Ugly Ways (Paperback)

by Tina McElroy Ansa (Author) "Come get me..." (more)
Key Phrases: chalk mines, hot curlers, wiener roast, Annie Ruth, Sherwood Forest, East Mulberry (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
The author of Baby of the Family unfolds the story of three African American sisters reunited by the death of their domineering mother.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews
Three black sisters reunite in their Georgia hometown to embrace, scream, smoke, contemplate suicide, and swap clothes while preparing for their mother's funeral--in a rambling follow-up to Ansa's Baby of the Family (1989). Esther Lovejoy has died at last, and her three daughters- -Betty, the ultra-reliable owner of a pair of beauty salons; Emily, the lonely, unstable researcher who longs for love; and Annie Ruth, the pretty youngest whose job as an L.A. TV anchorwoman is driving her nuts--rush home to begin rehashing their traumatic childhood memories in the hope of laying them to rest. Ruled with an iron hand by Esther, who insisted they call her ``Mudear'' (baby talk for ``my dear''), the three Lovejoy girls learned the hard way to hold their heads high, work hard, and, whatever happened, never to trust a man--even while Mudear herself spent her days as a voluntary shut-in, watching TV, taking naps, and wearing negligees while her husband worked in the chalk mines to support her. Tormented by a mother whose belief that ``she was above the laws of God and man,'' to say nothing of her habit of gardening only by moonlight, caused tongues to wag all over town, the Lovejoy girls nevertheless grew up to forge successful, independent lives while their father faded into the background, muttering about ``womens taking over [his] house.'' As each daughter (and, occasionally, the shrill, judgmental ghost of Mudear herself) recollects those long- gone years, the source of Mudear's familial power is revealed, the daughters' lifelong resentments aired, and the father's suffering at last relieved, resulting in a happy funeral for one and all. A tale of dysfunction that opens with a bang--but repetitive, episodic, and, in the end, less illuminating than it might have been. -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Harvest Books; Later Printing edition (January 17, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0156000776
• ISBN-13: 978-0156000772
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #324,605 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A book that will make you laugh and cry at the same time., September 29, 1999

By A Customer

I loved reading this story. I felt it was thought provoking as well as an entertaining read. The things that Muhdear did to her girls reminds me of a hurt soul who suffered herself and did not know how to treat her husband nor her children. I found it incredible how the girls found love and joy within and where able to triumpth over the rough childhood to excel and become the women they were meant to become.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars interesting soap opera about 3 black sisters and mother, June 23, 1998

By A Customer

the novel reads like a power struggle between a man and a woman which results in the three sisters' taking care of one another without the support of a maternal role model. The author implies the women's considerable success may have resulted from a forced independence, persistent efforts to attain the mother's positive attention, and their need to support one another. The pivotal event of the mother's funeral brings the family together and illustrates the damage done by a failure to achieve a balance of power between a father and mother. There is much amusing dialogue among the sisters about their erratic relationships with boyfriends and ex-husbands.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ugly ways is excellent, January 24, 2003

By	patricia "[e-mail]" (Calif) - See all my reviews

I read it a few years ago and it was better the second time around. Awesome. I knew the three sisters, mudear and the dad
on an intimate level

Thank you Mz McElroy

Dr Patricia Gordon