Customer Reviews

Red on a Rose: A Novel

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

 

 

I struggled through this novel because I loved PASSING and looked forward to reading Ms. Jones' latest work. I have to say that I was very disappointed. The story line was very interesting but it took so long to get to the climax that the build up was hardly worth it.
The premise of a black doctor's struggle between his obligation as a healer and with being faced with saving a horrible bigot is not a new one but I was hoping that the story would have done more to satisfy the appetite. Jones brought you in, held you and then finished in a very uninspired way. The relationships between the women characters were strong and I liked that, but overall the book was a letdown.
C.M. Miller, author---Taxes, Death, & Trouble

I have got to say that this has been the most boring book I have ever read. I am an avid reader, it is not unlike me to finish a novel in a single day but this book, I could not get into. I found it extremely boring. I had to give up, it was an effort to read it. I never even made it to the halfway mark. The characters are dry and uninteresting. The author spends way too much time describing everything, what the building looks like, what Lila is thinking, why Lila's husband (can't remember his name) became a doctor, blah, blah, blah. The characters don't have conversations, they just think all the time. I'm glad I found this book on the clearance rack for $$$ otherwise I would of returned it but alas, all is not lost, I have a wobbly table that could use some balance.

Patricia Jones tells a story of Lila, who was born and bred in an upper-class household, and Jack, poverty stricken throughout childhood but propels his way to become a renowned cardio-thoracic surgeon. They fall in love and marry in a matter of six months.

Their marriage was the epitome of all until a tragedy befalls them. In the beginning of their downfall, Lila and Jack lack the essential communication skills needed to overcome crucial issues in their relationship. As Lila and Jack take different mental paths, their reconnection becomes aloof. What will it take to bring them back together again?

Although the novel was captivating with many twists, its pace was a bit slow and drawn out.

Red on a rose is the sequel to Passing. Lila is now married to Dr. Jack Calloway, and has her own on-line reading program. When Jack makes, a decision that Lila don't agree with, the marriage starts to suffer. This book give us a look at other problems that might come up in marriage beside cheating, or money problems.

I have to be honest and say I have not finished this book, and quite frankly, I have no motiviation to. The story is slow moving, and the story just drags. It's repetative, and I'm finding the main character Lila Calloway more than annoying, she is getting impossible to bare. I'm more than half way through, and it took me almost 3 months to get this far. I ususally finish a book in no more than 2 weeks, depending on how much time I have. I almost want the husband to leave her now. She throws temper tantrums like a child, and has too much time on her hands. I hope the meetings with the woman at the baseball games leads to something because those interactions are dull and pointless at this point. I feel like if Lila's not going to accept what her husband did, then leave him, if you are, then stay and move on with your life. I only bought this book because I enjoyed "Passing" so much. It had great story lines, and the pace was perfect. In this book, with so much focus being on one person, she's coming off as being self-centered and spoiled. I'm not sympathetic to her character at all. I'm going to hang in there with this book no matter how boring, and hope there's so sort of pay-off no matter how long it takes me.

This book could have been good. It starts off well. You have Lila now married to this successful,handsome doctor. They live well. They even give back to the community with him helping those who cannot otherwise pay for medical attention by visiting them at home, and giving them the medication they need. Lila has an internet Children's Story Hour that is a hit with the kids. while out on their Saturday good deeds, he meets up with these white guys that call him "Dr.Porch Monkey", when one of the guys have a heart attack and Jack leaves him to die without offering assistance, it brings a citywide furor and a chasm in Jack's and Lila's marriage. Eulelie is back as well as Gil(who is much more suited and liked in the book),the redeeming point of the book comes at the end when the elderly father of the heart attack victim comes into Jack's office and gives him a lesson that has a surprising twist. Now, for a minute, I was ready to put the book down and call it a day,yet, something told me to keep on and I wasn't disapppointed. One part of me wanted to tell Lila to grow up, and maybe this is what she needed to grow up. But with the dillemmas that Lila go through, it bogs the book down. Hang in there if you get it.

It too long for the story to develop but overall it was o.k. If the author would have been alive to finish the story it would have been a better read.

This book was terrible. I bought it for $1 in the bargain book stacks at my university. I was and still am very disappointed. I read it and still don't know what the book is about. The story was ridiculous. I can't wait to get rid of it and I am never one to give my books away. :(

I loved Passing! As a matter of fact I just re-purchased it since I never did get the copy back that I loaned out years ago and I really enjoyed the story. Red on a Rose was a nose dive from Passing and quite disappointing. The story line was almost if not depressing to me. I will have to read the author's 3rd book it looks like that I just noticed and see if it meets the same interest as Passing did.

This book focused entirely too much on two characters. After a while, I got bored with both characters, especially, Lila Calloway. Unlike her first book, Passing, I never learned more about what the characters were all about. Their thought processes, feelings, and reasoning behind their actions lacked depth. Unlike her other book, there was not really a plateau, just a regular story line without many peaks. A decent book for book club discussion, but not necessarily an interesting book for reading "entertainment".