Customer Reviews

Better Than I Know Myself: A Novel

5 star:		(50)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Better Than I Know Myself by Virginia DeBerry and Donna Grant highlights the joys, triumphs, failures and pains of Carmen, Jewell and Regina. As high school seniors each girl dreamed of attending Columbia University's Barnard College, for three different reasons. All three are different in terms of their upbringings and backgrounds, both economically and sociologically. When they meet, what develops is a life long friendship spanning twenty or more years.

Carmen's background is one of poverty, deceased father, mentally ill mother and an older brother charged with raising her by default. Her dream is to escape, become a physician and never return to her impoverished home. Jewell is an actress and as a child, starred in a popular televisions series. The daughter of divorced parents, Jewell craves to escape from the West coast to the East coast to attend college and to withdraw from the status of actress, against her mother's wishes. Regina is the product of a suburban New Jersey family who has spent her life living in the shadows of her older brothers. Regina is the ultimate party girl and attempts to find her niche in the event planning business in New York City. The clichés of the poor girl, rich girl and suburban girl are abundant but not tiring. These girls have some serious issues to contend with in terms of family strife, maturity or lack thereof, dating, finances and finally their relationship with each other.

When the novel opens, you enter into a solemn scene at a gravesite that is dated present day. As the novel continues, you are thrust back to 1981 and methodically are placed, at the end, at the same gravesite. As I continued to read I found myself enticed by who was buried there and when I believed I knew who it was, based on the drama that played out, I found myself incorrect and back to the drawing board.

What I enjoyed most is the thorough family background provided and how it plays into each girl's life to tell a rich and developed story. These characters were truly sisters in spirit despite their beginnings and DeBerry and Grant do an excellent job of telling the story. Better Than I Know Myself is another winner from this duo.

Reviewed by Dawn R. Reeves
APOOO BookClub

This wonderful duo is back in a beautiful, captivating story of the love between three friends who love each other like sisters. Meeting in college, these three friends form a lifelong bond than can only be broken by one thing.

Carmen is somewhat of an outcast in college. With no parents and a homelife that is downright scary, Carmen exists on loans, jobs, and no sleep to make ends meet. When she arrives "home" one day and finds her brother gone and a notice of eviction at the apartment, she realizes her brother has been stealing her money. Carmen packs everything she owns--which isn't much--and vacates the only home she has ever known, finding herself with nowhere to go.

Jewell is a former childstar who has always had everything--or so everyone thinks. What she truly wants is to finally make her own decisions about her life and her career..and to be treated like a normal person. But despite everything, there is a hole in her life and her heart that she must come to terms with before her life can ever be complete. But she goes to college and meets.......

Regina, who is momentarily wowed by former child star Jewell, but realizes immediately that she wants only to be treated like everyone else. Concerned more with her social life than her grades, Regina has always felt like the black sheep of her family..a family whom to her seems disgustingly normal and boring. The two form a friendship, and soon decide to move off of the college campus into their own apartment.

In a chance meeting in the library elevator, the three come together. The elevator is momentarily stuck, allowing for more conversation than usual...and soon a friendship between the girls is born. It doesn't take Jewell and Regina long to discover that their friend Carmen is homeless...and they immediately invite her to join them in their new digs, apartment 5D. And the bonding begins.....

Through all of lifes ups and downs, these women are there for each other--marriage, births, drug abuse, life-threatening illness and life discoveries--until a tragedy occurs of monumental proportions, and the realization hits that they may not always be able to be together.

Ms. DeBerry and Ms. Grant have put together a wonderfully written tear-jerker of a story of the love between friends...this is a tale that will make you long for the closeness that you once had with a special girlfriend, and remind us all not to take anything for granted.


DYB

Jewell is a former child actor who attends college partly in an effort to prove to herself and the world that she is more than a cute actress. Her father left the family when she was just a little girl and has been missing in action every since. And her mother, Vivian, is a handful; she has been the architect behind Jewell's acting career but their mother-daughter relationship is strained at best. In addition, Vivian knows all about Jewell's deepest, darkest secret.

Walk into Regina's family home and it might seem like you stepped onto the set of the Cosby Show. Regina's parents were college sweethearts and now have the perfect marriage. Each of her older brothers have been successful academically and professionally. Regina, the youngest and only girl, feels a tremendous pressure to follow in the huge footsteps of her family members, yet she resents the Santa Sweaters and family traditions that make her family what it is. She can't wait to get to college to get away from her family.

There have never been any free rides for Carmen. Her father was killed in a botched up robbery. After his death, her mother's behavior became increasingly bizarre until she eventually abandons her children, leaving Carmen and her older brother to fend for themselves. Carmen's biggest goal is to get away from the madness of her life, and eventually become a doctor. When she earns a scholarship to college she is finally on her way.

