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Women's Fiction

Divas, Inc.

Divas, Inc.

List Price: $12.95
Your Price: $9.71
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Road to Divadom
Review: Have you ever felt like the third wheel? Margaret Drew has spent her entire life as just that. Tiffany Lane and Chantel Hollis have been Margaret's "friends" since they were in diapers. In elementary school, Tiffany and Chantel were the girls everyone wanted to be friends with and by high school the two were the girls of every boy's dreams. As women, men loved them and women loved to hate them but no one would question their status as true divas. Margaret has always been relegated to the shadows; she was more of a "plain Jane" that was outshined by her diva friends. As adults, Tiffany and Chantel have dream jobs, fancy cars, even fancier wardrobes and men that would make most women salivate. Margaret has an average job and secretly dreams to become a writer. She sports payless shoes, "sale rack" clothes and a serious inferiority complex. The three women get together for their regular lunch date, and the idea of a European vacation comes up. Margaret immediately begins to mentally scramble, trying to figure out how she could afford such a costly trip, that is until it becomes apparent that Tiffany and Chantel plan to go without her. To make matters worse, they expect Margaret to house and pet sit while they are away.

Initially, Margaret is disappointed. But when she realizes that she will have access to all of Chantel and Tiffany's belongings she soon devises a plan to learn the secrets of becoming a diva. She figures that while her friends are traveling in Europe, she can reinvent herself and no longer be relegated to the shadows. After just a little snooping, Margaret learns of a secret society of divas; complete with handbooks and training videos. It becomes her mission to find and absorb the videos and handbooks because she is convinced that they hold the secrets she needs to complete her transformation. With this, the story begins, and between Margaret's antics and her wry sense of humor and sarcasm, Donna Hill has crafted a tale that is sure to keep you in stitches. Filled with action and more than a few surprises DIVA'S INC. is the perfect summer read. While this is a light read, the author uses Margaret's journey to remind us of the importance of self-love and self-respect. As Margaret secretly creates her new identity, she ultimately learns that some sacrifices are too big to make and along the way learns the true meaning of being a diva.

Reviewed by Stacey Seay
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Hilarious
Review: I finished this book in about a 24 hour timespan. This was a wonderful, hilarious book. I loved the humor, the designer name dropping was not at all excessive. The plot, at times a little predictable was intriguing enough to keep my glued to the book until the end. Towards the end the book became rushed and lacking the original humor and zest of the rest of the book. I would definately recommend this book to anyone who's willing to listen! Definately a good read!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Hilarious
Review: I finished this book in about a 24 hour timespan. This was a wonderful, hilarious book. I loved the humor, the designer name dropping was not at all excessive. The plot, at times a little predictable was intriguing enough to keep my glued to the book until the end. Towards the end the book became rushed and lacking the original humor and zest of the rest of the book. I would definately recommend this book to anyone who's willing to listen! Definately a good read!

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Divas...NOT
Review: I have been seeing Divas, Inc. in the store for a while and kept picking it up and putting it down. Finally, I buy the book and begin reading against advice from a friend. I think, "It's not so bad, the writing is decent and it moves fast." After a couple of chapters, I determined that I would not subject myself to read this ridiculous and stupid story. Tiffany and Chantal are barely developed and Margaret continually got on my nerves. I do not expect plots to be exactly true to life but I kept going "Come on, be for real!" after Margaret kept getting into one mishap after another. Frustrated, I read the ending to see if this was all leading to something worthwhile, again, I must say that I was disappointed and thought that it was stupid. By page 120, I put the book down, actually I passed it on to a friend who would probably enjoy it a lot more than me. This is definitely one of those books that you get from a library or a friend. From one diva to another, do not waste your money on it. Add some money and get a nice pair of shoes.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A side splitting adventurous read!
Review: I haven't had this much fun reading a book in a long while. In the beginning it started off sort of slow but once it got going I was in stitches. I will agree that towards the end it seemed kind of rushed and she didn't elaborate on the things that happened upon Tiffany's and Chantal's return. Overall I enjoyed it and I read it in 2 days.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Not her Best
Review: I really wasn't impressed with this book for the simple fact that there was not enough storyline around the other characters. My favorite person was the grandma was my favorite cause she was the most interesting of all of them. Maggie to me gave up too soon for on the job that she was offered and were based on her job skills. I think she should have kept the job and still wrote her book. I also wanted to know more about Wayne, cause he seemed like a stalker, but a nice one. Either way, I have enjoyed other books of Donna Hill. This one kept my interest, however I just didn't feel it all the way.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Entertaining, but no substance.
Review: I saw this book in Essence and recommended it for my book club. I did think that the book was funny and entertaining, but it really lacked substance, and I was disappointed that I was able to guess who the Grand Diva was halfway through the book. I thought that the plot had promise, and I appreciated the lessons in self reliance and self confidence that Margaret learned. But why perpetuate the myth that black women have to be "Diva's" with overpriced clothing and fancy cars in order to succeed? Why would Margaret have to do so much lying to learn these simple lessons? (She could have asked someone, or read a self-help book.) Considering her proximity to the Grand Diva, how is it even possible that Margaret grew up NOT learning these things, while her best friends had the "inside track" all along? And why were her "Diva" friends dressing up in disguise and slumming in the ghetto???? Donna Hill never explains what that was all about. Overall, there were so many little things that didn't make sense, and a few threads of the story that the author never tied together. I do not regret buying the book, because I want to support black authors. But, Donna Hill had a good story line. She could have delivered more.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Are you a Diva??
Review: Maggie showed us that all of us have a lil Diva in us somewhere. I couldn't put this book down, it's a good read.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: amusing contemporary tale
Review: Maggie, Tiffany, and Chantal have been friends for a long time going back to pre elementary school. While the flirtatious Tiffany and Chantal have been dude magnets able to get males to do their bidding since first grade, Maggie has always been reticent and in awe of the dynamic duo. Tiffany and Chantal remain successful, obtaining fabulous jobs and homes as everyone considers the two women as Divas.

Maggie envies them but loves her pals. When Tiffany and Chantal go on an extended vacation, she agrees to watch their expensive New York apartments. Soon Maggie begins emulating her friends and though still overweight with glasses, hunks take notice of her for the first time. She learns that Tiffany and Chantal belong to the exclusive women only Divas, Inc., club for females who demand the best. However, as she begins obtaining multiple boyfriends and behaving like a Diva, Maggie worries that at midnight Cinderella will only have a mouse to show for her efforts.

This is an amusing contemporary tale that gently winks at some of society's "Ivana" like assumptions. Maggie is a delightful protagonist as she gradually turns from bookworm to diva. Fans will notice that this tale lacks Donna Hill's normal deep drama but readers who enjoy an urban Cinderella like frolic will appreciate the humorous somewhat biting DIVAS, INC.

Harriet Klausner

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: good, but not that good
Review: this book takes you back to school days, when you felt out of place or lonely, or the 3rd-4th-5th wheel. the three girls represents one of us in some sort of way (I think so). it was funny and the end was unpredictable, BUT the character's were sort of weak, the storyline was kinda boring and the plot was non-existent. the ending was kinda confusing to me. but it was an o.k. read.


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