Customer Reviews

Yesterday

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

Yesterday is about friends and friendship, and the lengths to which friends will go for each other in good times and bad. In true Fern Michaels' fashion, she lets us understand that true friends are a rare and special gift and should be treasured and cherised. Mama Pearl is a memorable character and makes me wish she had been a part of my life. Be sure to read this book...you won't be disappointed.

I listened to the audio tapes of this book and really enjoyed the first few chapters. Then when the car accident finally happened I was bored for two tapes, then, started to dislike everyone. Callie seemed nice enough at first and then after the accident, everyone hated her, then the inconsistencies began. Bode became black??? But not black really b/c he had white parents and was raised black even though everyone in town knew he was white and Callie was black???? Most mixed marriages I've seen and know the child doesn't come out fair w/ blond hair?? So, how was Callie fair and Bode dark-skinned, etc. Then Brie and Sela hated each other at first and always argued together, then move in together and become 'sisters'. Bode describes Sela as a wonderful, peaceful person....then later says she's a piss-ant...Hello? I began to dislike all these people and thought Callie was the way she was only b/c of Mama Pearl. She was a totally different person at the end then at the beginning, and so I wished them all luck and threw the tapes in the trash. Read Celebration if you like this author, but avoid this one.

As a reader of more than one hundred books a year.... This is absolutely the worst book I have ever read. Save your money.

I used to love Fern Michael's books but "Yesterday" was such a disappointment. All the characters were unlikeable, the conversations unrealistic and overall the book was plain boring. It was the worst book I've read all year and I've read a lot!

The three long time friends were converging on Summerville, South Carolina for the wedding of their other pal Callie Parker to Wynfield Archer. The FBI Academy has recently accepted San Diego police officer Brie Canfield as a student. However, Brie remains in aftershock from killing a culprit six weeks ago. Interior Designer Sela Bronson still feels the aftermath of her recent divorce. Rounding out the foursome is Callie's foster brother, attorney Bode Jessup.

As children growing up at Parker Manor, Callie was the princess attended to by her three friends, who were considered beneath her by her arrogant father. However, on the way to the wedding rehearsal, a drunk Wyn crashes the car, leaving his fiancee unconscious. Wyn covers up the accident. Her three buddies nostalgically reflect back over their near perfect YESTERDAY.

YESTERDAY is an interesting concept that focuses on how individuals look back into their pasts. The well-written story line heats up the South Carolina countryside with sexual tension and drama. However, the characters seem more like stereotypes from a thirty's Southern movie or novel (Gone With the Wind?) thrown into a ninety's setting. Though this hurts the impact of the tale, Fern Michaels stirs the love-hate relationships between the foursome to a level that will elate fans of contemporary Southern novels.

Another winner by a great writer.

Harriet Klausner

This book brought home to me all my own yesterdays. I cannot in words, tell you how much I enjoyed this wonderful book. I recommend it highly and tell everyone about it. I truly, truly enjoyed each character and I fell in love with Mama Pearl. I did some giggling, I laughed out loud and I cried. I couldn't wait to turn each page. Do you know what I missed in this book? There were no animals. I have come to expect them in each book this author writes. It's a given that I will read this book again and again over the years as my own yesterdays fade from my mind. Thank you so much for the hours of joy and entertainment you give me with each of your books.

The premise of the novel is a promising one: Brie, Bode, Sela and Callie are four best friends brought up together to think of one another as siblings under the watchful eye of Mama Pearl. They all meet back up as Callie plans the wedding of the century to the affluent Wyn. The set up of the story goes off beautifully and drew me in... but then the story crashed and burned. There are far too many holes in this story and the stories that are completed are so unreal it cheapens the story even more. I would reccomend that one should borrow this novel, as I did, rather than pay for it.

Oh and why oh why does Fern switch from Bode to Bawdey? I don't know why but this was one thing that really bothered me the most!