Customer Reviews

A Place For Ida

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
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Patricia Richardson has penned a prize winning saga entitiled "A Place For Ida". The novel traces the horrendous early childhood and teen years of a beautiful young girl while making the attempt to survive/exist in both South Carolina and New York. However, Ida keenly faces these gruesome trials and tribulations which include parental abandoment, racism, extreme financial hardships, rape and basically a loveless life. Dealing with the challenging and enormous negative issues, Ida finally realizes that primarily her prayers, as well as her wonderful Grandmother Carrie's prayers are responsible for her survival. Surprising events occur throughout this great read. This heart breaking novel will brings tears to the readers eyes and will also provide a great benefit to one's literary exposure. "A Place for Ida" is truly a rare work of art.

Reviewed by Emily Means-Willis

Author of "Looking for that Silver Spoon"

In her debut novel, author, Patricia Richardson conducts a a heart wrenching trip from South Carolina to New York City that spans more than a decade. Ida has been denied the most precious of things needed to thrive, love. The sole source of solace comes from the maternal grandmother. Carrie finds herself, at an age and physical condition where she should finally be able to relax, carrying the weight of her offspring and theirs as well. Relying solely on her faith in God, Carrie provides for her charges often hindered by their parents' shortcomings. In a racist South, during the turbulent 60's, she does the best she can with what is available.

Despite her very obvious physical beauty Ida is shunned and mistreated by all of the females in her family (except Carrie). She pretty much experiences only the negative aspects of her birthright. Fortunately, the men in her life seem to appreciate her but are often too busy just trying to survive to give her the kind of affection Ida's soul cries out for.

Today one can turn to any one of the daytime talk shows and hear young, troubled, teenaged girls potentially destroying their lives in futile attempts to get attention or unconditional love.

A Place For Ida will make you want to holler. She suffers several deeply traumatic incidents and in her suffering grows into her adult self. Her family,in much need of healing and redemption will be inadvertently forced to see themselves in a new light.

I found the story to be compelling and only wished she had shown more of the story that was told in narrative. It should be a great movie some day and I look forward to reading more books by Patricia Richardson.

A Place For Ida is a wonderfully written book that tears at your heart strings. It takes you on a roller coaster ride of emotions as you read as Ida struggles to find her place and purpose in life. Both Ida's mother and father distance themselves from her life and leave her at an early age to be raised by her very spiritual and loving grandmother Carrie. Ida's innocence is in tact until she comes across Billy. Billy quickly becomes the love of her life and introduces her to sex. There are several erotic scenes in the book that leaves the reader with a vivid picture of what's taking place without being vulgar. When Ida's life takes a turn for the better it serves as a ray of hope and inspiration for anyone going through trials and tribulations. I am anxiously awaiting the sequel. This book is well written and I would give it 5 out of 5 stars!!!!!

I have read this book twice and I love it. I could not book the book down it was great. I really wish I could see "A Place for Ida" on film-b/c I believe that this book will make a great movie. It is suspensfull, erotic, thrilling, and exciting. I would recommend this book to everyone. Great Job

Ida offers hope and inspiration to us all in times of adversity. A great pleasure to read. Ida possesses the strength that we all wish we had during troubled times. I recommend this book to all those who feel hopeless and defeated.

Ida is coming of age during a time where little black girls don't get the respect that one could throw in the wind. Being the baby of a large poor family in the 60's doesn't help her wavering self esteem. When her neglected soul receives some very much needed attention from the opposite sex, the fact that she is very young does not deter her eagerness to want to soak it up like a sponge.

This was such an endearing tale. My heart just went out to Ida as I saw her go through issue after issue and it seemed as though she would never catch a break. It reminded me of reading Donald Goines's book `Black Girl Lost'. The era was so different and you can always find stories of black empowerment and how we overcame during this time. But it's seldom to see a poor family just trying to get by and keep their family together in the south when everyone is running up north.

The only critique I have is that the formatting of the book made it a little difficult to follow the story at times. For example in the same chapter some characters would be talking in one paragraph and be in South Carolina and in the next paragraph a different character would be talking and in New York. All in all the book was very interesting and held my interest through to the end.

Reviewed by:

Nikkea Smithers

RWA Bookclub President

[...]

A Place for Ida is one book that you are sure to not be able to put down. The main character Ida is a young women coming of age searching in looking for love. Little does she know if was going to take a journey of heartaches and confusion before she could truly be happy. Patricia Richardson not only is a great story teller, the epic for which she created was so dynamically put together I was blown away by every detail. A true page turner indeed, that will surely keep you guessing until the very last page.

Tamika Newhouse

AAMBC President-Founder

A Place For Ida is the story of a teenage girl who wants to be loved, after being rejected by both her parents, she is raised by her grandmother in a racist South Carolina community during the 1960s. Ida's desire for love leads her down a difficult path of emotional highs and lows. She seeks love from her sisters who despise her, from a mother who has placed as many miles as she could between them and finally from an older man. She is a lonely girl who fills her time daydreaming about love. Billy Jasper was Ida's first love. He is the one who brings great joy and overwhelming sorrow to Ida's life. This book addresses the issue of how important it is for young girls to have a male figure in their lives.

This story details the trials and times of young Ida Jenkins. Set in south Carolina during the 1960's, "A Place for Ida" makes vivid the segregation of blacks and whites and the trauma of racism while telling a poignant strory of a black girl looking for acceptance and love. Ida goes through so much in this book, much more than many women do in their entire lives: one could easily be brought to tears reading of her plights.

The cover is simple yet stunning and the title tells of the story in itself. "Ida" is proof, first time author Patricia Richardson has a flair for the art of writing. The editing or lack thereof was the only drawback to this strongly written story. Exellent read.

Englishruler

ARC Book Club Inc.

Star Rating: 5 Stars

Wow! I have been reading some good books lately...here's another one. Patricia Richardson is one of many authors I recently met at a literary event. The beautiful picture of a black princess on the cover of "A Place For Ida" made me question her about her book. Ultimately I took the book home and read it in one day.

Ida is the youngest of five brothers and sisters who live in South Carolina. Their father James abandons the family for another woman and mother Harriet quickly becomes a bitter woman. After a family tragedy her bitterness towards young Ida (who resembles her father) increases and Harriet leaves her children behind with their religious grandmother Carrie, and heads for New York.

Ida is left to come of age not ever knowing her father, and wondering why her family does not seem to love her.

This story tells of racism, religion, rape, pregnancy, love, sex and forgiveness. With likeable characters such as Billy, Ida's older boyfriend and grandma Carrie your heart will embrace this story and experience the highs and lows along with Ida as she walks the lonely road to find A Place For Ida.