P. G. County (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "Barbara Bentley was sweating profusely and it wasn't the shakes this time..." (more)
Key Phrases: Silver Lake, Uncle Clive, Bradford Bentley (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Affluent African-Americans are the protagonists of this entertaining novel, a gossipy tell-all that goes behind the scenes of suburban life to reveal the secrets of the inhabitants of Silver Lake, an exclusive enclave of Prince George's County, a Washington, D.C., suburb. Through the eyes of five women, readers learn that even in this so-called exclusive community, residents are still fighting to be judged for who they are rather than what "class of society" they represent. Barbara, the grand dame of Silver Lake, is a recovering alcoholic married to Bradford Bently III, multimillionaire and womanizer. She's struggling to regain her self-confidence and to save her 30-year marriage. Jolene, married to hardworking Patrick, is a high-ranking civil servant blinded by revenge and greed and willing to do whatever it takes to move up the social ladder. Pearl, a divorc‚e, is a successful beauty-shop owner, living on the outskirts of the community. Candice is an aging white flower child, living with her second husband and two daughters and coming to grips with an old family secret that, if revealed, may tear her family apart. Lee, a runaway teenager, looking for a father who doesn't know she exists, comes to Silver Lake armed with one clue, the nickname Smokey. Though the story is a stereotypical smalltown drama, Briscoe (Sisters and Lovers) uses her skill as a talented storyteller to deliver just the right touch of intrigue.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School-Prince George's County, MD, adjacent to the nation's capital and one of America's most affluent majority African-American counties, is the backdrop to this novel. The main characters live in the exclusive, gated Silver Lake community. They include Barbara, the long-suffering wife of a womanizing self-made millionaire; Jolene, a sexy, materialistic government executive who seeks to replace her husband with a wealthier, more ambitious man; and Candice, a white, aging hippie whose daughter, Ashley, is dating Kenyatta, a young black man. Candice opposes her daughter's dating outside of her race, and Kenyatta's mother, a hardworking divorc‚e whose husband had abandoned them to marry a white woman, is equally against her son's choice. Lee is an abused, runaway teen whose life collides violently with the opulent world of Silver Lake in her desperate search for her father, whom she has never met. One subplot gives an unexpected 21st-century spin on the "tragic mulatto" literary theme of the early 20th century. Teens who have read James Weldon Johnson's The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man (Vintage, 1989) or Charles Chestnutt's "The Wife of His Youth" might find it interesting to compare the significance of racial identification explored in those works to its importance here. Fans of Terry McMillan and E. Lynn Harris will also enjoy this novel.
Joyce Fay Fletcher, Rippon Middle School, Prince William County, VA
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday; 1st edition (September 17, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385501617
• ISBN-13: 978-0385501613
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (94 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #809,328 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #11 in

  Books > Literature & Fiction > United States > African American > Briscoe, Connie

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Drama, Drama, Drama..., September 20, 2002

By	M.C. Beamon (Scarsdale, NY United States) - See all my reviews

Drama, Drama, Drama, that's how I describe the story line in P.G. County by Connie Briscoe. If you happen to like drama in your life, this is the book for you. From the opening page to its abrupt conclusion, this novel is packed with scandal, infidelity and betrayal, all of the classic elements of a daytime soap opera but rarely seen as expertly crafted in black fiction.

For these women, Lee, Barbara, Jolene, Pearl and Candice, their problems resolve around race and money. Interracial dating and interrace disputes are as much characters in this novel as the women themselves. I, too found these topics interesting enough for a novel, so I covered them in my book, Dark Recesses. In P.G. County, however, racial identity and acceptance are just a backdrop to the core troublemaker, money.

As the quote goes, "when money is seen as a solution for every problem, money itself becomes the problem," by Richard Needham. From the enormous house, elaborate weddings, and expensive shopping tastes, the women in P.G. County raise excess to new heights. For most of the women in this story, money is used to console them, rather than working on resolving the relationship and self-identity issues they have. One of the relationships on the brink of ruin from the beginning of the story is Barbara and Bradford's.

At times, the reader is led to hope for the couple believing the adage, "a successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person," by Mignon McLaughlin. When Bradford makes an effort to rekindle his love with his wife, you almost believe their marriage and lives will turn around, but that wouldn't make a good soap opera, now would it?

Mary J. Blige recently had a hit song called, "No More Drama," with the Young & the Restless Soap Opera music playing in the background. If you're like me and have enough drama in your life, so you're trying to follow Ms. Blige's example, than I would stray away from this episode of "Days of Our Black Lives." But, if you want some mindless fun, then travel on down to P.G. County and meet five ladies that will make you hope your friends are different and grateful if they are.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars You Have got to be Kidding!!!, December 2, 2002

By	Newyorkdreads (NYC) - See all my reviews

I read a few of the comments before I set out to write my own, I see most people were like me in thinking...girlfriend must have needed to pay some bills with this one.

You have got to be kidding me, a brother who wears dreadlocks, mother works in a majority black beauty shop come into his house, finds his, let me say this again,his black mother kissing a man and he says "she was necking" stop it, just stop the madness. What brother ya'll know calls kissing necking. (let me know)

and let's not forget the white woman who finds out that her great great great grandfather was passing now, her mom and dad are both white, the father is a red neck kkk member (she didn't mention it in the book but you can tell), and she's tripping because she finds out she is black!!!!! Yo girl friend was tripping, you ain't black you are a white, white woman. "stop calling her that she's black" the woman yells. Not even! You can go to Barnes and Noble just to read that part of the book but I repeat just to read this part.

I admire people who take the time to perfect their craft, I myself would like to enjoy the comments my reader will make when I write my first novel. However, If I ever write a book like this ya'll better holla at me. Pull my coat tails. do something to stop me.

I read Big Girls Don't Cry and was won over. I read this book and could'nt wait to call my friend all the way in Chicago and tell her not to buy, or even read this book. (I live in New York)

Come on Connie this book was like reading a Danielle Steel book and saying I will never do that again.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Connie girl, what were you thinking?, June 13, 2003

By A Customer

I am a huge fan of Connie Briscoe. I must say that Big Girls Don't Cry was one of my favorite books of all time and had me praising Connie as one of the premier African American female writers. Sisters and Lovers and A Long Way from Home were also well written. Having lived in Prince George's County for my entire life, I was only too excited to read this book. I knew it HAD to be good because every single copy of the book in our public library system was either checked out or on hold. When I first started reading the book, I could not stop. However, I could not have been more disappointed with the ending. She gets two stars for the book being a real page turner. But the end left much to be desired. I found myself laughing and saying 'No Connie...you've got to be kidding me.' She could have done so much more with the conclusion of the book.

And I must say, that the entire Lee story was a complete waste of time and out of place. It added nothing to the story.

I believe Connie Briscoe is a gifted story teller, however, I don't believe this book demonstrates that at all. I'm hoping that the next one will show a little more of her talent.