Splendid [Paperback]

Melissa Brown Levine (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 27, 2000

Splendid is the story of women facing their demons and either being destroyed by them or growing as a result of the internal and external struggles. Splendids marriage is in danger of dissolution due to the secret her husband, Sean, has kept regarding the molestation he endured as a child by his mother. They separate and during this time Splendid suffers a miscarriage. Crystal is in the final stages of a lengthy and painful divorce originating with the abandonment of her son, Askia and herself by her ex-husband, Ray. She has developed such a deep rage and loathing for Ray that she takes the idea of killing him to its extreme. Opal is a lesbian who has had little luck in her relationships with her lovers or her father. However, she has given herself permission to be as she is. Opal presents as mediator providing balance throughout the piece. The reader is personally escorted through each womans story, even to the tragic death of one member of this trio.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

I have been writing for sixteen years for personal pleasure. I have completed a collection of poetry in addition to my first novel. As a single, divorced mother, I personally encounter much of the pain and struggle experienced by the women in Splendid. Currently, I am remarried, completing a masters program in counseling psychology and working on my second poetry collection.

Product Details

• Paperback: 172 pages
• Publisher: iUniverse (June 27, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 059500461X
• ISBN-13: 978-0595004614
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,915,917 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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.