Lana and Eve are sisters, raised by a mother whose past has coated them in self-doubt, anger, and mental illness. As the oldest, Lana has played the role of care giver to her baby sister and their middle brother, Curtis. Her volatile relationship with her mother has also created a tough, often cold twist in her personality. She has denied her loving husband the children he has begged for throughout their fourteen-year marriage. The revealing of the secret surrounding the abortion of her only pregnancy contributes to a change of heart in the thirty-four-year-old photographer. Eve has been coddled all of her life and has grown into an anxious, often depressed, dependant adult. She gives way when her delusion that her unborn child is a boy is proven wrong. Freedom from their mother's past comes in the form of life for one sister and death for the other.
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Editorial Reviews
About the Author
MELISSA BROWN LEVINE earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Alabama State University in Montgomery, Alabama and a Master of Arts degree in Professional Counseling from Argosy University in Atlanta, Georgia. Levine has worked in adult mental health and forensic counseling. She has written several short stories and recently completed her first romance novel, What I Want. Born in Jackson, Mississippi, the author currently lives in Hampton, Georgia with her husband and children.
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More About the Author
Melissa Brown Levine is a writer, reviewer and manuscript consultant. She has published novels, contributed to magazines, and reviewed books for several years. Levine uses her extensive academic background in developing her own writing and when evaluating the work of other writers. She holds degrees in psychology, counseling, library science, and writing.
Her diverse background enables her to review writing on a variety of subjects and to provide valuable insight about a book's integrity. Levine has reviewed all types of fiction from historic to literary to science fiction. She has also written reviews on a variety of non-fiction topics such as investing, business development, Christianity, spirituality, weight loss and eating disorders.
As a manuscript consultant, Levine brings a fresh eye to a writer's work. In her evaluation of a piece, Levine searches for strengths in character development, plot, and storytelling and uses what she learns to help writers transform their books into tightly written and critically edited pieces.
Levine currently resides in Hampton, Georgia.
Her diverse background enables her to review writing on a variety of subjects and to provide valuable insight about a book's integrity. Levine has reviewed all types of fiction from historic to literary to science fiction. She has also written reviews on a variety of non-fiction topics such as investing, business development, Christianity, spirituality, weight loss and eating disorders.
As a manuscript consultant, Levine brings a fresh eye to a writer's work. In her evaluation of a piece, Levine searches for strengths in character development, plot, and storytelling and uses what she learns to help writers transform their books into tightly written and critically edited pieces.
Levine currently resides in Hampton, Georgia.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
Living Isn't Easy,
By The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers (RAWSISTAZ.com and BlackBookReviews.net) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Problems In Living (Paperback)
PROBLEMS IN LIVING tells the story of Lana and Eve, two sisters who have struggled throughout their lives to remove the shackles of their past. The story is a family drama with a hefty sprinkling of relationship issues all of which stem from a past that is shrouded in secrecy and half truths. Lana has always played the role of protector and problem solver in the family. She is married but finds it difficult to let go of her control issues and trust that her husband will truly be their for her. Her brother Curtis is the black sheep of the family; he has had long standing addiction issues and as a result he is rather irresponsible. He is married and regularly abuses his wife in front of their small children. Eve is the fragile one in the family; she is often crippled by anxiety, depression, and other bizarre behavior. Lana's father is perfect in her eyes, yet her relationship with her mother is strained at best. Her mother's strange attitudes about women and life in general have left all three children scarred emotionally. In spite of all the family issues and the fact that the parents are divorced, the entire family gathers each week for a family dinner which often results in major drama. When the book opens, Eve is pregnant and anxious to learn the sex of her baby. Her pregnancy seems to initiate a chain of events that shakes Lana and the entire family to the very core. Lana discovers that nothing is as she thought it was and the very people she thought she was holding together had been protecting her as well.The premise of the book was excellent, my only complaint was that there were periods where the story dragged and then the ending was rushed. The character development was good for the most part, but I would have liked to have learned a little more about Eve's inner thoughts. The diverse group of characters and the various subplots added additional depth to the story line. Overall, PROBLEMS IN LIVING is an enjoyable read that has high drama without being over the top. Reviewed by Stacey Seay of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers
4.0 out of 5 stars
Problems In Living by Melissa Brown Levine,
By April May Rollins (Ashuelot, NH) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Problems In Living (Paperback)
Problems In Living captures just that. It is more than just a mere fairy tale of tv or book problems but these are real life issues and problems that are found in today's society. It is real and causes the reader to relate in many different areas. Whether it's unplanned pregnancy, family secrets or dysfunctional families, you'll find it in the world today and you'll find it in this book. What you will also find in this writing are the ways that people cope or not cope with these every day issues. Triumph and defeat are every day realities and depending on who you are and how you view life, you'll see it here.Levine has done a great job present every day life the way the way it usually happens. Reading this book makes you feel like you are just living life and solving problems and dealing with issues as in regular life. The escape in it though is that it will make you thankful if you don't have these issues. I applaud Ms. Levine for the substance that she put into her main character Lana, affectionately known as BB. BB is who most black women are today. She's strength for everybody who's weak, independent but knows how and when to be dependant to a certain extent, the nurturer for everyone but herself and she's even bull headed. She holds onto a lot of anger and disgust for a long time which holds her back in many ways. Yes, she represents the sisters very well. This is definitely an everyday story for every day people. You'll experience Lana's pain, her anger and her release as she realizes it's time to stop punishing herself and her husband Glorious. She finally releases herself to have children after all those years. And just as she does, her sister Eve who she has been protecting all their lives, takes her life as she discovers her unborn child will be a girl. Now doesn't that leave you guessing? For the whole story and a good one at that, have a seat and enjoy the work of Ms. Melissa Brown Levine. Ms. Levine, I look forward to more works from you! Latrice, Reviewer for Coffee Cramp Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
I Highly recommend this book!,
By Mahogany Book Club "Mahogany Media Review" (Albany, N.Y.) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Problems In Living (Paperback)
Problems in Living. By Melissa Brown Levine 226pages (2004)Problems in Living tells the story of Lana Howard whose scars from Lana and her sister were raised by their mother with the beliefs that being worst of all. Both Lana and her sister struggle with rejecting these This book was superb. Lana is a wonderful and complex character. You see I would highly recommend this book and hope it finds mass market success. 5 stars
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