Customer Reviews

Warm Hands: A Novel

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Warm Hands offers a realistic story about a thirty something sista who is forced to take a serious look at herself and make some changes. We must love overself before we can expect anyone else to. When one doesn't love self it shows.

Decisions, Decisions....Why did Mya cheat on Jeff? What a dysfunctional family. Old Scotty was a bit much. I was glad when Claudia got fed up and packed her bags. She should have done that a long long time ago.

I agree with one of the other readers. My favorite quote from the book: " I'm not asking you out..I'm asking you in.." That is too deep.

This book is one that will stay with me for awhile. I think each reader can relate to some of the issues at one point or another in their life. This is an excellent novel and the message is clear...Love Yourself First. Everything else will fall into place.

Margaret, Thanks for a great read. I can't wait to read "Butterscoth Blues". I wish you much success. Be Blessed!

Warm Hands is the story of self esteem, or the lack thereof and about finding that inner peace and holding on. Mya measures every man by the standards of the first man she loved, her father. But her father's mold was flawed and she watched her mother accept or ignore his faults. Mya has been in a relationship with Vincent too long and when she pressures for a committment, he ends it so Mya tries to lose herself in her daily runs. She meets stable dependable Jeff, and is sharing a mutually committed relationship. Mya is then ready to marry and is feeling good about her life, but, Vincent is back with his same sweet talk. After an ill advised liasion with Vincent, bringing closure to her past, she confesses and Jeff walks out.

Alone and aware she has lost a good man, Mya internalizes and she reflects on her parent's dysunctional home life, her lack of self esteem and how she's looked for her father in all her men. She accepts her problem, confronts her family and begins her healing process.

Johnson-Hodge takes us on a journey that too few people have taken. She lets Mya realize in order to be loved, you must first love yourself and that she needed the faith and conviction to believe that all good things will come in time. And for Mya they did.

Reviewed by aNN

What struck me first about Warm Hands was how personal and poetic the prose was. The narrative is so intense you will be caught up from the initial breathless words. Margaret Johnson-Hodge delves deeply into the character, Mya , a woman who, just like us, only wants to be happy and she equates happiness with finding a soul mate. When she lucks upon Jeff I am elated for her. However Ms. Johnson-Hodge has a few gut-wrenching changes in store for Mya. All I will say is, if you've ever contemplated cheating read this book first. It's an eye-opener! Warm, rich, powerful and poetic. Don't miss this keeper.

Warm Hands was the first book that I've read by Margaret Johnson-Hodge and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Her storytelling was poetic, yet easy to read and comprehend. Initially, I thought Warm Hands was just another typical AA relationship book. True enough, Warm Hands does include some of the same characters...you know them: Vincent--Mya's committment phobia boyfriend; Mya's Dad--who has chased everything in a skirt and cheated on Mya's long-suffering Mom;

Mark--Mya's brother who doesn't know the meaning of love. In fact, "Love wasn't a part of his vocabulary, life, plans or manhood he liked the mother of his son but seriously hooking up with her was out of the question"; Uncle Brother--Mya's uncle who left his wife of 42 years for a younger women by the name of Kay-Kay was was 20 and also pregnant by Uncle Brother; and then comes along Jeff who's everything a black man should be and the man that Mya's ready to marry until Vincent comes back on the scene. Mya mistakenly accepts Vincent's amourous behavior as love and confesses to Jeff and calls off the wedding. After leaving Jeff for Vincent, and coming to the sad realization that Vincent was only on a "bootie call" and not looking for a long-term commitment, Mya steps back and starts some much needed soul searching and mind cleansing. What we're left with is a stronger, more independent, self assertive Mya. The primary message of Warm Hands is that while every female wants to be loved by a man, in order to give love and be loved, a woman must first love herself and once she does that she's fine with the direction that her life might take and more accepting of others. Warm Hands offers a welcomed and fresh perspective vs. the current genre of problematic relationship books that are available; check it out and be pleasantly surprised at what you might just discover regarding yourself!

