Ugly Ways [Hardcover]

Tina McElroy Ansa (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 26, 1993

In the sequel to Baby of the Family, the daughters of Mudear Lovejoy--strong sister Betty, restless and divorced Emily, and TV anchorwoman Annie Ruth, pregnant out of wedlock--gather in her house to mourn her death. 15,000 first printing.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A trio of African American sisters reunite for their mother's funeral in this sometimes poignant but often tedious second novel by the author of Baby of the Family . Joining their father in Mulberry, Ga., the women share bitter memories of domineering "Mudear," who made her family's life virtually intolerable after she had a mental breakdown they refer to as The Change. Betty, the eldest, takes charge of the burial preparations; divorced Emily appears to be on the verge of nervous collapse herself; and Annie Ruth, a West Coast TV anchorwoman, is pregnant and plagued by nightmarish visions of cats. Their father, Ernest Lovejoy, has become a passive shell of the man he was after years of Mudear's browbeating, but that relationship holds the key to an understanding of his dead wife's attitude towards men and the world. Ansa constructs a convincing portrait of a woman so angry she seems to speak from the grave, but the graceless prose does not convey the emotional impact of Mudear's cruelty. Despite rich characterizations and flashbacks that reveal each family member's secrets, this often static narrative fails to hold the reader's interest.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

Three black sisters reunite in their Georgia hometown to embrace, scream, smoke, contemplate suicide, and swap clothes while preparing for their mother's funeral--in a rambling follow-up to Ansa's Baby of the Family (1989). Esther Lovejoy has died at last, and her three daughters- -Betty, the ultra-reliable owner of a pair of beauty salons; Emily, the lonely, unstable researcher who longs for love; and Annie Ruth, the pretty youngest whose job as an L.A. TV anchorwoman is driving her nuts--rush home to begin rehashing their traumatic childhood memories in the hope of laying them to rest. Ruled with an iron hand by Esther, who insisted they call her ``Mudear'' (baby talk for ``my dear''), the three Lovejoy girls learned the hard way to hold their heads high, work hard, and, whatever happened, never to trust a man--even while Mudear herself spent her days as a voluntary shut-in, watching TV, taking naps, and wearing negligees while her husband worked in the chalk mines to support her. Tormented by a mother whose belief that ``she was above the laws of God and man,'' to say nothing of her habit of gardening only by moonlight, caused tongues to wag all over town, the Lovejoy girls nevertheless grew up to forge successful, independent lives while their father faded into the background, muttering about ``womens taking over [his] house.'' As each daughter (and, occasionally, the shrill, judgmental ghost of Mudear herself) recollects those long- gone years, the source of Mudear's familial power is revealed, the daughters' lifelong resentments aired, and the father's suffering at last relieved, resulting in a happy funeral for one and all. A tale of dysfunction that opens with a bang--but repetitive, episodic, and, in the end, less illuminating than it might have been. -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; 1st edition (July 26, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0151925534
• ISBN-13: 978-0151925537
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,457,304 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A book that will make you laugh and cry at the same time., September 29, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Ugly Ways (Paperback)

I loved reading this story. I felt it was thought provoking as well as an entertaining read. The things that Muhdear did to her girls reminds me of a hurt soul who suffered herself and did not know how to treat her husband nor her children. I found it incredible how the girls found love and joy within and where able to triumpth over the rough childhood to excel and become the women they were meant to become.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A hilarious, sometimes jaw-dropping tale of the Mulberry, Georgia peaches, July 14, 2007

By 

G. Hill (Farmington Hills, MI (Detroit)) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ugly Ways (Paperback)

I love this book. I give it 5 stars for being a thoroughly entertaining page turner. The author's style makes this a fast, fun and easy read. If you are reading this book in public, invariably someone will walk up, notice the title and start laughing out loud. You won't regret buying this one.

I called my own Mom in the midst of reading it and said, "I'll explain later but I just want to thank you for NOT being Mudear."

We discussed Ugly Ways during my recent vacation to visit family in Georgia. I'm ordering copies so we can all read this book together. I'm sure I'll enjoy it the second time around just as much. It's probably been over 10 years since I read it and it still sticks in head as one of the most fun novels I've ever read.

This novel is not as profound and deeply disturbing as a good Morrison novel (whose books I absolutely LOVE reading), but Mudear IS a real case study. Which makes "Ugly Ways," a memorable novel it's own right. You'll never, ever forget Mudear and what happens when she goes through her "change" (hint: it's NOT about menopause).

Buy this book. Have a good time. You deserve it.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars BRAVO!!!!, March 17, 2003

By 

Y. Stewart... (Edmond, OK United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ugly Ways (Paperback)

I loved it, loved it, LOVED IT!!! Mudear reminds me so much of one of my relatives that it's not funny. Mrs. Ansa's writing style is refreshing and profound. Great book and I look even more forward to the movie.