Customer Reviews

A Taste of Reality

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

 

 

In the Chicago area, Anise believes she lives the perfect yuppie life. She has a loving marriage to pharmaceutical executive David and a rewarding human resources job. However, when she is passed over for a promotion in her department by someone with much less experience and education then her, she begins to question her assessment of her life. Anise feels she is a victim of either racial or gender discrimination since she has three years HR experience and an MBA while the selected person has no HR experience and an undergraduate degree. However, he had the most important criteria: white male.

David wants her to forget work and discrimination to concentrate on starting a family. Though hurt by his cavalier attitude about her career, Anise becomes even more disappointed as she also realizes that David is having an affair probably during his frequent business trips. Ignoring her broken heart instead of seeking family bliss, she decides to prove to her boss he made a mistake.

In many ways Anise is a modern day African American female equivalent to Job as almost overnight her idyllic life turns into a series of modern day trials testing her heart and soul and at times overwhelms the audience. Anise is a superb protagonist confronted with job discrimination, a cheating spouse, and her best friend with her own troubles and agenda that harm the heroine further. Fans will root for Anise to stay her course though everyone pressures her to quit, but the key to this terrific plot is the deft handling of job discrimination that showcases the talent of Kimberla Lawson Roby to entertain while focusing on a real issue.

Harriet Klausner

what happened did she get back with david? did they get a divorce? did frank go back to his wife (who if you remember walked out on him)? just when the book was really starting to get good it ends. you were just left hanging. i really hope there is going to be a sequel.

I figure I could at least save other readers by making the same mistake in thinking this was an interracial romance book. I mean in a sense it was, but it had mainly to do with racial discrimination in the work place. I did find the story interesting but it was not what I thought it would be. I thought like all interracial books it would be boy meets girl, girl tries to reject boy, boy tries desperately to convince girl, girl comes around and they live happily ever after, which by the way I am getting tired of as well. But for the most part I did like the main character, Anise. She was smart and determined and I loved her strong willed nature. But I did feel misled when reading the book and the ending was not very good. It was as if the author decided to end the discrimination victoriously and forgot about the romance.

I enjoy the way Kimberly Lawson Roby writes. Her stories almost make you feel you are reading something real. I enjoy all her books.

Anise was determined and rightfully so!! She demonstrates that you don't mess with a sista. Thank You Kimberla....you have done it again, girl!! You are one of the best authors!! I sincerely enjoy your books!!

This is my first Kimberla Lawson Roby book and it was her first written from what I could find. It was simply delightful. I thought I wasn't going to like it but the more I read the more I was drawn into Anise and her trip to realizing she was one awesome woman. I would like to know what happened after the book ended but that is the sign of a good book, it keeps you wanting more. Buy it if you have the chance. I am moving on to her next book now.

It wasn't one of Kimberla's best books. It had a good story line and it touched on one of America's biggest issue. However it abruptly ended without really resolving all of the story lines.

This is the second book of the author's I read. I first read Here and Now and I must say A Taste of Reality is better. I really did not like Here and Now I found the story a bit unrealistic and depressing however, I would not let that stop me from reading another one of her novels. Although, I think A Taste of Reality is better I do not qualify the book as great. It is an average book, good read, but once you put it down you'll forget the story.

I have a few issues with the book; the lack of character development, the unrealistic characters, and lastly the authors depressing story. I know every story cannot have a Happily Ever After...but man, Ms. Lawson-Roby can you give the reader some hope.

Once again another depressing tale, I didn't put the book down, but be weary.

I have read all of Ms. Roby's books. I have enjoyed her stories and characters....... up until this book.

This book felt like a whiney story about discrimination. It went on and on. Nothing new was happening. Repetitive statements and rehashing the same complaint to every other character. Discrimination at work, from her husband, at the gym, at the scene of a traffic accident, etc. Enough!!! Get on with the story. I was bored with this book. Definitely not one of her better ones.

This book to me is one of her best that I have read so far. This is the second book I read by her and I have to say I love it. She really out did herself. I hope she rights a part two, although it was a good ending I was left wondering what was going to happen next. Everyone should read this it deals with real life issues that happens everyday she really out done herself.