Pride by Lorene Carey

From: Thumper
Date: 5/19/98

Comments

<WARNING: I have to say up front that I saw the picture of the author on the book cover. I have to admit that I've developed a little crush on her. The below review is my attempt at being objective.>

Hello All. Pride by Lorene Carey is a joy to behold. This is the first book that I read by Ms. Carey, it will not be the last. Pride is a story of friendship between four women that grew up together. This is the coming together, growing apart, the anger and the memories that go along with friendship, told in a realistic fashion with an endearing voice.

Pride stars four women; Roz (the ambitious congressman's wife), Tamara (the college professor and the smart-aleck one in the group, and the one that had a 15 year affair with Roz's husband...OK), Arneathe (The priest who is should be a mother and afraid to love again after the death of her husband) and Audrey (the tough, loving one who is an alcoholic and gave Roz her son to raise because she was constantly drunk). We go through weddings, births, finding out about affairs, awakenings and all of the the nuts and bolts that goes with calling someone a friend. Carey pulled it off effortlessly and wonderfully.

The book is well grounded in the real. Carey never shied away from the ugly spots that friends are bound to discover about each other. She also shows the love that it takes for a true friend, not only to overcome, but to forgive. She also developed such strong characters along with a solid storyline that the characters are full bodied, three dimensional. I remember one point that I had to give Tamara the hand. Oh yes! She said that because of her, Roz's marriage is on more solid ground that it was before. I shouted, (yeah, and I talk to the TV too) "Baby with that weak _ss line of thinking, you need to work as a writer for The Young And The Restless so you can insult my intelligence too!" Either girlfriend forgot to take her pills or need to take some different ones.

As you probably noticed that my little bitty tirade is against Carey, the author, but her creation, Tamara. Now that is good writing, damn good writing!

What makes this book different from some of the other friendship books is that Carey went to a deeper level. She successfully added the companionship along with some spirituality thrown in, for what is true friendship without it?

Carey also impressed me with the format that she used in this novel as well. Pride is narrated in four parts, the each friend taking over the story. What is different is the way that with each individual, unique, distinct voice, each friend narrates the same story. Picking up the main story where the previous friend's narration ended. Not only that, but she branches off a little piece of history of the friendship as well as each telling their own individual story. This form was highly enjoyable and informative. It is bound to be copied, but for it to be carried off, the characters voices MUST be their own. Excellent.

So for those of you with your Summer Reading list, you might want to add this one along with it. A highly enjoyable book.