Up at the College [Hardcover]

Michele Andrea Bowen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2009

Yvonne Fountain Copeland is determined to move on after her husband of fifteen years decides to leave her because their marriage became "boring." Returning to her hometown of Durham, North Carolina, Yvonne is convinced that a change of scenery will help her draw closer to God and find inner peace. Yvonne didn't know that the journey to peace would lead her to sexy, single childless basketball coach Curtis Parker.


Yvonne and Curtis soon discover that you can't find true peace and joy without God's help. What began as a series of "why me's" evolves into an extraordinary journey consisting of victory, faith, joy and love.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Yvonne Fountain Copeland, the heroine of Bowen's lamentable faithy novel, finds strength in the Lord when her husband leaves her. Back in hometown Durham, N.C., she lands a teaching job and meets Curtis Parker, who is everything she could want in a man—except he isn't saved. Curtis has his own problems, many of which are linked to his job as a college basketball coach, but with Yvonne by his side, they learn nothing's insurmountable if they have Jesus on their side. Unfortunately, the intense faith theme overwhelms every other aspect of the narrative. The characters are poorly drawn, their troubles lack urgency, and there's never a doubt about how things will turn out. (Apr.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From School Library Journal

After her husband of 15 years leaves in search of more excitement, Yvonne Fountain Copeland returns home to Durham, NC, to find peace of mind and renew her closeness with God. There, she meets basketball coach Curtis Parker, on his own spiritual journey. Featuring some characters from Holy Ghost Corner, Bowen's fourth novel is a feel-good story full of humor and hope, and readers will relate to the characters' determination to move on with their lives after facing difficulties. Recommended for public libraries, especially those with a demand for titles that feature African American characters. It may also appeal to fans of ReShonda Tate Billingsley (Let the Church Say Amen) or Sheilah Vance (Land Mines). [See Prepub Alert, LJ 3/15/08.]
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (April 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446577758
• ISBN-13: 978-0446577755
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 1 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,043,471 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Never Could Have Made It, May 3, 2009

By 

The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers (RAWSISTAZ.com and BlackBookReviews.net) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Up at the College (Hardcover)

What would you do if your husband of more than a decade suddenly comes home and says he no longer loves you and wants a divorce? If you felt that your husband was the love of your life, you would probably scream, cry and ask God why. Not Yvonne Fountain Copeland, she just looked up to God and asked him for help in handling this bad situation with her "better than thou" soon-to-be ex-husband, Dr. Darrell Copeland who dumped her for his arrogant new girlfriend. Yvonne has one person to turn to for help in giving her strength to overcome the pain of seeing her life change at a moment's notice. She has God to help her maneuver through her trials and tribulations.

Another thing about God is this; when he shows up, he shows off. Yvonne did not have a lot of time to mourn the loss of her marriage before she meets Curtis Parker, a college basketball coach who is a bachelor enjoying his lifestyle. He falls in love but until he gets right with God, he will have challenges in trying to win basketball games and dealing with the spiritual warfare his soul is fighting.

UP AT THE COLLEGE is an okay read. What started as a fast read immediately slowed down with heavy continuous drawn out dialogue. I felt I was being preached to. Unlike Michele Andrea Bowen's other books, this one could not hold my interest. For those who love a good romance they may be able to overlook the slowness it took to tell this story.

Reviewed by RM Jackson
of The RAWSISTAZ (tm) Reviewers

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Ghetto-fab Religiosity, May 25, 2009

By 

R. Kithcart "deltachill" (Maryland) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Up at the College (Hardcover)

I had an expectation of a wonderful, God-filled love story between Yvonne Fountain and Coach Curtis Parker, but was slightly disappointed with the "ghetto fab" descriptions of Mr. Booth's suits and church service scenarios, and the "Shenay-nay" factor! I hope that Ms. Bowen will expand on the primary characters in another novel. I found Marvin and Trina and Marquita and Rico to be quite interesting (or at least an interesting storyline development). The book had me hanging on up until the last five chapters and then....the basketball game was over.

I will continue to look forward to Ms. Bowen's work.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Move Along, Nothing To Read Here, March 30, 2010

By 

Ms. 90 (Maryland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Up at the College (Hardcover)

This is likely one of the worst books I've ever read. While I appreciated the attempt at a Christian-based story, the language, the plot, the characters are all so stereotypical that it made it hard to read this book and to take it seriously. It came off a bit preachy and I felt it presented the most negative picture of HBCUs, Black life, Black men, and Black church life. This is one poorly written work of fiction. If you must read it, and I don't really recommend you waste your time, get it from the library.