Customer Reviews

God Still Don't Like Ugly

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Mary Monroe's highly anticipated sequel, GOD STILL DON'T LIKE UGLY, does not disappoint. The story picks up with some familiar faces from God Don't Like Ugly and includes a few new characters for a little extra spice. The protagonist, Annette Goode is still plagued by memories of her abuse at the hands of Mr. Boatwright and the devious deeds that her best friend Rhoda performed. Annette also has unresolved feelings towards her father for abandoning his family for a white woman. Because of all the pain and grief she has endured, this novel finds a stronger, more confident Annette who is able to cope with all the twists, turns, and pitfalls that life has to offer. In this novel, she will learn about true love, true friendship, and the lessons that you cannot escape from your past and that "what goes around comes around."

Although a sequel, GOD STILL DON'T LIKE UGLY, recounts much of the story for new readers without being redundant. It is definitely a stand-alone book. If you did not read the first novel, you will not be lost trying to figure out characters or plots in order to follow the story line. Mary Monroe has again woven a cast of colorful, unforgettable characters. She intertwines humor and a bit of romance while tackling intense social issues such as rape, child abandonment, prostitution, and racial tensions. Fans of Monroe will be delighted with her newest novel. My only disappointment came when the last page had been turned.

Reviewed by Latoya Carter-Qawiyy
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

God Still Don't Like Ugly by Mary Monroe is the long awaited sequel to God Don't Like Ugly. The book is the continuing saga of Annette Goode, her family, and her misfit band of friends as she returns to Richland, Ohio after running away to preserve her sanity nearly a decade earlier. Although Annette has matured and gained more self-confidence, she still harbors the mental and emotional scars left by the pedophile, Mr. Boatwright, and the murderous antics of her best friend, Rhonda.

The story opens with Annette making a step toward reconciliation; she travels to Miami to visit with the father who abandoned her and her mother over 30 years ago and meets her long lost half-sister, Lillimae. The reconciliation theme continues throughout the story as she reconnects with childhood friends Pee-Wee (who she embraces) and Rhonda, the murderer (who she destperately tries to avoid). However, drama still clings to Annette like a shadow and her life becomes more complicated by the misdeeds of her jaded past, an ill-matched love affair with a penny pincher, and an altercation with a suspected pedophile. However, Annette is not alone in her despair; there is an expression, "misery loves company," and Monroe manifests its essence equally in the subplots involving Lillimae, Rhonda, and newfound friend,Jean.

The author skillfully marries the reconciliation theme with one of forgiveness and redemption as demonstrated at the climax of the novel when Annette's past life as a prostitute jeopardizes her wedding. This event triggers a collapse of the wall of lies she has built, and opens a floodgate of truth the enables healing for every wounded character. Sacred secrets are revealed, testimonies are shared, and lost loves are reunited. Annette learns that the truth liberates and the dark cloud of gloom slowly dissipates from her life toward the end of the book, the sun was finally shining in her life after nearly forty years of impediments.

This novel is filled with many unforeseen twists and turns which makes it a page-turner. It proved to be a much anticipated and extremely satisfying follow-up novel, so much so that I do not think Mary Monroe fans will be disappointed.

Reviewed by Phyllis
APOOO BookClub, The Nubian Circle Book Club

I read God Don't like Ugly a while back, so I couldn't quite remember all of the details. Reading this sequel brought all of the old memories back to me. Annette Goode is an overweight adult who has a lot of emotional baggage leftover from a childhood that no one would ever dream of. For 10 years, she was molested by a pedophile in her own home and made to feel inferior to other people because of her looks and weight. She returned to her old home to resolve some of the things that she ran away form and mostly to confront Rhoda, her childhood friend that not only killed her molester Mr. BoatWright, but 4 others that she admitted to. Mary Monroe makes us fell all warm as she tells the Story of Annette Goode and shows us again that GOD STILL DON"T LIKE UGLY!! Please buy this book.

I must say that in my opinion, " God Still Don't Like Ugly" was excellent! It answered so many questions readers had after reading "God Don't Like Ugly" by Mary Monroe. This book had all of the elements of the first one: tragedy,triumph, and humor.
The main character finally has resoulution to many of the problems that plagued her in the first book.

