Customer Reviews

The First Lady

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(31)
3 star:		(23)
2 star:		(14)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Carl Weber takes us yet again on the journey through his literal mind, this time from the point-of-view of a voice from above. That voice is Charlene Wilson, the deceased First Lady of First Jamaica Ministries. With the help of one of her closest friends, Alison, she sets out to choose the next First Lady for her husband, Bishop T.K. Wilson, after she is gone.

Through a series of secret letters, she manipulates the lives of her husband and four women, who are vying for the attention of the newly singled Pastor Wilson. First there is Marlene, T.K.'s high school sweetheart and mother of his first child, Tanisha. Marlene has battled her own demons and maybe as a pastor's wife she will find the peace and relief she needs. There is Monique Johnson, an unlikely choice since she is well known for her short tight dresses at Sunday services and her rumored trysts with various men in the church. Someone who would be considered the complete opposite of Sister Johnson is Savannah, the quiet, mousy, yet attractive choir soloist, who is also the daughter of a prominent church elder. Savannah has a beautiful singing voice yet is having a hard time using that voice when it comes to expressing her own needs and dreams. Finally, there is Sister Lisa Mae Johnson who seems the most suitable choice. Lisa Mae is the widow of a pastor and has been thinking that it is time to get back into the dating scene and Pastor Wilson would be just perfect.

The last player in this unknown game of manipulation is Pastor T.K. Wilson. T.K. is a real man who comes from a real past and seems to be the last to know that it is time for him to marry again. Unfortunately, the one person who could give him trusted advice is now gone.

Watching the stories of each person unfold in this web of "love" makes you think about what really motivates the decisions and actions of people around you and how simple words can changes your destiny.
This page-turner takes you on a journey through a myriad of characters that sometimes becomes uncomfortable, makes you rejoice and even cry. You come to realize that underneath the "cloth" the Pastor is just a man without a clue at times.
As the story nears the end, you find yourself silently rooting for the most unseemly characters to capture the love of the Bishop's heart. As the true nature of some come out, you truly start to make an internal checklist of your own motivations in life.

Carl Weber has yet another literary hit on his hands with this tale of letters, love and church politics.

Reviewed By: Tanika J. Lothery
APOOO BookClub

I must first say that I am a true fan of Carl Weber. His previous books have been page turners that I share with all of my friends. I must say that I was a little disappointed with the characters in Preacher's Wife. I was waiting for the true characters of each individual to show. Mr.Weber left too much to the imagination in this book. The characters never really came to life. The book was well written but lacked the excitement I had come to expect from his previous books.. I will still hold to my other Carl Weber books, but this book can be sold....

I absolutely love Carl Weber and I have every one of his books but this was a disappointment for me. I wasn't impressed with any of the characters or their actions. While this was not what I expected I will continue to be a fan. I am looking forward to his next book....which I hope is much better.

I have know idea what book these other people were reading but this book was great. Carl Weber showed the human side of the church witout bashing the preacher and it was refreshing. Good job Mr. Weber. i look forward to your next work.

Carl Weber is becoming a well-known author of urban literature.

Following up his first novel, Preacher's Son, The First Lady continues the drama of scandalous First Jamaica Ministries in Queens, New York. It combines a taste of popular TV shows--"Amen" (1986-91) and CWB Network sitcoms--with real-life components of drug addiction, jealousy, and church folk-ism. The strength of this work is that Weber offers good character development, especially in one drug addict that jumped out of the book at me, detailing the plight of addicts and their abusive suppliers.

Bishop T.K. Wilson had successfully taken over the church from his father-in-law, while Charlene controlled the women of the congregation. Now she lies dying of cancer and at age forty-four, has accepted her terminal condition. Nevertheless, she still wants to control the church by choosing her husband's next wife and first lady.

His congregation, pushing him to remarry after Charlene's death, distracts Bishop Wilson. They set up "meetings" for him with available ladies and snoop to find out the results. The booze in his desk drawer is another distraction from a church full of politics and control initiatives, and it is a wonder that there is any room for God's work. Even so, there are a lot of surprises, including how the Bishop's son married his daughter.

Aided by her friend Alison, Bishop Wilson's new secretary, Charlene writes letters to four contenders for the Mrs. Wilson title. She also writes to the Bishop, telling him to marry someone who can help him with the church. The first-lady contenders include Marlene, a recovering drug addict and the Bishop's "baby mama" from another life; Monique, looked upon as a loose woman; Savannah, a singer and deacon's daughter; and Lisa Mae, widow of Pastor Jones and ready to become first lady again. After Charlene's death, Alison observes these folks' activities and delivers the startling letters, as needed, with startling results.

The First Lady is fast-paced reading that contains graphic sex- and drug-related scenes and harsh language.

Armchair Interviews says: Readers who might enjoy a more adult version of "Amen" would be delighted.

This book was NOT what you would expect from Carl Weber. I really don't know what happened to him this go around, but I was truly disappointed!! After reading his previous novels and being totally hooked on his writing, you can only imagine how I felt when this book proved to be subpar. I really expected more from Charlene's letters. I also expected more from "The Bishop" who seemed quite shallow and naieve. This book also lacked good editing. I found several mistakes throughout the novel that should have been caught before publishing. Mr. Weber, I hope you regain your mojo before the next book.

When I first started reading "The First Lady" I was about to close the book and forget about it, because it was so boring and tedious to read. I'm glad I didn't, because this story turned out to be a very enjoyable read. By midway, I was getting a good dose of all the spitefulness and scheming that these women of the church could dream up. Cark Weber didn't hold anything back as he unfolded the driving force of these women as they competed to become the new First Lady of Jamaica Ministries. By this time, I was hooked, so I kept reading and wondering which of these women would triumph and be crowned First Lady. There is no need for me to tell you more about the story and spoil it for you. In my opinion, it's a wonderful, entertaining novel and except for the slow start it will keep you turning page after page.

Carl weber is my number 1 author........ and i read this book in 3 days. this book was a page turner from the first page i could not put it down.... i have not read a book by carl i did not love (smile) i am looking forward to reading his next book someting on the side,I am now reading she ain't the one...... carl is the man, when he writes he keeps you on the edge of your seat and either laughing or guessing what's next. so keep up the great work. god bless u carl!

It wasn't a bad book, but it definitely wasn't a good one either. Don't get me wrong, it's very readable. It's not a must read, though. I was able to get through it fine and it came in handy just to have something to read. If you just need something to read, then this book will suffice.

This was a hard book to get into. Once it got going (about the 7th chapter), things got a little better. After reading The Preachers Son, I was excited about this book. I really could have done without reading it, deciding who your husbands next wife will be from the grave????? Pretty outrageous, so was the book.