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Summary: A beautiful, lyrical story of three women's lives...
Review: A story about the choices they've made that led them to this place and time, but more importantly, it's about the choices they are making. Trudy, whose marriage has hit a major hurdle, one she's not sure it can recover from. Jade, a woman whose not quite down for the count. And Shanelle, looking to find her voice.
Samuel's weaves three stories into a beautiful tapestry of words and emotions. A gripping, page-turning read.
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Summary: Absolutely Wonderful!!!!!
Review: A woman whose marriage is in crisis, a young struggling writer, a woman boxer and a grieving grandmother--these are some of the women of Kitchen Avenue. Their unique stories intertwine to bring readers a wonderful comfort read as each of them finds her bliss. Light some candles, pour some wine, and sink down into this lush, sensual book by Barbara Samuels
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Summary: Pure comfort!
Review: A woman whose marriage is in crisis, a young struggling writer, a woman boxer and a grieving grandmother--these are some of the women of Kitchen Avenue. Their unique stories intertwine to bring readers a wonderful comfort read as each of them finds her bliss. Light some candles, pour some wine, and sink down into this lush, sensual book by Barbara Samuels
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Summary: A Story of Hope & Strength
Review: Barbara Samuel captured me with her first and second books, and with THE GODDESSES OF KITCHEN AVENUE I am hooked on anything she writes. I love the flow of her writing and the way she casts her characters who are obviously born right out of her heart and sent straight into the readers'. Anyone who has been hurt by infidelity will find this to be close to the real feelings you go through although Trudy's errant husband, Rick, might be a bit different from the usual adulterer. Still, you have hope for them. I think that's probably what I like the most about Samuel's novels - the hope, the desire, the passion, the strength, and the realism of relationships that are doomed and relationships that are meant to be. Call me a romantic, but keep those stories coming!
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Summary: A Story of Hope & Strength
Review: Barbara Samuel captured me with her first and second books, and with THE GODDESSES OF KITCHEN AVENUE I am hooked on anything she writes. I love the flow of her writing and the way she casts her characters who are obviously born right out of her heart and sent straight into the readers'. Anyone who has been hurt by infidelity will find this to be close to the real feelings you go through although Trudy's errant husband, Rick, might be a bit different from the usual adulterer. Still, you have hope for them. I think that's probably what I like the most about Samuel's novels - the hope, the desire, the passion, the strength, and the realism of relationships that are doomed and relationships that are meant to be. Call me a romantic, but keep those stories coming!
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Summary: Luminous
Review: Barbara Samuel's The Goddesses of Kitchen Avenue is the most moving book I've read this year. Her prose is rich and lyrical, her characters become as real as your own friends. And they are grown ups, with realistic heart breaks and triumphs. I wanted to savor this book and take my time over each gorgeous page, but I'm too weak. I gobbled it up in one sitting.
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Summary: Goddesses and Ghosts
Review: Don't you just hate it when the cover artist obviously didn't read the book? I picked this up thinking "Sweet Potato Queens" or "Jennifer Cruisie" or one of those sassy chick lit tomes. Instead, I'm finding understanding and strength and comfort - and LOTS of insight and wisdom.
The story revolves around 4 neighbor women - from all walks of life and ethnicities - and one ghost. Roberta has just lost her husband of 60+ years; Trudy is on the brink of an empty nest when she discovers her husband's affair and throws him out; Roberta's granddaughter Jade is freshly out of a demoralizing marriage; and Shanelle is an escapee from white trailer trash, with two young sons and a macho husband who doesn't begin to understand her need to write. The women's boxing element nearly turned me from the book, but ended up being an interesting element. And the ghost Lucille was after my own middle aged, adventure seeking heart. The strength of women comes through in each page, not brassy or sassy, but faithful and steadfast and caring.
One particularly inspiring quote picked up the place in life where I live: "But the evening looms. The house thunders with emptiness. How could my old life be over so suddenly that after years and years of never having a minute to draw my breath now I have so much time that I feel myself sinking into it like quicksand, drowning in it? A mother finished. A wife dismissed."
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Summary: Rich, warm, sensual look at the hearts of women
Review: Goddesses of Kitchen Avenue is a rich, warm, sensual, laughing and crying look at the lives of four women struggling with life and death and marriage. Trudy is separated from the love of her life, who cheated on her after more than 20 years of marriage. While Trudy works on personal healing and revisits her dreams of studying poetry in Spain, her neighbor Roberta is mourning the death of her husband Edgar after 62 years of a great marriage. Shanelle, the young mother next door, is beginning a writer career despite the jealous resistance of her young husband. Jade, a fiery social worker, comes home to tend to her grandmother Roberta and work out her divorce anger in the boxing ring. As rich as a country quilt, this novel leads us from the heart of one woman to another. Goddesses is intricate as a family saga, but the generations are alive and dealing with life on one block and all at the same time. Warning: This book kept me up until 4 a.m. because it was too good to put down. It's a book about the friendships real women have and how those friendships help us navigate through life, love, men, children and our own fantasies. And did I mention the rich sensory details? Samuel is a master of sensual details, and the book is full of contrasts that surpised and delighted me. My best read of the year.
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Summary: An enjoyable read...
Review: Goddesses of Kitchen Avenue is more women's lit than romance, which means it is more about women finding "themselves" than finding love, although there is still a smidgen of romance. The book is really about the stories of two women who live on Kitchen Avenue, but it is written as though it is about the stories of four women who live on Kitchen Avenue. The extra two stories are completely superfulous to the book, which detracted from my overall enjoyment of the book. The book is moving, sometimes trite, but always enjoyable.I wish it wasn't two conjoined stories and had more romance, but overall it is a well-written, solid read.
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Summary: Fabulous read!
Review: I just finished THE GODDESSES OF KITCHEN AVENUE by Barbara Samuel and knew the first thing I had to do is tell others how wonderful this book is! To say it is brilliant is an understatement. I've always liked her writing but this one is the best she has ever done. I loved all these woman and was sucked into each and every one of their stories. I have one small complaint though and that is the cover. The cover shows several Caucasian woman in what looks like their 30s sitting around a table. In reality, the book features a black woman in her 80s, a mixed-race woman in her early 30s (IIRC), a white woman in her 20s, and a white woman in her 40s. There are only a few times in the book when they're even in the same room together. But that doesn't really take away from this wonderful story, there's romance, yes. But there is even more. I think the main theme of this book would be the empowerment of women. All these women find out something about themselves and that they can be individuals with or without a man in their lives. It is a true keeper and a book that is sure to get Barbara Samuel notice in more than just the romance community. I would say this book is at least on par with Gaffney's THE SAVING GRACES.
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