Friday Night at Honeybee's [Paperback]

Andrea Smith (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 3, 2004

Everyone who's anyone in the Harlem music scene has heard of Honeybee McColor and the famous Friday night gathers that fill her house to bursting. In the early 1960s, nowhere but "The Big House" attracts so many renowned jazz and blues musicians—and no one but Miss Honeybee attracts talented lost souls like Forestine Bent and Viola Bembrey.

The two singers come from separate worlds: one the Brooklyn projects, the other the Baptist, rural South. One has a God-given voice and the ambition to be a star, the other a more subtle gift and a handful of hazy fantasies. But both learn the destructive consequences of following their hearts. They find sanctuary together under Honeybee's tender guidance, struggling to find the balancing point where music doesn't overpower love.

Including a passel of characters both wildly raunchy and remarkably dignified, Andrea Smith has woven an unforgettable tale overflowing with energy, heart, and humanity.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Two young women unlucky in love but blessed with talent and friendship are at the core of this vibrant first novel. In the early 1960s, Forestine Bent from Brooklyn and Viola Bembry from Jasperville, South Carolina, are taken in by Miss Honeybee McColor, who hosts twice-monthly Friday night "gathers" of jazz and blues greats at her legendary Big House in Harlem. Forestine, whose singing stuns nightclub audiences into silence, joins a blues group after a heartfelt but guilt-inducing encounter with her brother-in-law that leaves her pregnant. Tom between love for her young son, Benny, who's plagued with health problems, and her burgeoning career, she's forced to make a wrenching choice. Viola, coerced into an unloving marriage, is literally run out of town by her preacher father after being caught dallying with another man. Persuaded into training her church-choir voice, she's sidetracked by falling for a talented trumpet player who breaks women's hearts. The warmth and caring of Miss Honeybee's home supports both women through troubled times in this wonderful celebration of music and community. Michele Leber
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

"Perceptive…penetrating…a rich and satisfying story of women who courageously carve out the lives they want rather than endure those prescribed for them."—Washington Post Book World


"A compelling and mesmerizing novel that will take readers on a soulful journey they will not soon forget. Smith's skillful development of the two main characters forces you to celebrate their every success, and suffer their every disappointment as if you were experiencing them yourself. A stunning debut novel." —Karen E. Quinones Miller, author of Satin Doll and Using What You Got

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Delta (February 3, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385336985
• ISBN-13: 978-0385336987
• Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 0.7 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,258,654 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Big House, January 3, 2003

By 

Dawn R Reeves "tamardi" (Harrisburg, PA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Friday Nights at Honeybee's (Hardcover)

On a Friday night at Honeybee McColor's you will find a "gather" which includes good food, good conversation and good music among some of the best black musicians in Harlem. Set in the early 1960's, Friday Night At Honeybee's is a musical anthology of that time.

This story revolves around two characters that arrive at Honeybee's brownstone after literally running away from home. Told in alternating chapters, Forestine Bent and Viola Bembrey are running from the consequences of their actions in their homes. As a child Forestine always relished the music around her. She practiced with the best and dreamed about a life of singing and traveling. Her Achilles heel is her narrow-mindedness. Viola has an angelic voice but was relegated to life as a deacon's wife. One incident had her branded and forced from her southern hometown. Viola, provided with the name and address of Honeybee McColor, arrives in Harlem under duress and fear. Together, these two woman deal with their demons and their guilt to form a friendship rich in loyalty. With the assistance of Honeybee, Willa and Vernon, the other inhabitants at Honeybee's brownstone, Forestine and Viola definitely come into their own as woman of that time.

This is an interesting novel told in a fluid, symphonic and dramatic tone. Ms Smith provides the reader with Forestine and Viola's family history, which guides the reader in understanding their plights. The reader is also provided with a wealth of musical knowledge as it pertains to the history of blues and finally jazz. This is an excellent portrayal of 1960 Harlem, its music and the musical accomplishments of that time.

Reviewed by Dawn R. Reeves, APOOO BookClub

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Friday Nights at Honeybee's, January 17, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Friday Nights at Honeybee's (Hardcover)

This story is joyful and heartfelt simultaneously, exciting as well as realistic. It was gripping to the extent of not wanting to put the book down and to continue into the lives of the characters. Reading about the lives of the two women that was vividly told, I found that I was able to relate to parts of their lives. Parts that were sad as well as celebrated. I cried, laughed and felt the many different emotions that were expressed through the characters. I wish that I were there at Honeybee's house to experience some of the joys, food, music and ambience of the house. This book is worthy of five stars and more. The new author Andrea Smith has the techniques and skills to inspire further contributions to literature.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars HONEYBEE'S, February 14, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Friday Nights at Honeybee's (Hardcover)

THIS EXCELLENT, WELL WRITTEN PIECE OF WORK KEPT MY ATTENTION THROUGHOUT. IT IS ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS I'VE EVER READ. THE AUTHOR'S WAY OF WRITING REMINDED ME SO MUCH OF MICHELE A. BOWEN'S "CHURCH FOLK", BERNICE MCFADDEN'S "SUGAR", AND ZORA HURSTON'S "THERE EYES WERE WATCHING GOD".