Customer Reviews

Naked Love

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Author Darnella Ford tells an intriguing and heart-wrenching story in naked love. The story is about the tragic life of Adrian Moses, a young woman who seems to always get the short and stinking end of the stick in the game of life. The book opens with a quote from Adrian--she's falling from a building and has twenty-eight floors to tell her story. I was instantly drawn in as she refers to it as "not a suicide note; this is a suicide novel..." Wow!

The main character, Adrian, has a life that starts out bleak. Her mother died of cancer when she was two years-old and her father, Juno, is left to raise her as a single parent. Adrian has to deal with the fact that her father is comfortable with walking around in high heels and dresses and acting like a woman. His life revolves around his acting and his devotion to his daughter, but he is struggling with homosexuality and it tragically takes its toll on him. Once a blooming actor in his community--all of that is taken from him when the town finds out about his sexuality and he tragically commits suicide. Adrian is then sent to live with her white trash grandmother, Reva Joe, who was Juno's mother. And so begins the next sad journey in this young woman's life.

Reva Joe is the epitome of poor and trash. She lives in a run down house and speaks to Adrian like she is trash. The only hope that Adrian has going for her is her love of art--this keeps her pressing on. With a grandmother who seems to harbor nothing but hate for her and her deceased father, Adrian finds delight in nothing except for her dreams of becoming an artist and her newfound first love, a young bi-racial boy named Anthem. She finds life in Anthem but when her grandmother catches her and Anthem in a compromising position, she sends her away to boarding school--the next journey of Adrian's life.

Adrian manages to graduate from boarding school after experiencing a horrible experience there that ends up leaving yet another negative experience in her life. Despite this she manages to meet and fall in love with a wealthy young attorney, Michael Keifer Cage--but all that glitters is definitely not gold. She ends up having to deal with a husband that only seeks to use and degrade her, gives birth to a son that has mental problems and who seems not to love her. All hope seems to be gone until she meets up with a music teacher than can help her with her son. He ends up being a loved one from her past.

All of these experiences in life leaves Adrian yearning for one thing--love. With everything tragic that has happened in her life one would think she would get a break--yet right when she reaches the point of when she thinks life will be worth living, she loses it all. What brings her to this point? Why does she meet the same fate as her father? Twists and turns, anger, sadness, triumph, pity and hope are all feelings I felt while reading this wonderful read.
The unique way in which the story was written gets many kudos from me. It is very interesting how the author has the main character reflect on her tragic life as she descends floor by floor and lead into its tragic end. This story reads like a screenplay in the making. I definitely give this one two thumbs up and am very excited to read many more titles from Darnella Ford.

Reviewed by Coulee Eidos
APOOO BookClub

...and if you read the description of the book you know that going in. Yet and still you hope and wish and pray that something good happens along the way that changes the course of this story. It seems that from birth she has the short end of the stick and she can't quite catch a break, even when she does seem to catch a break you realize that "everything that glitters ain't gold." I found this to be a true page turned, I could feel Adrian's struggles along the way and wanted to cry along with her. I finished this book in less than two days. Definitely one of my favorites by Ms. Ford! Its not a happy book, but even if you don't love it like I did, you won't regret reading it.

The novel was well written, characters well developed, great story-teller but at times the author is writing about white people, many times, the white characters dialoque fell along the lines of black folks. It was unrealistic.

It was not a page-turner, but an interesting read. I would recommend the read.

Overall rating: 4.0

Adrian grows up in a dysfunctional environment and family. She lost her mother at a young age, her father lost his mind soon after..and her grandmother hated her father. But when Adrian has no choice but to go live with her hateful, prejudice grandmother she prays of a way out. Her way out comes in the form of boy name Anthem (Anthem is black, but when her racist grandmother catches her with him she sends her off to an all girls boarding school.

From boarding school she meets another man ..and ends her selling her soul for a big price!

I don't wanna give away too much of the story but Darnella Ford never disappoints. She told this story in a very creative and unique. All the characters leap off the page. I love all her stories. She a definitely not an author to miss!

Adrian Moses spent most of her life longing for a normal life and
craving affection, but found lost love and treachery. At the age of
two, Adrian's mother passed away from cancer. She spends the
remainder of her childhood with her father who is lost in his own
personal pursuit of an identity. Riddled with disappointment and
disillusionment, he commits suicide and leaves Adrian in the hands of
his angry, prejudiced and hateful mother, Reva Joe. Despite the
difficult times with her grandmother, Adrian found two rays of hope,
her art and her first love, Anthem. That is, until Reva Joe disrupts
everything and sends her packing to a year-round boarding school.

At boarding school, Adrian finds more horrible experiences that she
takes with her to college. In college, she meets Michael Keifer
Cage, a wealthy up and coming attorney. Their courtship ends with an
elopement and what promises to be a wonderful life. Those promises
are dashed when Adrian realizes life as Mrs. Michael Cage is just for
appearances sake. Trapped in a loveless marriage for several years
and nowhere to turn, Adrian's first love reappears again. Now with a
reason to go on living, Adrian receives a double blow once Michael
finds out.

Darnella Ford's NAKED LOVE is a symphony of words that catalogues one
woman's plight in life, as she falls prey to one tragedy after
another, before finally giving up on it all. Ford does an
excellent job of placing the reader alongside the main character in
an ingenious way. I felt the amount of anguish this one person
experienced in her lifetime. Her longing called out to me, as I
found myself searching for something to help turn the tide of events
for her. As always, Ford's books are outstanding and no one can go
wrong with this one.

Reviewed by Brenda Lisbon
of The RAWSISTAZ(tm) Reviewers

OH MY--I gotta say this has got to be one of these best books I have read this year. I agree this definitely deserves 10 stars. This story was so beautifully written! This story grabs your attention from the Prologue, and you are sucked in. Absolutely loved this book. This would make a great book for reading groups. This is not your average read, the way this story was told is mind blowing. Darnella is a natural born story-teller. BUY THIS BOOK!!!!!!!

This was a book that I wasn't able to put down. It was written in a unique way. Filled with sadness and near hope at times, it ended leaving me wanting a little more even though the main character was destined to death from the start.

Darnella this book was absolutely enjoyable. Naked Love eloquently, well written. I really felt Adrian's pain don't want to tell the story but don't let this book slip from your hand. It's a must read 10 stars and more