Mama's Girls (Sepia) [Paperback]

JANETTE M LOUARD (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Sepia (July 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1583142584
• ISBN-13: 978-1583142585
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,985,247 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Pains of a Childhood, July 19, 2002

By 

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

This review is from: Mama's Girls (Sepia) (Paperback)

What seems like a simple story of three sisters raised by their maternal grandmother, Mama Laurel, in Cleveland, Ohio turns out to be a complicated mix of personalities and situations resulting in the attempted suicide of the youngest sister. To further complicate matters, is the paternal grandmother's arrival from North Carolina after the suicide attempt.

Mama Laurel and Gram Naomi hate each other; neither could ever agree on how to raise the children "properly." Because of buried secrets and the need to protect the family name, Olivia, the baby of the girls, is forced to forge ahead, forget about it, say nothing! Unable to handle her grief, she attempts suicide. The suicide attempt is what brings each character full circle. Realizing their behavioral flaws and what part they may have played in the suicide attempt, each woman has some sort of resurrection so that the healing can begin for all.

McCarthy Louard has written a plausible novel with characters that you love to hate and characters that you care about and root for. She is able to pull you into their lives with some action packed drama. This is a good novel from a first time novelist because it exposed a topic that is not often discussed honestly and intelligently.......Reviewed by Dawn R. Reeves, APOOO BookClub

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A REAL DELIGHT, August 1, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Mama's Girls (Sepia) (Paperback)

I liked this novel on many fronts: it was an emotional read, it was well written and it was filled with timely examples of getting beyond the pains and issues in our life. When I read the last page and closed the book, I was smiling because it was a "feel good" book to me.

It made me feel good that a debut writer had taken the time to involve me into all the characters lives, characters that rang true and were three dimensional. It made me feel good that the resolutions weren't pat and the situations and the emotions were fully explored. It made me feel good that the book reaffirmed that love and the love of family can conquer even when family members don't necessary have all the answers or even the right ones.

I truly enjoyed this novel by Janette McCarthy Louard. She is a an author to watch and I am looking forward to many more stories from her.

Peace,
Margaret Johnson-Hodge
author of "True Lies"

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome Book!, March 19, 2003

By 

Charmaine M. Miller (Wilmington, DE United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mama's Girls (Sepia) (Paperback)

I really enjoyed reading Mama's Girls. I had been looking forward to reading this book because I had heard so much about it. Once I got the opportunity to read it I was captivated. It was difficult to put it down because I wanted to get to the end quickly. This book tells the story of family love and what we are all encouraged to do, help one another in times of crises. The Bible tells us to love each other as we love ourselves. Louard illustrated that we should all put a high priority on family. Although, the characters portrayed in this book did not appear to be extremely close in the beginning, their love for each other brought them to a point where they were willing to sacrifice everything for the love of family. I believe the author did an excellent job portraying each character. I am especially drawn to Brynne, the oldest of the three sisters. She is going through a time of renewal and she is willing to take some risks to discover her true self. Grandma Laurel is a lot like many of the West Indian grandmothers and mothers I know. They have a strong resolve and they will go to the ends of the earth for their families. Laurel is further characterized as a strong, independent and feisty woman who took on the tremendous task of raising her three granddaughters. It is Laurel's faith in God that takes her through the ordeal she is confronted with. Congratulations Janette McCathy Louard for penning such a great first novel. I loved the ending and I am looking forward to the sequel.