Yesterday [Mass Market Paperback]

Fern Michaels (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 2000

When rich, spoiled Callie Parker was a little girl, her father "adopted" three children as her playmates. Parker Manor became the new home of Bode Jessup, Callie's idol and "big brother," and of Brie and Sela, two girls from poor families who thrived in their new surroundings. Now, years later, Callie lies in a coma on the eve of what was to have been her lavish society wedding. Bode, now a lawyer, Brie, an FBI agent, and the much-married Sela had returned to celebrate, but in the aftermath of a terrible accident they will discover the shocking truth about their family. Their cherished yesterdays are gone, and a dark secret threatens to tear them apart. Yesterday is a poignant novel of intrigue, turmoil, and intimate family drama, each individual brought to life as only Fern Michaels can.

--This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Coming together for a wedding, four friends share memories of childhood in Michaels's (Vegas Sunrise) unevenly plotted latest romance novel, set in South Carolina. Blonde Southern belle Callie Parker is to wed arrogant Wynfield Archer, with her childhood friends in attendance: Brie Canfield, San Diego cop and prospective FBI agent; Sela Bronson, interior designer and recent divorc?e; and attorney Bode Jessup. Bode became Callie's foster brother when her father brought him home from an orphanage and made him promise to make sure Callie got what she wanted, always. Brie and Sela were "white trash" local girls brought in daily as playmates to form the rest of Callie's adoring court. Mama Pearl, an aging black woman employed at Parker Manor, lovingly cared for the poor waifs, but she also reinforced Callie's princess complex. Now, emotional turmoils rise to the surface when Bode evades attending Callie's wedding. Is Bode in love with Callie? The question fades in the wake of a car crash that leaves Callie comatose, an accident caused and covered up by an inebriated Wyn on the way to their wedding rehearsal. Brie explores her memories and her feelings for Bode, and maudlin nostalgia runs rampant as each character bemoans the perfection of "yesterday," leaving the reader to wonder why someone didn't slap silly Callie years ago. Stereotypes abound: Sela's a tramp with a heart of gold; Callie is a prima donna; and Mama Pearl is Mammy from Gone with the Wind. Michaels stirs up love-drama between the old friends and wangles revelations out of Mama Pearl about Bode and Callie's secret origins and racial heritage. Many disillusionments, impassioned tears and tearful confessions later, the puzzle pieces fall predictably in place. (Oct.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Michaels, a prolific and erratic writer, presents one of her lesser efforts here, a confusing story about class and race in South Carolina. An automobile accident on the eve of her wedding leaves Callie Parker in a coma. Her three childhood friendsABode, Brie, and SelaAgather to try to unravel the tangle of secrets and lies that this event has revealed. It seems that their revered princess has clay feet. Presiding over all is the ancient, ageless black woman Mama Pearl, whose life has revolved around "Miss Callie." The writing is very detached, with no sense of involvement, but what is worse is the teeth-clenching narration by Laural Merlington. The fake Southern accents coupled with the piping children's falsetto in the flashbacks jar the listener almost as much as the stupid plot twists (Bode is black? When did that happen?). Then, of course, there is the producer's trademark speedAget as much as possible on the least number of tapes even if the narrator has to rush all the dramatic fences. Libraries should pass on this one. Not recommended.ABarbara Perkins, Irving P.L., TX
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 460 pages
• Publisher: Zebra Books (December 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0821767852
• ISBN-13: 978-0821767856
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.3 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,537,511 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #90 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Romance > Authors, A-Z > ( M ) > Michaels, Fern

More About the Author

Fern Michaels is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Fool Me Once, Sweet Revenge, The Nosy Neighbor, Pretty Woman, and dozens of other novels and novellas. There are over seventy million copies of her books in print. Fern Michaels has built and funded several large day-care centers in her hometown, and is a passionate animal lover who has outfitted police dogs across the country with special bulletproof vests. She shares her home in South Carolina with her four dogs and a resident ghost named Mary Margaret.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Southern muddle, February 8, 2006

By 

Beverley Strong (Australia) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Yesterday (Mass Market Paperback)

I found this to be a very muddly story..someone was considered to be black..I hadn't even realised that he was supposed to be black...then he wasn't! A little blonde girl was considered to be white and was really black...perhaps it's my ignorance of these matters, but how could these situations not be obvious? A small boy named Bode was fostered at the home of a wealthy old Southern family, with a view to him being adopted. Two small girls, Brie and Sela, from what were unkindly called "white trash" families, were taken to the big house every day as playmates to Callie, the spoiled rotten daughter of the house. They all grew up as friends, lovingly cared for by an old black lady, Pearl, who nurtured them through their adolescences and encouraged them in their chosen careers. When Callie was about to marry a wealthy local man, they were involved in a serious car crash which left other people dead and Callie in a coma. The groom-to-be lied to the police, claiming that Callie was the driver and, leaving Pearl, Bode, Brie and Sela to physically care for her, played the part of the grieving lover. I really feel that this book could have been shortened by a third and tightened up considerably.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars WORST BOOK I EVER READ, December 22, 1999

By 

Kim - See all my reviews

This review is from: Yesterday (Hardcover)

This book's characters totally lacked any depth. One minute someone is having a nervous breakdown and the next she is standing up in a wedding. As far as the "Big Plot Twist" regarding parentage, what a joke! It seemed like she ran out of ideas and just threw this in to keep the "story" going.

Fern Michaels (whom I normally LOVE)really messed this one up.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars YESTERDAY IS BEST FORGOTTEN..., May 14, 2008

By 

Lawyeraau (Balmoral Castle) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Yesterday (Paperback)

This book starts out promisingly enough. An affluent man in South Carolina has a daughter named Callie, ostensibly an only child. He adopts Bode Jessup, so Callie can have a brother. He also brings two young girls from disadvantaged and dysfunctional families, Brie and Sela, to be Callie's playmates, but they end up spending most of their time in the Parker household.

As Callie's mother is a sick woman and her father is a busy man, the roost is ruled by Mamma Pearl, a larger than life African American woman. She becomes the center of the universe for these three children, who look to her as a mother figure and love her dearly. Mamma Pearl also loves and cherishes these children, sacrificing her life to their well being.

When they are all young adults, however, intrigue and turmoil bubble under the surface, as their true feelings for each other begin to emerge on the eve of Callie's wedding. The catalyst for a great emotional catharsis is the tragic accident that leaves Callie in a coma on her wedding day. As events unfold, shocking family secrets are revealed, ripping the blinders from their eyes, as all was not what it seemed.

The book, which started off promisingly enough, begins to head south, as a series of revelations, increasingly implausible, are divulged. Moreover, the personalities of the characters seem to change at the drop of a dime, depending upon the circumstances. This tends to render them two dimensional, as there is no real character development. This deficiency in the writing serves to further highlight the implausibility of the storyline. Moreover, some of the surprises in store for the reader are positively ridiculous. The secrets about Bode and Callie are especially ludicrous, making the book almost laughable.