Who Does She Think She Is?: A Novel [Hardcover]

Benilde Little (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 26, 2005

Aisha Branch is in the midst of planning her elaborate wedding when the unthinkable happens -- she falls for another man, hard. All the drama stirs up old feelings in her mother and grandmother, and as Aisha confronts a painful dilemma, the three Branch women take turns telling their own stories, reflecting separately on their lives and relationships. With her signature dry wit, quietly resonant insight and sharp yet compassionate eye, Benilde Little deftly explores one family's expectations, anxieties and abiding love.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Aisha Branch McCovney is a beautiful and stylish woman with Manhattan at her feet. She's also one of three generations of upwardly mobile black women who narrate this warm and indulgent fourth novel by Little (Good Hair). As Aisha prepares to marry her fabulously rich—and white—fiancé, her mother, Camille, and grandmother, Geneva, reminisce about their own lifelong struggles with love and pragmatism. At 45, Camille is ready to say good-bye to being a full-time single mother and hello to a love life of her own. Geneva, Aisha's grandmother, looks back on her marriage to a charming jazz musician, admittedly "a better father than he was a husband." Geneva and Camille are not surprised when Aisha spontaneously dumps her WASPy fiancé for Miles, a successful, self-made black man. Aisha's sassy narration is peppered with enough au courant references—from Botox to Ugg boots—to keep the voice fresh and authentic, though one that may date quickly. Little strikes a nice balance between heartfelt intergenerational saga and sexy love story, a balance that tips toward sentimentality when Aisha finds her calling through an episode of TheOprah Winfrey Show. Awkward pacing is a distraction, but readers will be too busy cheering for these women's bold self-improvements to care.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Twenty-three-year-old Aisha Branch is on the brink of marrying a wealthy white scion of old money. But her plans for a life of the kind of luxury she could only dream about from her comfortable black middle-class perch are wrecked when she meets Miles Brown, a business associate of her soon-to-be father-in-law. Told from the first-person perspective of Aisha, her mother, Camille, and her grandmother, Geneva, this novel presents a three-generation view of life and expectations for love and personal achievement. Aisha, who has been showered with love and adoration, still feels the absence of the biological father she never knew. Camille has struggled all her life to overcome the shame she felt as a teenage mother, neglecting her personal desires. Geneva has spent too much of her life as an impervious figure, alienating her daughter and son. As Aisha struggles to decide on a path for herself, she eventually brings together the generations in triumph. Vanessa Bush
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Free Press (April 26, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684854821
• ISBN-13: 978-0684854823
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,940,305 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I Am My Mother and Grandmother's Child, May 17, 2005

By 

Dawn R Reeves "tamardi" (Harrisburg, PA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Who Does She Think She Is?: A Novel (Hardcover)

Aisha Branch McCovney is the offshoot, snooty, designer wearing daughter of Camille and the granddaughter of Geneva. Unlike her mother, the afro-centric social worker and her deeply racist grandmother, Aisha has forged a lifestyle her behind cannot cash. In Benilde Little's latest installment, Who Does She Think She Is, we meet these three generations of women and learn about their take on life and the opposite sex.

Aisha is involved in an interracial relationship and is in the midst of planning her wedding to Will. Will is from old money, both on his maternal and paternal sides. Their relationship seems on the up and up until Aisha meets Miles, a friend and business associate of Will's father, and all bets are off. As Aisha grapples with her insecurities about life, love and not knowing her biological father, everyone else has an opinion. What is different is no one verbalizes his or her thoughts with the exception of Aisha's girlfriend.

Set in New York City and Newark, New Jersey, in alternating chapters we listen to the history and current situation of each woman. Camille was an unmarried teenage mother much to her mother's dismay but somehow redeemed herself by marrying a successful lawyer. Geneva tells the story of attending Hampton Institute and primed to marry the right man, that is until she meets, falls in love and marries a jazz musician.

The secondary characters are ripe with their own stories and they each connect to Aisha, Camille and Geneva. Some scenes may appear difficult to comprehend or unrealistic, but redeem themselves as the story picks up the pace for a satisfying conclusion. The story opens with thoughts of Miss Mabel, Geneva's housekeeper, and what her take may be on Aisha's impeding marriage. As the book closes, we once again get a taste of Ms. Mabel; delicate words but so true to form for all of the women of the Branch family.

Reviewed by Dawn R. Reeves
APOOO BookClub

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not feeling this one, May 26, 2005

By 

Lboog "panajamerican" (BK, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Who Does She Think She Is?: A Novel (Hardcover)

I've read "Good Hair" by Benilde Little and enjoyed it so I had high hopes for this one. I didn't enjoy it as much as the other reviewers did so I'll keep my comments short. Ayesha was a spoiled brat who seemed to get whatever she wanted. Things worked out a little too perfectly for her and it seem that she had everyone at her beck and call. And how she treated poor Will! She came off as being self - serving and cold. And the fact that Miles would risk throwing away a life long partnership just to get with Ayesha was silly. Hope the next book is better!

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sophisticated & insightful, April 27, 2005

By 

BookRemarks (Houston, TX United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Who Does She Think She Is?: A Novel (Hardcover)

Three generations of women are the centerpiece of Who Does She Think She Is - a novel that examines the quest for fulfillment. Twenty-six year old Aisha Branch is engaged to a wealthy white man. Camille, her mother, has fairly strong feelings regarding the engagement. And Geneva, the matriarch of the family, is good for some old-fashioned wisdom which she carefully imparts to her granddaughter.

For the mercurial Camille, questions arise about a father she's never known, and a love that she wishes she could have, and she isn't referring to her current husband-to-be. So when she's introduced to another captivating man, the life that she's known comes to a gridlock. And through many conversations with her mother, her grandmother, and good but flaky girlfriend Cedra, Aisha braves much self-exploration to show herself who she is, and who she is not.

Written with a sophisticated style that tenderly and honestly explores women's issues, Benilde Little has penned another moving and insightful novel about how to trust your instincts even when your life is filled with uncertainty.