These three women couldn't be anymore different, yet fate brings them together and a lifelong friendship emerges. Over the years they help one another through the really bad times and are there to support one another through the good times. Though at times they hurt each other, their friendship was unconditional. Through the course of the book the threesome experience love, loss, illness, triumphs and failures but through it all a friendship endures.

BETTER THAN I KNOW MYSELF is a tribute to sisterfriends. The story started slowly for me and I found myself putting the book down several times. I am so glad that I stuck with it because those slow moments in the beginning helped set up the rest of the story. This is a character driven story and as readers, we are privy to the growth and change that Jewell, Regina and Carmen experience. I knew their secrets, I saw their mistakes, and I truly felt for them. Virginia DeBerry and Donna Grant have created a cast of characters that will make you laugh, cry, and at times, wish you could reach through the pages and strangle.

Reviewed by Stacey Seay
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

I saw this book while looking in the library for something new to read; I am very glad that I decided to read this book. This book is creative and has a positive storyline. The book is one that most people can relate to because it talks about three women that meet in college and develop a sincere friendship. The story is well-written and has major plot twists. The authors have always produced phenomenal work and this book surely does not disappoint. I highly anticipate their next work.

If you're a woman and have a friend...you need to read this book. I happened upon it at work, and began reading it. I was so entraced I bought a copy for myself, and then once I finished it I bought a copy for each of my closest friends. This book is above race, social, and economic issues and gets to root of what every woman needs...friendship and having a purpose. You feel you are there with these three women as they live their lives. I can't wait to read the other books by these authors!

It was an absolute page turner. The characters reminded me of firends that have been with me since the day of time. The tears, arguments, relationships, everything. I highly recommend this book, and after reading, loan to a good friend.

Better than I Know Myself
Virginia DeBerry & Donna Grant
5 stars

A Deeply moving story about the bond of friendship, sacrifice and having dreams.

Jewel was a child star, America's favorite little girl when she played on the weekly show Daddy's Girl. Now older Jewel wants to be loved for herself and not her fame. She wants to make her own choices away from her controlling mother. Jewel holds a deep hurt and a secret from a past love.

Regina is a party girl who never thinks she is good enough in her parent's eyes. Her brothers are very successful and Regina feels the burden. With failing grades and longing to prove herself worthy she starts her own business as an event planner but her lifestyle soon takes a toll on her and she spirals out of control.

Carmen was left abandoned and homeless. Her father died, her mother walked away. Left with no one but her brother until he too walks away.
Carmen struggles to work and go to school to become a doctor so she
Will never have to depend on people.

Jewel, Regina and Carmen meet at Columbia and become roommates and life long friends. Better than I Know Myself is the story of these three women
During and after college.

This was a moving and at times a tear jerking story of friendship and
Sacrifices as these women struggle through the issues of family, drug abuse,
A.I.D.S and breast cancer. Their bond runs deep. But one of these sisters doesn't make it.
This story will touch your heart and you won't soon forget it. This is an excellent book for book clubs. The issues are real, the bond is deep. This was an outstanding story of friendship and survival.

Reviewed by:
Dawn
Mahogany Book Club
Albany, N.Y.

This novel was an excellent read that was definitely hard to put down. It was a real page turner. I loved reading about the 3 unique lives of Carmen Webb, Jewel Prescott, and Regina Foster. The novel begins with their first meeting in college and spans over a 20+ year period. It was interesting to read how 3 very different personalities learned to adapt and get along with each other through thick and thin.

The novel contains all of the modern day issues including AIDS, drug/alcohol addiction, rape, mental illness, teenage pregnancy, adoption, and even the trials of Hollywood stardom.

I highly recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys reading about life's various circumstances, both positive and negative.

This was a wonderful book that followed the friendship of three women. You really get to grow with them and love them. Their friendship inspires you to be a better friend and to tell your friends how much you love them. I recommend this book to anyone!

When I first started this book, I wasn't sure as it started off in college and the women were so young, as I finished the book this morning I feel like I have gone through a lifetime with 3 women and I was the 4th woman looking in from the outside. Their story is probably everyone's story in some way, but to me I fell in love with their bond of 'sisterhood', probably because I don't have any sisters, and my best friends have always been my sisters. Three wonderful characters, Carmen, Regina and Jewel, each one interesting in her own right. This is a book I believe that everyone will enjoy, although I do realize that it might appeal to women more the men. One important thing to remember is that men take a major part in this book, and almost all the men play a positive role - I liked this. I am going to miss these characters.