Whatever It Takes [Mass Market Paperback]

Gwynne Forster (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

The twins, Lacette and Kellie, grew up in the Christian home of Reverend Marshall and Mrs. Cynthia Graham. At 33, the girls are as identical in looks as their personalities are opposite. Lacette learned at an early age to give into Kellie's manipulation. Kellie's covetous and competitive nature seeks out Lacette's things, as well as her boyfriends. Cynthia has contributed to Kellie's behavior by never holding her accountable for her behavior. Marshall does not set Kellie straight either, but he does protect Lacette from Kellie's outbursts. With no explanation, Cynthia and Marshall separate, and he moves out of the parsonage. After the maternal grandmother's will is read, Kellie decides that she wants the broach that was left to Lacette. With Marshall staying at a hotel, the Graham women begin to live distant and separate lives--Cynthia is floating through a midlife crisis, Lacette has purchased her own house and started a business, and Kellie is on the warpath to get that broach. Everyone learns--at a price--that doing whatever it takes has consequences. Lillian Lewis
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Kensington; 1ST edition (July 26, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0758206542
• ISBN-13: 978-0758206541
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,565,530 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

ABOUT GWYNNE FORSTER
Gwynne Forster is national best-selling and award-winning author of seven novels of general fiction, thirty-one romance novels, and eight mainstream and romance novellas. All of her mainstream novels and several of her romance novels have been featured in Black Expressions Magazine. When Twilight Comes, her first mainstream novel, was featured on the magazine's cover, and it also remained on the Essence Magazine list of best sellers for several months. Her latest mainstream novels, A Different Kind Of Blues and Getting Some of Her Own were published in October 2007 snf 2008, respectively to excelledt reviews. Publiher's Weekly called A Different Kind of Blues "An ode to life...wise and wonderful..."

Among her many awards and forms of recognition, Gwynne is most proud of her election in 2006 to the Affaire de Coeur Magazine Hall Of Fame and of the Life Time Ahcievement Award conferred by Romantic Times Magazine in 2007. The following novels were nominated by Affaire de Coeur Magazine for 'Best romance novel of the year with African-American Hero and heroine: Ecstasy, Obsession, Naked Soul, Fools Rush In, Swept Away, Secret Desire, Scarlet Woman. Winners of the award were: Beyond Desire,Ecstasy, Naked Soul, Fools Rush In, and Swept Away. Readers of Affaire de Coeur Magazine named Gwynne one of Top Ten Favorite Authors for the years 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2006, and one of five outstanding achievers (1998). Rendezvous Magazine voted Secret Desire "Rose Bud of the month" for November 2003. The 2001 Gold Pin Award from Black Writers Reunion and Conference went to Beyond Desire.

Double Day Book Club and Literary Guild selected Beyond Desire and used the book to start the Black Expressions Book Club. Romance In Color internet site gave its 1999 Award of Excellence to Against The Wind and voted Gwynne Author of the Year. The site voted Flying High runner-up to best romance of the year 2003 and gave it Honorable mention. Romance Slam Jam 2000 nominated Gwynne for the Vivian Stephens Lifetime Achievement Award. Romance Slam Jam 2001 gave Gwynne an Emma Award for her novella, "Learning to Love" in the anthology, Going To The Chapel. Romance Slam Jam 2003 nominated Blues From Down Deep for an Emma Award as best mainstream novel. Gwynne lectures extensively on fiction writing, and on making the first sale.

A native North Carolinian who grew up in Washington, D. C. , Gwynne holds bachelors and masters degrees in sociology, a master's degree in economics/demography and has additional graduate credits in journalism. As a demographer, she is widely published. She is formerly chief of (non-medical) research in fertility and family planning in the Population Division of the United Nations in New York and served for four years as chairperson of the International Programme Committee of the International Planned Parenthood Federation (London, England). These positions took her on official business to sixty-three developed and developing countries.

Gwynne sings on her church choir, loves to entertain, and is a museum hopper, gourmet cook and avid gardener. She enjoys classical music, opera, jazz and blues with her husband with whom she lives in New York City. She is represented by the Steel-Perkins Literary Agency, 26 Island Lane, Canandaigua, NY 14424. Reach Gwynne at P.O. Box 45, New York, N.Y. 10044; E-mail [e-mail]; Web page - http://www.gwynneforster.com -. Blog: http://gwynneforster.blogspot.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Too bad, November 3, 2006

By 

shonni (va,) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Whatever It Takes (Mass Market Paperback)

I must say that I was tricked by the reviews of this book. I decided to give it a chance even though it started really slow but once I got to the 5th chapter I relized that it wasnt going to get any better. This book was unrealistic and predictable. Im mad that I purchased this one.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Best Villian ever to grace the pages of a book, August 17, 2005

By 

M. Corbett-Clark (, FLORIDA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Whatever It Takes (Mass Market Paperback)

What a book. The characters were very well written. The situations were well thought out and the emotional growth was beautiful. Lacette and Kellie are twins. The fact is they share parents, a birthhday and facial features and thats about it. Lacette is hardworking, diligent and thoughtful. She has long range plans and finds the strenghth to follow through. Kellie is Satans Spawn. She doesn't plan; she conives, schemes and plots. I wanted to be sister girl friends with Lacette. She reminded me of people I grew up with. Mrs Forster created the best villian I've ever read in Kellie. I had to keep reminding myself that Kellie was not a real person therefore I couldn't hunt her down and hurt her. The secondary characters were very real as well. Douglas originally seemed suspect and maybe shady but; Wow, what a man. Douglas'son was not a smart aleck kid but an age appropriate child with kid reasoning. I don't want to give anything away but this is a good read. Thanks to Gwynne Forster for a book filled with great characters.

5.0 out of 5 stars Where is the LOVE?, February 25, 2006

By 

Michelle D. Mcgriff "Author" (Portland, OR) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Whatever It Takes (Mass Market Paperback)

Lacette and Kellie, I found to be very interesting twins. I was certain that I was gonna find out they weren't even sisters in the end, as they were the most detached twins I've ever met. So often I was smacking my lips at Kellie's awful behavior and wanted to know what was behind it. But then the more I got to know the mother the more I started to see the resemblance. I do believe that she was just `that way' because of her mother.
Even in the end when Kellie was called upon to `do the right thing' she seems so reluctant...
Amazing.
And all of this horrible actions over a broach? I think not. I think Kellie had deeper issues than the jewelry--way deeper. And Cynthia and her mid-life crisis...just a ploy for her 'issues' too. I think Marshell and Lacette had the right idea dealing with those two the way they did.
It was a very nice train book and I finished it in two or three trips. I enjoy books that read easily and are easy to follow and Ms. Forster's style is one that I can tell I'm going to enjoy. This was my first book by Ms. Forster but having heard her do a reading from it, I knew how the characters were supposed to sound and it helped me get a feel for the story and it made it very enjoyable.
Keep up the good work and I look forward to meeting more of your wonderful characters.