This second book starts with Annette Goode, the main character. She is 35 at the beginning of the book and has finally had contact with the father who abandoned her and her mother 30+ years ago. She finally makes peace with him and her half brothers and sisters. She also finally makes amends with the infamous Rhoda, and readers find out more about her relationship with Pee-Wee. Many of the old characters, such as her mother, ma'dear, Scary Mary, etc. are there to lend support as always. The reader will get to laugh and cry with Annette about some of the new characters such as Jerome, Vinnie, and a little girl who bares a striking resemblence to Annette when she was a child.

Annette is so dynamic in the way she takes all of her life experiences and makes the best out of the life that she has been given. And in the end, what's so important is that she still can love others. I guess I love this book, because it is real, and the main character is definitely no victim. She is a survivor.

In "Good Sill Don't Like Ugly" Mary Monroe bridges the gap created in the minds of readers of "God Don't Like Ugly." The reader gets the opportunity to see how Annette has grown and how she deals with things as an adult. Considering her childhood experiences, Annette ends up becoming a mature and somewhat balanced and beautiful human being.

I would recommend this book to everyone.

We meet up with Annette Good five years later. The sequel is about reunions, forgiveness and facing the past, and looking ahead to the future. Facing the past means having to own up to past transgressions and accepting responsibility for your actions. What I enjoyed about this book was if you did not read the first book, you were able to thoroughly enjoy this book because Monroe was really good about rehashing parts of "God Don't like Ugly".

I consider myself a fan of Mary Monroe's work. I really loved God Don't Like Ugly, and I was excited when I found out that there would be a sequel. Now that I've read it, I would have to say that I'm rather disappointed. Those who have read the first book already, as I have, will find themselves skipping large sections of the book, since Monroe retells much of the story from the previous novel, sometimes needlessly. The book has other flaws as well: there is an excessive use of racial and regional stereotypes with the characters, and distasteful racial epithets are used more often than I think was necessary. In addition, some details of the story just don't "add up." For example, could a person (Jerome) with a criminal record involving drug use and sex with an underaged teenaged girl really get employment as a high school guidance counselor??? But I'm willing to give the benefit of the doubt here: the editor should probably take some of the blame. After all, at the very minimum, a story should at least make sense. Maybe the first book set the bar too high for this one to reach. If you read the first book, you will probably want to read this one, if only to satisfy your curiosity, just don't expect too much.

Once I open the book the pages never stopped turning I read the entire book all in one day. I am a huge fan of mary monroe. She has out done herself again touching on the issues of life, death,love,pain, and the healing process that we must all go through at one stage or another in our life to get over these issues. She hit the nail on the head by simply saying that the choices you make in life will come back to haunt you in way or another, weather it comes in a good form or a bad one we all must pay that price.

This was one of the best books I have ever read. The first one was dynamic but htis sequel hit the nail on the head. Ms. Monroe made you feel as if you were in the book right tere living Annettes life with her. She still had her share of tragedies but she overcame them and finally found happiness in the end. I am so glad that she didi not marry cheapass Jerome. She and Peewee were meant fro each other. I can not sing the praises of this book enough. I hope there is a third one in the works!?

If you loved "God Don't Like Ugly" you will absolutely LOVE "God Still Don't Like Ugly".
The sequels picks up with the heroine Annette who is fighting her past demons while trying to maintain a stable grasp on her current life. The cast of characters from the previous book - Ma Dear, Rhoda, Pee Wee, Scary Mary are all featureed in this sequel. We're also introduced to Annette's father and half siblings in this book.
The story line is ripe with drama, intrigue and some hurtful momemts for Annette. In the end the book teaches us that we have to deal with our past (and atone for our actions) if we are to be happy in our lives. And finally - that God Still Don't Like Ugly.

Mary Monroe writes about real people I think any reader can relate to her books. She writes reality fiction. Her characters have stayed with me from each one of her novels that I have read. We also must know that everyone can not write a sequel. She does not disappoint as she gives ys the update on old characters and introduces new characters. One new character Jerome who is courting Annette makes you want to smack him until the whitemeat shows. But he gets his in the end. Annette after all she has been through ends up blessed at the end. And well I won't say anymore but GO TO THE BOOKSTORE AND BUT THIS BOOK!!!!!