Rating: 
Summary: Blanche Passes Go
Review: She's baaaaack! And, thankfully, ignoring the popular litany to "let go and let God," Blanche White takes a more assertive self-help route to achieve the relief she seeks. Thus begins her trek towards "go."Blanche has put a temporary hold on taking care of other folks, their homes, and their often shady business. Returning to Farleigh, NC, the hometown from which she fled years earlier, she's got one thing in mind: revenge. Her target? A rich and powerful man who robbed her in a most heinous way. Before it's all over with, he's gotten what he had coming and Blanche's fingerprints are nowhere in sight. At first friends and family actually think Blanche is just home for a little R&R from her Boston grind. (As if!) And, by the time they figure out that she's involved in way more than that, dead bodies are popping up all over and some not-so-holy alliances, with Blanche's able assistance, have come completely undone. Always moving on several fronts at once, Blanche holds true to form this time too. Along the route to a bittersweet conclusion, she helps her best friend, Ardell, cater to the rich and famous; she uncovers a hidden part of her own mother's life in exchange for the telling of her own painful secret; and she begins preparing a way for her return home for good once her young charges, Taifa and Malik, no longer need her in Boston. The end? Not quite. Having sashayed up to romance early on in BLANCHE PASSES GO, this time Blanche decides to hold onto it and onto Thelvin, the hardworking brother who's too happy to keep her in good supply. But there are things that have to be worked out: personal boundaries to negotiate, issues of possession, jealousy and plain old fear to be put to rest. Sometimes Thelvin is riding the rails as a train conductor and other times he's just riding Blanche's one good nerve. Holding the mirror up to her own luscious self time and again, though, Blanche finally admits that there is work to be done on both sides. And as if that weren't enough, in a classic display of empowered community action, Blanche and her neighbors embrace three young cookie-lovers trapped in a cycle of domestic violence and despair. After touching on the effectiveness of remedies involving frying pans against sleeping batterer's heads, Blanche and her neighbors help the hapless mother and daughters free themselves. Blanche finally passes go, but you know she won't stay gone for long. And, child honey, ain't we glad!
Rating:
Summary: BLANCHE GETS REVENGE
Review: [In this book, r]ape, spouse abuse and jealousy are tools used by men to intimidate
women. You will find all of these things in Farleigh, NC which is a
place quite good at keeping secrets. With the kids hauled off to jobs
in the summer, Blanche decides to spend time helping Ardell, her best
friend, in their catering business. On the way down home, she meets a
train conductor whose flirtatious remarks opens the possibility for a
full fledged romance. All appears to go well with Blanche as she
settles in and helps on their first catering job. Things begin to fall
apart as she sees her rapist at the gathering and is forced to
confront her fears about the incident which happened eight years
ago. Blanche knows she must exorcise the rape and the rapist from her
mind if she is ever to truly live free. A phone call from Archibald
Carter, hiring her to investigate his cousin's suspected gold digging
fiance enables Blanche to launch her own side investigation. The
fiance is the sister of her rapist. An unexplained murder of a young
local white woman has suspected connections with the rapist. Blanche
is on the case. Barbara Neely has done it again in presenting us
with a story covering the full gamut of issues regarding women. We
find out why Miz Cora, Blanche's mother, has been closed mouthed about
her husband all these years. We see how jealousy has caused spouse
abuse perpetrated both by Black and White men. We find our hearts open
to Blanche as she deals with her memories of the rape, her reluctance
to fully trust Thelvin (her new love interest)and the need to be more
forgiving. All of the elements of emotional turmoil are there to make
this into a wonderful mystery. The question comes, will Blanche get
her revenge? Read and see.
Rating:
Summary: BLANCHE GETS REVENGE
Review: [In this book, r]ape, spouse abuse and jealousy are tools used by men to intimidatewomen. You will find all of these things in Farleigh, NC which is aplace quite good at keeping secrets. With the kids hauled off to jobsin the summer, Blanche decides to spend time helping Ardell, her bestfriend, in their catering business. On the way down home, she meets atrain conductor whose flirtatious remarks opens the possibility for afull fledged romance. All appears to go well with Blanche as shesettles in and helps on their first catering job. Things begin to fallapart as she sees her rapist at the gathering and is forced toconfront her fears about the incident which happened eight yearsago. Blanche knows she must exorcise the rape and the rapist from hermind if she is ever to truly live free. A phone call from ArchibaldCarter, hiring her to investigate his cousin's suspected gold diggingfiance enables Blanche to launch her own side investigation. Thefiance is the sister of her rapist. An unexplained murder of a younglocal white woman has suspected connections with the rapist. Blancheis on the case. Barbara Neely has done it again in presenting uswith a story covering the full gamut of issues regarding women. Wefind out why Miz Cora, Blanche's mother, has been closed mouthed abouther husband all these years. We see how jealousy has caused spouseabuse perpetrated both by Black and White men. We find our hearts opento Blanche as she deals with her memories of the rape, her reluctanceto fully trust Thelvin (her new love interest)and the need to be moreforgiving. All of the elements of emotional turmoil are there to makethis into a wonderful mystery. The question comes, will Blanche gether revenge? Read and see.
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