Changing Faces (Paperback)

~ (Author) "MY NAME IS WHITNEY, and while it shames me to say it, I'm a compulsive overeater..." (more)
Key Phrases: fat bitch, Mattie Lee, Pastor Damon, Auntie Taylor (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Roby's thin portrayal (after The Best-Kept Secret) of three steadfast best friends in Chicago shows how they cope with waves of individual and interpersonal troubles. Whitney is an intelligent, overweight singleton who consoles herself at Krispy Kreme and McDonald's. Her dearest friend, Taylor, a successful lawyer, has savvy in the courtroom but no real commitment from her longtime boyfriend, Cameron. The most troubled of the trio is Charisse, a controlling, Bible-thumping man-hater with two young children and a browbeaten husband who has begun to show signs of a backbone. Whitney resolves to face her weight problem head-on, meets an adoring Rico at the gym and finds that she just may be able to recharge both her self-confidence and her sex life. Taylor continues to put up with Cameron's insensitivity and inattentiveness, until a serious medical problem makes her re-evaluate her priorities. Meanwhile, Charisse conceals shady secrets and strives for the upper hand in her marriage. Finally, her bid for reconciliation with her own cartoonishly abusive mother results in a climax as incredible as it is tragic. Despite the book's potential for an honest look at friendship among modern African-American women, Roby's story takes a turn for the mediocre as this novel slides into near-farce. (Feb.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

Three women--Whitney, Taylor, and Charisse--have been friends for years. They have learned to overlook each other's shortcomings to maintain their friendship. Whitney is a plus-size woman who has tried every fad diet only to have short-lived success. With her high-school reunion approaching, she is determined to shed those unwanted pounds. She loses some weight and finds a man who enjoys her company anyway. Taylor is a very successful lawyer who has been dating a man for two years. She is in love and ready to settle down, yet he will not make a commitment. She is compelled to choose between pride and romance. Charisse is the mother of two children and a devout Christian. In the name of God, she is judgmental and intolerant. She treats her daughter with contempt and henpecks her husband, yet she is victim to her mother's harsh words and cruel behavior. Each woman has to overcome her weakness, and their friendship is tested when Charisse confronts her demons. Roby succeeds in writing another engrossing tale. Lillian Lewis
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Avon A (January 2, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060780800
• ISBN-13: 978-0060780807
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (60 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #301,595 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars COULDN'T TURN THE PAGES FAST ENOUGH!!!, February 8, 2006

By	Dana Y. Bowles "DYB" (West Chester, PA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Changing Faces (Hardcover)

Whitney, Charisse, and Taylor have been best friends for most of their lives. And although Whitney and Charisse have known each other the longest (since childhood), it certainly seems as though they have known their beloved friend Taylor just as long. All three, however, are facing challenges in their personal lives...but will their friendship survive?

Gorgeous, smart, and fat, Whitney has had lifelong struggle with her weight. With an equally skinny and critical mother and sister, it has taken everything that she has to maintain a modicum of self-esteem. But one day--with another decision made to diet and exercise and lose weight--Whitney meets the delectable Rico in the health club. At first Whitney refuses his advances...how can someone like Rico be attracted to a fattie like her? But Rico is relentless, and after several days of mindblowing sex and constant attention, Whitney lets her defenses down and allows love in....so why is something telling her that it may blow up in her face after all?

Charisse is losing control; at home, at church, and with her friends. After years of dominating and controlling her submissive husband Marvin and their children, Marvin has decided that he has had enough. He will do what he wants and when he wants to...and only on his terms. Charisse is shocked and outraged, and turns to her pastor for help...after all, what is a decent, God-fearing woman to do when her husband has lost his mind? Pastor Damon has certainly proven himself good for the soul...and the body. Charisse has declared war on Whitney, Marvin, and her Mama; the latter for being hateful and abusive and raising her to be the same way. One final confrontation with mother Mattie has Charisse facing the biggest challenge of her life....will her friends be there to see her through?

