Family Lines [Hardcover]

Gwendoline Fortune (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 31, 2003

An educated African American woman in her early 30s, driven to succeed despite the obstacles she encounters in her workplace. While she copes with challenges, she finds the strength and confidence to break up the conspiracy.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

In an intriguing combination of conspiracy, family ties, and friendship, this novel explores one woman's search for the truth behind not only a possible company scam, but also her ancestry. Rosamund Jones-Keyes is a single mother living in Atlanta, Georgia, with her nine-year-old daughter, Caryl. While striving to maintain her status in the corporate arena, where it is a constant struggle to be taken seriously, she finds herself working alongside Jeffrey Shuggs. Together, Rosamund and Jeffrey investigate an alleged company conspiracy. Lois, Rosamund's secretary, decides to help in the investigation by introducing them to her husband, who may have information that could help solve the mystery. As the inquiry continues, someone seems to be aware of their efforts and attempts to keep Rosamund and Jeffrey from getting too close.

About the Author

Born in Houston, Texas, Gwendoline Y. Fortune grew up hearing stories of her mixed blood heritage: a free-born black great-grandfather, Native Americans, Scots-Irishmen, a cowboy grandfather, a Confederate great-grandfather, and relatives who were missionaries in pre-World War II China. She went to college at the age of fifteen and has been writing ever since. Selections from Growing Up Nigger Rich, also published by Pelican, placed in the top twelve entries of the annual Pirate's Alley Faulkner Society competition and placed second in the National Black Writersí Conference Awards. Gwendoline Fortune lives in Saxapahaw, North Carolina.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Pelican Publishing (October 31, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1589801466
• ISBN-13: 978-1589801462
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,059,297 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Who is in your family tree?, November 30, 2004

By 

Loose Leaves Book Review (Atlanta, GA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Family Lines (Hardcover)

Fortune crafts a novel of corporate corruption and weaves in the value of honoring your ancestry. Rosamund Jones-Keyes (Mrs. JK) is a single mom climbing the corporate ladder in the biggest communication company in America, Dectel Global. She has been in the position for a short while and is proving she is an asset to the company.   Jeffrey Shuggs is the statistician assigned to Mrs. JK and is a "mountain man" at heart. Shuggs' dedication to the environment threatens to end both of their careers.

Mrs. JK and Shuggs secretly set out to prove an increase of industrial waste will have detrimental effects. As the investigation unfolds, unlikely friends appear. Lois, Mrs. JK's secretary, introduces her husband, Liam, who sheds light on Dectel Global's shady dealings. Darren, Jeffrey's son, adds charm and humor to this tale as he befriends Caryl, Mrs. J.K.'s daughter. The spiritual inclusion of past ancestors (Munje and Frank) is a unique aspect of the storyline and brings history together. All the characters work together to uncover exactly what Dectel Global is hiding.

The connection between characters reminds me of the idea of six degrees of separation. The in-depth knowledge of family heritage is strewn throughout with flashbacks of times past. The weave of family stories adds warmth and magic to the suspense of uncovering the truth about Dectel Global. Fortune designs a story, which interlocks the love of family, trust of friends, and respect for diversity that crosses every racial boundary. Family Lines will leave you asking if anyone at the office is in your family tree?

Reviewed by M. Bruner for Loose Leaves Book Review

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good, November 27, 2005

By 

thesavvybamalady "swblkdiamond" (Prichard, Alabama USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Family Lines (Hardcover)

I had this book sitting on my shelf over a year and finally I sat down to read it, and it is GOOD!! real good; It's one of those novels with a down home flavor and you feel good about reading; You have this lady Rosamund Jones Keyes who gets a cushy job at an Atlanta corporation; While there, she stumbles onto a coverup that comes to her attention by Jeffery Shuggs, who works for her, but also may have a deeper tie to her than she can imagine; Unbeknownst to them, their kids meet as well, and due to the fact that Rosamund's daughter Caryl doesn't like the after care that she goes to, Rosamund gets her aunt Patricia(Pet)to come and be there for Caryl instead of going to the after care in the evening; Now here is where things get real interesting; you might can say that Aunt Pet is the glue that brings it all together here; But you got to sit down and check out the book for yourself; Very good, interesting and keeps you in till the end;

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars SLAVERY'S TRUE HERITAGE, March 22, 2004

By 

Joanna Catherine Scott (Chapel Hill, NC USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Family Lines (Hardcover)

On its surface a novel about corporate corruption, 'Family Lines' has at its heart the deeper message that, if you are a Southerner and black, you'd better love the white guy sitting next to you because chances are you have the same blood running in your veins, and ditto vice versa. If we are to love our families, we had better love each other, black or white. That, not division, is the true heritage of slavery.