Open Weave [Paperback]

Devorah Major (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 1997

While her family, including a psychic mother and a gifted grandmother, await the return of Imani on her seventeenth birthday, Imani supports a best friend, who has just revealed that she is pregnant. Reprint. K. LJ.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Vivid, concise descriptions of revelatory moments distinguish major's first novel, which otherwise suffers from lack of narrative momentum. In the Western town of Buttonhole, a small group of friends and family prepares for a birthday party. Awaiting the return of the teenage Imani, who has disappeared with her troubled, pregnant friend, Amanda, are Imani's grandmother, Ernestine More, the blind matriarch known for her powerful beliefs and intricately woven fabrics, and her mother, Iree, who suffers from prophetic but debilitating seizures. Also present are Ernestine's brother, Jeremiah, a local handyman, and two family friends. To pass the time, the would-be partyers tell stories about their pasts and remember Ernestine's son, Ezekiel, who vanished years ago under suspicious circumstances but who remains for Ernestine the bulwark that "shores up a family splintered and stunted." The group also reminisces about the close friendship between Imani and Amanda, who, as she prepares for her baby, must resolve her feelings about having been abandoned by her mother, unacknowledged by her father and left to grow up in others' homes. Iree's climactic vision and Amanda's health crisis abruptly close the narrative, which comes off like a collection of short stories bound together by a plot line that is neither consistently interesting nor clear. Some of these stories are gems, but a less cluttered setting would have made them shine all the more.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

This first novel hones in on the members of an extended African American family?especially the women?and the joys and sorrows that hold them together. Down-to-earth, gritty, and honest, the story shows how these women weather difficult situations by relying on one another for love and support. Although grandmother Ernestine is blind, she has the extraordinary ability to look into a person's soul. Her daughter, Iree, can see into the future during epileptic seizures. And Iree's daughter, Imani, demonstrates wisdom beyond her years as she helps her best friend through a difficult pregnancy. The language in this book has an eloquent, lyrical quality that pulls you right into the story; it's not surprising that Major is a poetry teacher and editor. Highly recommended for academic and public libraries.?Lisa Nussbaum, Euclid P.L., Ohio
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Berkley (February 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425156656
• ISBN-13: 978-0425156650
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 4.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,415,790 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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