Taylor seems to have it all; money, smarts, looks, a successful career and a great boyfriend in Cameron. She has fabulous friends in Whitney and Charisse, and since they are constantly feuding she has become the social equivalent of Switzerland as of late. All seems right in her world...if only she could get Cameron to stop dragging his feet about thoughts/talk of marriage. Soon Taylor finds herself facing a health crisis, the conclusion of which will reveal shockings truths about her relationships and those closest to her.

With the edge-of-your seat reading that we have become accustomed to receiving from Ms. Roby, this one does not disappoint. Readers will be shocked and intrigued until the very last page.



DYB

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars More Friends With Problems, February 1, 2006

By	Joan B. Stanford "Jazzy Pen" (Rancho Cucamonga, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Changing Faces (Hardcover)

CHANGING FACES by Kimberla Lawson Roby is engaging from page one. Roby shows that she is indeed a masterful storyteller who can write about diverse characters, not just her ever-popular, preacher-you-love-to-hate, Rev. Curtis Black. In her new release, she introduces readers to three women with relationship issues who have been friends for years (reminiscent of Waiting to Exhale minus a friend). When one of them changes, their friendship could forever be damaged.

Whitney is a beautiful, professional woman who struggles with her weight. She has tried just about every diet that exists, but each attempt has ended in failure. She admits to being a compulsive overeater, but it doesn't help that her thin mother and sister are unsupportive and never offer an encouraging word. Whitney simply wants someone to love her for her. That someone may just be Rico, the gorgeous man she meets at the local gym, who is not bothered by her size, but is willing to help her goal of shedding pounds before her class reunion.

Taylor is a great attorney who's been dating Cameron for two years and still has not received the marriage proposal that she's been waiting for. Cameron continues to ask for Taylor's patience as he tries to get his architecture business off the ground. However, as Taylor experiences a medical scare, she re-evaluates her life and her patience may have just run out, especially when she sees that Cameron is not as attentive as he should be.

Charisse is probably the most flawed character of the three. She claims to be a devout Christian, but she's got many skeletons in her closet. Normally, she is vocal, opinionated and very much in control of every facet of her life. She even runs her husband as if he's a trained puppy. But when he discovers one of her sinful secrets, his subservience goes out the window as he threatens to go public with what he knows. Meanwhile, Charisse's relationship with her daughter continues to deteriorate and resemble the dysfunctional relationship she has with her own mother.

While it was nice to see the author step outside the philandering preacher storyline (although a preacher is present in this book), I was slightly disappointed that she chose the passe' girlfriends-with-problems theme. Nonetheless, the novel touches on realistic issues such as food addiction and mental illness. Charisse's story, which showed the most creativity and had a number of twists, could have easily been the main storyline with Whitney's as a sub-plot. CHANGING FACES was touching and funny with several laugh-out-loud moments and readers will certainly root for their favorite heroine, but the story was also painfully predictable at times. Overall, Roby is still a great storyteller and I'm looking forward to seeing what she'll come up with next.

Jazzypen rating 3.5

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nothng Stays the Same, July 2, 2006

By	T. Rhythm Knight (Coral Springs, FL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Changing Faces (Hardcover)

Friends, Whitney, Taylor and Charisse are as different as salt and pepper. Whitney is constantly battling her weight, self-esteem issues and a mother and sister who insist on putting her down. Taylor is a successful attorney who has been dating a man for two years that refuses to commit despite her overwhelming desire to be married. Charisse is a control freak who makes her husband and daughter miserable while pretending all is fine around church members and friends. As the story ends, each woman either finds or loses her way.

Changing Faces is a thought-provoking read. The author explores various issues facing African American women in today's society while managing to keep her readers entertained. Roby's ability to draw her readers into the intertwined lives of three women while exploring each of their lives individually is commendable. During the course of the story I found myself cheering for one of the women, getting mad at one and shocked by the actions of the other.

For the reader that is not into romance novels, Changing Faces is the perfect read.

T. RHYTHM KNIGHT
APOOO BookClub