The Love Child's Revenge (Paperback)

by Nicole Bailey Williams (Author)
Key Phrases: refl ection, rst time, Miss Mamie, Eliza Harrison, Peach Harrison (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Revenge is the game plan for Peach Harrison, an ambitious and ruthless television journalist in Bailey-Williams's intense drama (after Floating). Peach still remembers with bitterness her hardscrabble life as Claudia Fryar, love child of Louis Harrison, a wealthy African-American Philadelphian, and her mother, Georgia, a seamstress who worked in Louis's home. Louis, who loved Georgia but never divorced his horrid wife, Eliza, secretly took care of Claudia in his will, but Claudia doesn't find out about that until Eliza cheats her out of her inheritance. Vowing revenge, Peach becomes an expert at manipulation and, while in college, has an affair with the husband of Eliza's daughter. After graduation, Claudia becomes Peach Harrison and forges her own success story, her eye perpetually on getting back to Philly and getting some payback. She gets what she's after, but she also learns that vengeance exacts a high toll. Bailey-Williams writes with a chilling precision that's disturbingly eloquent, and readers will be entranced by Claudia-cum-Peach's shrewdness. (Oct.)
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From Booklist
Claudia Fryar is well aware of the often-bridgeless chasm between social classes. Born on the wrong side of the tracks in Philadelphia, her mother works as a housekeeper for the wealthy Harrison family. Growing up, Claudia and her mother receive the brunt of verbal abuse from Mrs. Harrison and her shrewish daughters. Only after Louis, the patriarch, dies is it revealed Claudia is his illegitimate daughter—and that the Harrison family has just bilked her out of the millions of dollars set aside for her in Louis’ will. Incensed and newly determined, Claudia begins a lifelong project of revenge. After leaving town and reinventing herself as Peach Harrison, a gorgeous and personable news anchor, she returns to Philadelphia to execute her plot against her half siblings and stepmother. Claudia steamrolls over anyone who steps in her path, realizing too late that her quest for payback may hurt more than just its intended targets. A modern-day morality play of the classic emotions of love, lust, hatred, and the need for retribution. --Hilary Hatton

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Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Broadway (October 7, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0767919114
• ISBN-13: 978-0767919111
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #980,119 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars (RAW Rating: 4.5) The Last Laugh, October 7, 2008

By	The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers (RAWSISTAZ.com and BlackBookReviews.net) - See all my reviews

No longer the chubby, stuttering, insecure person she was as a child, Peach Harrison, born Claudia Fryar, has a simple life goal---revenge. Her childhood was so complicated that even as the book opens she is still struggling to understand it, but in essence, Peach was the love child of a wealthy businessman, Louis Harrison. To make matters more complicated, her mother worked as a domestic in his family home. As a result of this set-up, both Claudia and her mother suffered through some painful times, and when her father died, Claudia's mother was nearly destroyed. Louis' wife was a lingering thorn in her side, and Claudia changing her name to Peach Harrison, was the first of a series of acts designed to make the woman pay for all the years of pain she caused.

Peach's need for revenge has been good for her career, in fact, she is in a position to become the next Oprah. She is attractive and wealthy and knows how to use all of her assets to get what she wants. Despite the fact that her career is blossoming and she has captured the heart of the man of her dreams, she cannot let go of the pain she experienced throughout her childhood and is dead-set on getting back at the Harrison family.

Nicole Bailey-Williams is more than an author, she is a talented writer. In THE LOVE CHILD'S REVENGE she deftly moves from past to present, helping readers understand all of the factors that helped create the often self-defeating and out of control monster Peach became. The use of simile and metaphor, comparing various events or moods to different types of fabrics, gave the book an overall sense of unity and helped tie together Peach's painful history with her outlook on life. Peach is a well-conceived character; readers may not like the choices she made, but because of the outstanding character development, they will understand them. The pacing in THE LOVE CHILD'S REVENGE is excellent, and once I started reading, I quickly became so invested in the story's outcome that I couldn't pull myself away. The only disappointment was the bittersweet ending which left this reader wishing for a few more chapters.

Reviewed by Stacey Seay
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Revenge Is Bittersweet..., December 19, 2008

By	Urban-Reviews.com (Urban-Reviews.com) - See all my reviews

Peach Harrison is a successful newscaster loved by the public. She has a master plan that she's putting the finishing touches on. Born Claudia Fryar to a mother that was the maid to the elite Harrison family in Philadelphia, Claudia was always made aware of their lowly status. Claudia has always pined for her proper place in society and to be recognized as Louis Harrison's daughter.

Her desire to be accepted and to show `the infamous Harrison women' her rise in status has fueled all of her efforts, schemes, and plans to get to the one place where she can repay them with the humiliation that they vindictively bestowed on her family.

My initial reaction to the introduction of this storyline was that it felt like I was reading a school assignment. A bit tedious with no real excitement, The Love Child's Revenge is just a well thought out storyline. But I found myself become a bit more involved as I delved into this read even further. The Love Child's Revenge is a slow read that does not entail a lot of dramatic scenes. It just inadvertently catches the reader's attention as you try and anticipate the central characters next move, the reaction that will follow her actions, and (last but not least) the revelation of it if she finally feels avenged.

Reviewed by Tazzyt2bossye
for Urban Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Phoenix Will Rise Again, December 1, 2008

By	Priscilla C. Johnson "bookmaniac" (Baltimore, Maryland USA) - See all my reviews

Claudia Fryar was a woman on a mission. Having to work as a housekeeper, after her mother's death to pay her way through college, Claudia was determined to have the life style she rightfully deserved. In The Love Child's Revenge, Nicole Bailey-Williams introduces a character that you will never forget

After reading old love letters that belonged to her mother, Claudia discovers that her mother's employer, Louis Harrison, was actually her father. A fact that she suspected but she never really had proof of it. As she remembered the harsh manner in which the Harrisons treated her and her mother, Claudia vowed never to let anyone treat her like that again. Claudia reinvents herself as a sexy, savvy newscaster, Peach Harrison, with a dangerous drive for success. She then receives a letter from her father's attorney that shocks and angers her. Peach now puts her plan for revenge in full gear, letting no one and nothing get in her way. Yet, along the way she reunited with someone from college and fell in love. Peach's plan begins to unravel and now she has a price of her own to pay.

Bailey-Williams weaved painful episodes from Peach's past to help readers understand Peach and her need for revenge. Revenge is a tricky thing and the results can work in one's favor or not. The same can also be said for this story. Although I found the story full of drama, there was no "WOW" factor in it. The story left the reader with a lot of unanswered questions. As the reader, I felt as though I was watching a movie as it built up to its climax and then it leaves you hanging. Like a Phoenix, Bailey-Williams left room for Peach to rise again in a sequel. All in all, I think this book would be good for any book club and it will generate lots of conversation.

Priscilla C. Johnson
APOOO BookClub