The "real" story is Maxine's marriage crumbling from her husband's infidelity. I feel that story alone would have made an excellent book, which I am positive the author would know how to handle honestly (just leave that cliche "miscarriage" motive out). I'm still a fan and will continue reading Ms. Campbell's work.
Rating:
Summary: Much coffee needed
Review: I consider myself a quick reader, and I always read a book until it ends. It took me a little over a year to read this book.
Rating:
Summary: Boring
Review: I don't feel I can give a proper assessment of the book since I couldn't get past the first couple of pages. The beginning didn't hook me in.
| 