Warm Hands by Margaret Johnson-Hodge offers a realistic contemporary relationship story about a woman named Mya who's force to evolve after making some tough choices. A relationship with Vincent has ended incompletely but she's open to begin a new love with Jeff, a runner who she meets on the track. Jeff adores and Mya feels the same towards Jeff. That is, until they are engaged to be married and she runs into her former flame Vincent, a man who's still on her brain. One poor decision later she's found herself in a psychological place where it doesn't seem as if she'll survive. We've all been there and done that. What is wonderful about this story is the writer puts you there. You can see Mya and feel her every emotion, every step of the way whether painful or joyous. I love the writing, the subplots that involves suspenseful family issues (separations, babies born out of wedlock, and tortoruos violence). This story covers the gamut and the writer did a superb job. I love her word orchestration (reminds me of EJD somewhat) and I look forward to reading more books (Butterscotch Blues) by Margaret Johnson-Hodge.

After experiencing the hurt that only love can cause, Mya finds herself in a wonderful relationship with a wonderful man. Her self-destructive behavior and unawareness of her own wants and needs causes this love to teeter on the edge of her whims.

Mya finds love in a place she never thought to look. In herself.

This was my first novel by Margaret Johnson-Hodge. After hearing rave reviews from avid readers, I decided to give her a try. I was not disappointed. This was a quick read with a valuable life lesson undermining the story. Hodge's writing flowed well, and the characters were well thought out. I look forward to reading more work by this talented author.

Warm Hands is a book about real love and the truest love you can have outside of your family and friends is the love for yourself. I was really annoyed with Mya Williams in the beginning in how she thought that she was defined by a man/relationship. As I read further, I see that she was just like her mother, Claudia, and accepted what was presented to her in whatever form. Granted, Jeff was a good guy and really loved Mya, but if she loved and trusted herself enough she would have never betrayed herself or Jeff with Vincent. After the relationship with Jeff was over, Mya needed to learn how to rely on her own girth to move on with her life, not that of Chloe or that of Gail, what Mya could hold. I cheered for her towards the end when she married herself. I thought that was so profound and think that every person should find that connection with themself before joining a union with another person. Margaret Hodege-Johnson really showed us a good story and can't wait to read more of her writing.

Why in the world would Maya (while engaged to Jeff )sleep with her long lost love Vincent. Could it be she loved Vincent more than Jeff and wanted to know if she was making a mistake? If this were true then why tell unless you were confronted ! Somethings you just don't tell ! This was such a passionate,realistic, and unpredictable story ! You will certainly enjoy ! If you have not had the pleasure of reading Warm Hands please do so this is a story so realistic! You will even peep into the lives of Maya's parents and uncle, which is another story ! a great read ! When you finish this one you will also want to read her previous stories ! A New Day, as well as The Real Deal! "Warm Hands "was certainly "A New Day " which was" The Real Deal " a non predictable story ! Did Jeff forgive her? was she really the love of his life?Did Jeff take her back ! Why did she really do it ? I won't tell but it hurts ,so good !

Several times I tried to put this book down unsuccessfully. The more I read, the more I felt that Mya was living my life story. This story hit so close to home it was at times difficult to read. Ms. Hodge writes as if we are in conversation. She is like one of the homegirls telling a friend's story. Warm Hands (like her other books New Day and Real Deal)is a story that black women can relate to. Her writing is uncompromising and unforgiving. Warm Hands is both entertaining and uplifting. In choosing fiction, I often select stories that allow me to escape. I was not allowed to escape with this book; I was forced to face life as it truly is and was rewarded for it. I have a renewed sense of hope that maybe there is a better ending. Although my ending may not be exactly as the one MJH portrayed, I am hopeful of something just as good. I can't express how truly wonderful this book was for me except to say that I purchased copies for my sisterfriends and female family members to think about and enjoy. I also recommend this book to female acquaintances who seem to exhibit the same sign of constantly choosing the wrong men in their lives. I anxiously await Ms. Hodge's next book. Mya's story and both of her wedding ceremonies are my inspiration.

Butterscotch Blues is still my favorite but this book touched on something that was much needed, women need to be whole instead of thinking that wearing a man on their arm like a bracelet will bring them in touch with their true self. We go through life learning lessons, those who don't learn or won't learn are doomed to repeat them over and over again until they do. They end up teaching their children unconsciously how to keep the cycle of low self esteem and worth going on for generations, until one day tragedy strikes and the woman is ready to be free. Two thumbs up Margaret Johnson Hodge...brilliant relatable writing!