Aint No Valley: A Novel (Paperback)

by Sharon Ewell Foster (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
In this follow-up to Ain't No Mountain and its predecessor, Ain't No River, Foster pens a sassy tale full of African-American slang. This time, the story line revolves around Mary and Moor's California wedding and two of their friends, the newly unemployed Anthony and Naomi. Anthony rather improbably wanders to Napa Valley in search of Sly ("and the Family") Stone's brother Freddy, hoping to indulge a teen fantasy by finding the rock star. Equally improbably, Naomi hits the jackpot on Wheel of Fortune, but her absence from work results in her losing her job. While she waits to collect her game show money, she meets Ruthie, a teenage waif who teaches her how to "glean" food for free (vague echoes of the biblical story of Ruth and Naomi). Meanwhile, Foster brings readers up to speed on earlier series characters in Maryland and North Carolina as they make their plans to attend the wedding. Too many characters, places, points of view and plot lines confuse, but Foster somehow glues everything together. Readers will get tired of hearing about Thelma's blue eyes, and Foster can't resist sermonizing toward the end, but there's plenty of fun to be had. Foster's fans should embrace her latest. (Aug.)
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From Booklist
Foster returns with the third in her loosely connected Ain't No . . . series, catching readers up on the East Coast characters of Ain't No River (2001) and Ain't No Mountain (2004 ). But the action this time moves to California, where Mary and Moor are getting married. Two friends of the couple (Antony, on a pilgrimage to find Sly of Sly and the Family Stone, and Naomi, a bored young dental hygienist who dreams of winning a pile of money on Wheel of Fortune) provide most of the rather unlikely but always entertaining action. There may be too much story here to keep up with, but Foster won't lose any fans. John Mort
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Bethany House (August 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764228862
• ISBN-13: 978-0764228865
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #715,168 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoy and learn from, October 27, 2005

By	armchairinterviews.com (Minnesota) - See all my reviews

You know how you sometimes see yourself in a book? Well, in this one I was on too many pages, in too many of the stories. Foster does a good job with her message for singles, married, employed, unemployed, young or old--and I am half of those.

I like that her messages came through to me but I didn't feel like she was preaching or pointing a finger at me. Her quirky characters, some from her earlier books, learn and grow. She has incorporated the Bible stories of prodigal son, Ruth and of course the wedding feast. Where else do more odd things happen than at a wedding, and I'm attending one soon, so I'll be watching out.

Because this is the third in her "Ain't No" theme, I was concerned that I would be lost character and storyline wise, but she did a great job of bringing me up to speed.

Her characters are often out of their comfort zone but find that God is always at their side while they are changing their life.

My favorite part is when the family members drive cross country on a yellow school bus to bring the wedding cake and wedding dress, being made by MeeMaw (from Ain't No River). I laughed out loud.

Armchair Interviews says: So much going on in this novel as she brings God's word in everywhere to benefit her most interesting characters. A book to enjoy and learn from.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars (RAW Rating: 4.5) - Dreams Come True, November 16, 2005

By	The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers (RAWSISTAZ.com and BlackBookReviews.net) - See all my reviews

Naomi Holt's best friend's dream is coming true-she's getting married. And when Naomi saw her chance to make her own dream come true, she dropped everything to chase that dream. Things looked shaky for a bit, but she won on the show Wheel of Fortune. The dream quickly ended when she was fired from her job as a dentist for leaving so abruptly, which initially didn't worry Naomi. She didn't like the facility she worked at anyway and was ready for a change, plus the over hundred grand she won would keep her nicely until she found employment. Unfortunately for Naomi, she won't receive the money until after the show airs, which is months away. Broke in California with more time on her hands than she'd like, she begins soul searching and doesn't like what she sees. Her marriage ended on a sour note and her relationship with her children is barely a relationship. It used to be easy for Naomi to place blame on everyone else, but now the role she played fights for acknowledgment.

Anthony Jenkins is living his dream. He has a fabulous job, a fat 401k, and is a handsome forty-year-old male with a beautiful girlfriend. Life couldn't get better. One second Anthony is on top of the world and readying for his friends wedding, the next his boss is telling him he's been laid off, his girlfriend kicks him out because she doesn't want a man who isn't working, and he doesn't know what he will do with his life. He has time and some extra money on hand and decides to take a break from life before re-entering the rat race. He sets out on a journey to find Freddy ( the brother of Sly from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame group Sly and the Family Stone), but ends up on a journey of self-discovery.

Uniquely amazing, AIN'T NO VALLEY is much more than the story of two people searching for their path in life and eventually finding each other. Ms. Foster mixes the backdrop of guests preparing for a wedding that is to take place a few months down the road with six degrees of separation to show us the lives of the wedding participants. When the several subplots merged at the big event (the wedding), I was sad to see the journeys end. My next trip to the bookstore, I'll be purchasing the first two installments of this series: Ain't No River and Ain't No Mountain.

Reviewed by Deatri King-Bey
of The RAWSISTAZ™ Reviewers

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Fun Inspirational Read!!!, October 12, 2005

By	Kristi Ahlers (Illinois) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Not having had the pleasure of reading the previous titles before Ms. Ewell Foster's latest effort I admit to some fear that I would be lost in the dust. This was a senseless fear as Ms. Ewell Foster took the time to catch readers up without dropping the storyline or boring long time fans.

The story opens with a bang as we stand along side Naomi on the set of "The Wheel of Fortune." The improbable happens and this lady manages to win. Same day she finds out that she has lost her job and with no direct plans in the future except to attend the wedding of her best friend Mary, Naomi begins her journey into self evaluation. Her journey will take her to Bodega Bay, where she will find another friend in the unlikely Ruthie, a former drug addict, abused, and abandoned rich girl. Naomi feels lost but she won't for much longer.

Anthony who is good friends with Moor (Mary's fiancé) finds himself with a pink slip, and a request from his long-term girlfriend to hit the streets. They are through! Anthony packs up his few belongings and with time on his hands decides to follow up on a teenage dream. This quest will take him to Napa Valley, a place of beauty and peace. But will he find the one thing that he's looking for?

Along the way we are re-introduced to friends and family that some how or another connect with Mary, Moor, or Naomi. This is truly a story that celebrates life, friendship, and love. I truly enjoyed this read as Ms. Ewell Foster manages to cross gender, social, and ethnic barriers to deliver a heart warming read. Thelma Latrice, Mary, are friends that everyone should be blessed with. Add to these colorful ladies, Garvin Meemaw and the rest of this colorful cast of characters and you have a well populated but entertaining read. This is truly an inspirational read in more ways than one.

Official Reviewer for Romance Designs