Zachary's Wings: A Novel [Hardcover]

Rosemarie Robotham (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 12, 1998

Rosemarie Robotham makes her impressive fiction debut with this tender, seductive love story about a perceptive young social worker and the enigmatic reporter who draws him into the restless stream of her life.

Zachary, the middle son in a loving but chaotic working-class African-American family, is the guardian of secrets, the one his kin turn to with their emotional burdens. An unassuming man, he finds social work entirely natural, "nothing more than helping some people get through their day." Korie, a child of upper-middle-class professionals in the West Indies, is a more driven soul, but her fiercely competent exterior belies emotional storms. When she meets Zach on a reporting assignment in Philadelphia, she is immediately drawn to this easygoing man in whom so many people place their trust.

Zach, equally fascinated, quickly fosters a relationship. But what begins as a passionate affair becomes increasingly troubled. Zachary's Wings turns on questions of race and sexuality, class and culture, and the intricate tangle of secrets that begin to consume Zach and Korie's lives. This intimate and warmly appealing novel -- and the complex characters at its core -- will win the hearts of readers everywhere.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A sometimes awkward and sometimes moving debut from Essence editor Robotham, this socially conscious tale of African-American courtship sensitively tackles issues of class and cultural differences. Finding their passion irresistible, magazine reporter Korie, who comes from an elite Jamaican family, and Zachary, a social worker brought up in working-class Philadelphia, tumble into bed and deal with baggage later. But when her gay, AIDS-afflicted, not-quite ex-husband needs to be nursed, Korie invites him to move in with her and Zach, who is living with Korie as a sort of housekeeper after having been fired from his job. Once Sam dies, Korie numbs her pain with marijuana, and the queasily acquiescent Zach finally packs his bags and retreats to his Philly neighborhood. Here Zach is a bystander to a violent confrontation between his sister and an irascible, smitten ex-con and other family furors. Zach's response to these problems deepens his self-awareness and maturity. In Zach's absence, Korie spirals out of control when she adds cocaine to her pharmaceutical diet; she is saved only when she returns home to Jamaica and her stable parents. While the plot sometimes lacks momentum and one wishes for more local color about Jamaica, the descriptions of Korie's drug use are genuine, gritty and compelling.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

African American Zachary has a working-class background. West Indian Korie comes from a family of professionals. They are both amazingly beautiful people whose only faults are that they are too sensitive to other's needs and too neurotic to stand up for themselves. They are destined to be together, even though Korie must care for her husband, who is dying of AIDS, and Zach feels that he must be a social worker to everyone in his life. Unfortunately, by the time they miraculously find each other at a rest stop between New York and Philadelphia (he's going to New York to find her, she's going to Philadelphia to find him), the reader has stopped caring. Essence editor Robotham has filled her first novel with drugs, sex, rape, and issues of race and class, but in the end it reads like the work of an inexperienced romance writer, with contrived situations and characters and language that is unrealistic and unbelievable. The novel's serialization in Essence and the author's name will generate some demand, but buy only the minimum amount needed.
-AEllen Flexman, Indianapolis-Marion Cty. P.L., IN
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Scribner (October 12, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684847264
• ISBN-13: 978-0684847269
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,928,179 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Warm, tender and enlightening., March 4, 2001

By 

Stan Vernooy (Henderson, NV) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Zachary's Wings: A Novel (Hardcover)

This book is well written and thought-provoking, without being deep. It is a warm and enjoyable story of an African-American love triangle.

Korie, from an aristocratic Jamaican family, is an educated and successful woman. In college, she is charmed by Sam, an intelligent but unambitious schoolmate. They marry, but eventually drift apart.

When Korie meets Zachary, it's magic. But soon Sam becomes gravely ill and needs Korie's constant care. Zachary quickly recognizes Sam's illness as AIDS, but Korie is afraid to confront the implications of that diagnosis, and neither of the men wants to disillusion her. In any case, Zachary soon becomes Sam's primary caretaker. Meanwhile, the stress of handling relations with two lovers, and also trying to live up to her family's expectations, drives Korie deeper and deeper into drug addiction and despair.

After Sam's death, Korie's despair and drug addiction grow worse, and Zachary returns to Philadelphia. But with her family's help, Korie eventually straightens herself and understands what a treasure she had in Zachary.

In Zachary, Robotham has created a saintly character without making him too good to be true - and that's no easy task. I go back to the single criterion I use to decide how well I like a novel: Did I care about these characters? And the answer is a resounding YES. The fact is I loved all three of them for as long as they lived in my imagination while reading this book.

In addition, the book did something for me which I'm not sure Robotham had in mind. It gave me a glimmer of insight into why African-Americans need the companionship of other African-Americans, and will never be completely comfortable as 12% of a White culture. She (Robotham) communicates this without screaming at the reader about the desperate conditions in the ghetto, or by any anti-White diatribes. It is just the cadences of the conversations, the assumptions and routines of daily life, which made me understand why there is nothing necessarily sinister or racist in the tendency of (for example) Black high school students to hang out together.

To accomplish this in less than 300 pages, along with telling a splendid love story, is an impressive accomplishment. Well done, Ms. Robotham!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I LOVED THIS BOOK!, July 23, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Zachary's Wings: A Novel (Hardcover)

I don't know where to begin. Zachary's Wings was such a beautifully written book, that I found myself wondering why Ms. Robotham had waited so long to grace us with her talent. The story line was incredibly rich and complex and the characters!--I felt as if Korie and Zach were members of my own family. I read quite a bit of fiction-- particularly works by Black authors. While I enjoy most of what I read, I find the plots to be somewhat predictable and formulaic. What I enjoyed most about Zachary's Wings is that I had no idea what was coming from one page to the next. Every time I thought I had the plot figured out, Robotham would take another unanticipated (and greatly appreciated) turn. I can't recall the last time Ive enjoyed a book as much as I enjoyed Zacharys Wings.

Thank you!!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Well Written Debut Novel!, November 10, 2001

By 

Yasmin Coleman (PENNSYLVANIA, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Zachary's Wings: A Novel (Hardcover)

I ordered this book by mistake but after reading the book description I decided to keep it. I'm glad I did as it was a very good read.

Zachary Piper is a Philadelphia social worker with a heart of gold. Zach is a compassionate and easy going spirit who's always there for everyone else---family, friends, co-workers, clients and significant others. But who's there for Zachary? Enter Korie Morgan...albeit a driven soul with a fierce competitive nature...she appears to be the perfect mate for Zachary. Well at least she's there at the right time and in the right place. Over a swift weekend, their relationship quickly blossoms and they're professing their undying love for each other. However, there's a slight problem...Korie hasn't come clean regarding her current relationship.

Zachary`s Wing is a compelling and though provoking debut novel. It's an intriguing story about the tangled web of secrets that begin to consume Zach and Korie's lives. Robotham's writing is fluid and lyrical. As she involves us in Zach and Korie's story she shares with us tough and taboo issues that they must face before they can truly be together. Controversial issues such as race, class and culture, sexuality and infidelity. Zachary's Wing is captivating and rich. The characters are memorable and believable and we share in their pain, joy, sorrow and hope. Zachary Wing by Rosemarie Robotham is an insightful and touching look into the nature of human relationships.