Blues From Down Deep [Hardcover]

Gwynne Forster (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Regina Pearson has reached the ripe age of 40 knowing nothing about her family, so after her father's death she decides it's time to leave Hawaii, where she's lived with native Hawaiians, having no clue about African American life on the mainland. She finds an aunt in New Bern, North Carolina, who welcomes her, but the rest of the family keeps their distance. Regina takes a job managing a large hotel and there meets Colonel Justin Duval, who is designing the hotel's interior, and even though they clash at work, a personal relationship develops that is threatened by Regina's quest to have a relationship with her relatives. Justin would rather live without his large extended family and can't comprehend Regina's desire to wade into her gene pool. Regina realizes that maybe she had unrealistic expectations, but her tenacity starts to yield results even as her new family ties jeopardize her relationship with Justin. Forster's sensitive portrayal of a woman trying to find her roots offers some unusual offshoots and is a cut above the ordinary. Patty Engelmann
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Hardcover: 300 pages
• Publisher: Kensington (March 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 157566920X
• ISBN-13: 978-1575669205
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,767,738 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

ABOUT GWYNNE FORSTER
Gwynne Forster is national best-selling and award-winning author of seven novels of general fiction, thirty-one romance novels, and eight mainstream and romance novellas. All of her mainstream novels and several of her romance novels have been featured in Black Expressions Magazine. When Twilight Comes, her first mainstream novel, was featured on the magazine's cover, and it also remained on the Essence Magazine list of best sellers for several months. Her latest mainstream novels, A Different Kind Of Blues and Getting Some of Her Own were published in October 2007 snf 2008, respectively to excelledt reviews. Publiher's Weekly called A Different Kind of Blues "An ode to life...wise and wonderful..."

Among her many awards and forms of recognition, Gwynne is most proud of her election in 2006 to the Affaire de Coeur Magazine Hall Of Fame and of the Life Time Ahcievement Award conferred by Romantic Times Magazine in 2007. The following novels were nominated by Affaire de Coeur Magazine for 'Best romance novel of the year with African-American Hero and heroine: Ecstasy, Obsession, Naked Soul, Fools Rush In, Swept Away, Secret Desire, Scarlet Woman. Winners of the award were: Beyond Desire,Ecstasy, Naked Soul, Fools Rush In, and Swept Away. Readers of Affaire de Coeur Magazine named Gwynne one of Top Ten Favorite Authors for the years 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2006, and one of five outstanding achievers (1998). Rendezvous Magazine voted Secret Desire "Rose Bud of the month" for November 2003. The 2001 Gold Pin Award from Black Writers Reunion and Conference went to Beyond Desire.

Double Day Book Club and Literary Guild selected Beyond Desire and used the book to start the Black Expressions Book Club. Romance In Color internet site gave its 1999 Award of Excellence to Against The Wind and voted Gwynne Author of the Year. The site voted Flying High runner-up to best romance of the year 2003 and gave it Honorable mention. Romance Slam Jam 2000 nominated Gwynne for the Vivian Stephens Lifetime Achievement Award. Romance Slam Jam 2001 gave Gwynne an Emma Award for her novella, "Learning to Love" in the anthology, Going To The Chapel. Romance Slam Jam 2003 nominated Blues From Down Deep for an Emma Award as best mainstream novel. Gwynne lectures extensively on fiction writing, and on making the first sale.

A native North Carolinian who grew up in Washington, D. C. , Gwynne holds bachelors and masters degrees in sociology, a master's degree in economics/demography and has additional graduate credits in journalism. As a demographer, she is widely published. She is formerly chief of (non-medical) research in fertility and family planning in the Population Division of the United Nations in New York and served for four years as chairperson of the International Programme Committee of the International Planned Parenthood Federation (London, England). These positions took her on official business to sixty-three developed and developing countries.

Gwynne sings on her church choir, loves to entertain, and is a museum hopper, gourmet cook and avid gardener. She enjoys classical music, opera, jazz and blues with her husband with whom she lives in New York City. She is represented by the Steel-Perkins Literary Agency, 26 Island Lane, Canandaigua, NY 14424. Reach Gwynne at P.O. Box 45, New York, N.Y. 10044; E-mail [e-mail]; Web page - http://www.gwynneforster.com -. Blog: http://gwynneforster.blogspot.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointed, July 1, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Blues From Down Deep (Hardcover)

I was very disappointed and agree with others by saying this is not one of Mrs. Forsters best. I have not finished the book and have never taken this long with any of her books. I think Regina is too prim and proper and her relationship with Justin has taken too long to surface. I had to re-read a few sentences to know they'd been intimate and they are the main characters. I recommend others but not this one. I also want to know how does he look? Did I miss that?

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not her Best, June 4, 2004

By 

somae (Memphis, TN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Blues From Down Deep (Paperback)

I have read this book and it was ok, but for the book to be about regina and justin it focus more on maude and her sex life with johann than with regina, it was just lacking something. i didn't know regina and justin had been together until regina mention it but it was vidid info with maude. so her book was ok but i had to fight to keep reading it.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Very Disappointing, January 22, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Blues From Down Deep (Hardcover)

I'm on page 278 and I can't wait to get to the end of this long, drawn out book. I've read several of Ms. Forster's books but none has been as disappointing as this one. I don't care if the central characters, Regina and Justin, get together or not. If it hadn't been for Pop and Maude I would have put this book down a long time ago.