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37 of 38 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Married to the Moll, September 11, 2004
Working girl. Escort. Hooker. Prostitute. Call Girl. Pro. These are all words commonly used to describe women in the oldest profession in the world. However, Clyde Brooks calls his girls wives, and you'll never hear him calling himself a pimp. The six women prominently featured in Mary Monroe's latest novel, RED LIGHT WIVES, all fall into Clyde's profession in one way or another, be it lineage, circumstance, chance, or loyalty.
Ester has known Clyde for much of her life. When she was a baby, Clyde found her lying in a dumpster, left for dead. Over a decade later Ester and Clyde reunite and she becomes his first wife. But being without a family or lineage has left Ester confused about her heritage and even more confused about her purpose.
Rosalee has been haunted most of her adult life by a supposed curse that virtually wiped out her family. Upon her mother's insistence, Rosalee, her new husband, and her mother fled to escape the curse that Rosalee's mother believes in wholeheartedly. However, Rosalee's mother is rarely satisfied, and she demands that they move yet again. Rosalee's husband refuses to move and she leaves him behind and becomes a new type of wife to Clyde Brooks and a puppet to her mother.
Lula Mae seems to have a dark cloud following her in life. After witnessing her mother's loose ways and later suffering abuse from her stepmother, Lula Mae takes up with the wrong man and finds herself in a tragic situation. Her solution is to flee her problems and make a new life in a new town. But tragedy strikes yet again for Lula Mae, and she finds she must survive by any means necessary.
Rockelle's husband left her and her three children without so much as a Dear Jane letter. Feeling the need to keep up with the Joneses, Rockelle enlists her body as her moneymaker and soon finds herself married to the moll.
Mary Monroe staggeringly brought the four previously mentioned women, two others, and their manager, Clyde, to a luminous life. Monroe did not glamorize the profession, nor did she bash it. Rather, she made certain that she illustrated the good, the bad, and the ugly of being a working girl. Each character holds their voice in the story, and are never left behind or forgotten. She simplifies the sometimes-daunting task of not only introducing a large amount of protagonists, but also following them all through to the very end. RED LIGHT WIVES is a dazzling work by a masterly maven of fiction.
Reviewed by CandaceK
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers
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20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Monroe Delivers Again!, October 21, 2004
Monroe pens another hit in her latest release, Red Light Wives. As the title implies, the story centers on the complicated interrelationship of four "working" ladies and their pimp, Clyde Brooks. The story is in the telling and Monroe creates full-bodied women with sordid pasts that leave them desperate for money, affection, happiness, and independence.
As a beautiful failed model Rosalie embraces the "life" to provide for her manipulating and controlling mother who is haunted by a voodoo curse;
Ghetto fabulous Rockelle is abandoned by her husband and has a penchant to keep up with the "Joneses" at all costs;
Street-smart Ester is deserted at birth and rescued by a teenaged Clyde, her dedication and loyalty to him is obvious but flawed;
Helen, a mentally challenged girl who mimics her idol (Rockelle), relishes the physical attention from men and boys until fate catches up to her; and
Lula Mae, a country girl, has had it rough from childhood and who is rebounding from losing a lover, husband, and child finds herself penniless, alone, and in the lowest of low places when she meets Rockelle who introduces her to Clyde.
Clyde, devoted father, grandson, and womanizer provides escort services to a variety of clients.
These colorful characters have deep roots, haunting histories, and a myriad of problems that only Monroe can imagine. She taps in to the human psyche of each woman as she connives to leave Clyde and reclaim her life and dignity. Told in alternating voices and true to Monroe style, there is plenty of fast-paced drama with several surprises along the way. I found myself turning pages with anticipation to see how it would all play out. Although the subject matter may disturb some readers, she handles the subject matter with plausible respectability and decency thus delivering a seemingly tolerable, easy, and ultimately enjoyable read. Monroe has earned a place on my favorite author list - looking forward to whatever she releases next.
Reviewed by Phyllis Rhodes
APOOO Book Club
Nubian Circle Book Club
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Mary Monroe Does It Again!!, September 20, 2004
I've read all of Mary Monroe's books and will continue if her writing stays as consistent as she has shown in Red Light Wives. Ms. Monroe writes in a unique style that I can't really describe but that you know when you read her books. It's something in the words she uses to describe her characters and their thoughts that makes you feel she writes things that people think but wouldn't dare say.
I liked reading each chapter from the female's point of view that the chapter was titled. My favorite character hands down was Helen Daniels. I laughed out loud at some of the stuff she said and thought about Rocky. She was sharper than a lot of the other characters gave her credit for.
True Mary Monroe fans will appreciate this effort while new fans will want to go back and read her other works. I have to admit that God Don't Like Ugly is still my favorite but this book also did a good job with character development. As always when I finish her books much too quickly because I can't put them down, I'm ready for another book from this author!
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