Lost Daughters

Mama Ruby #3

by Mary Monroe

Everyone from Louisiana to Florida knows Mama Ruby--a small-town girl who became one of the South's most notorious and volatile women. Now New York Times bestselling author Mary Monroe reveals how Mama Ruby's past haunts the family she's left behind. . .

Mama Ruby has died and Maureen Montgomery is finally taking charge of her own life. With her beautiful teenage daughter, Loretta, by her side, she returns to Florida and settles into a routine any other woman would consider bland. But for Maureen and her brother Virgil, after Mama Ruby's hair-trigger temper and murderous ways, bland is good. Yet Loretta has other ideas. . .

Set on becoming rich and famous, Loretta convinces Maureen to let her start a modeling career with the help of a Miami photographer. But even as they move in promising new directions, they can't escape Mama Ruby--including Virgil, who's concealed one of her most shocking acts for most of his life. To make a future that's truly hers, Maureen will have to take on a bit of Mama Ruby's strength, forge new bonds--and face down the past.

Praise for the Mama Ruby series

"Magnificent, coarse, funny and terrifying." --The San Francisco Chronicle on The Upper Room

"Monroe's style, like her characters, is no-holds-barred earthy. . .Monroe's characters deal with their situations with a weary worldliness and fatalism that reveal their vulnerability as well as their flaws." --Booklist on Mama Ruby

Genres: Fiction, African American, Historical Fiction, Audiobook, Drama, Urban, Relationships

418 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

I am the third child of Alabama sharecroppers and the first and only member of my family to finish high school. I never attended college or any writing classes. I taught myself how to write and started writing short stories around age four. I spent the first part of my life in Alabama and Ohio and moved to Richmond, California in 1973. I have lived in Oakland since 1984.

My first novel THE UPPER ROOM was published by St. Martin's Press in 1985 and was widely reviewed throughout the U.S. and in Great Britain. An excerpt is included in Terry McMillan's anthology BREAKING ICE. I endured fifteen years and hundreds of more rejection letters before I landed a contract for my second novel, GOD DON'T LIKE UGLY. It was published in October 2000 by Kensington Books. GOD DON'T PLAY is my seventh novel to be published, and it landed me a spot on the prestigious New York Times Bestsellers list for the first time! My eighth novel, "BORROW TROUBLE," was released December 2006. My ninth novel, DELIVER ME FROM EVIL, was released September 2007 and my tenth novel, SHE HAD IT COMING, was released in September 2008, and my eleventh novel THE COMPANY WE KEEP, will be released March 2009.

I won the Oakland Pen Award for Best Fiction of the Year in 2001 for GOD DON'T LIKE UGLY. I won the Best Southern Author Award for GONNA LAY DOWN MY BURDENS, in 2004.

I am divorced, I love to travel, I love to mingle with other authors, and I love to read anything by Ernest Gaines, Stephen King, Alice Walker, and James Patterson. I still write seven days a week and I get most of my ideas from current events, the people around me, but most of my material is autobiographical.

Reviews

[Danita Brown]

It took me some time 2 finish this book, but not because it wasn't good. I have been a big fan of Mary Monroe since way back. The Lost daughter is the third installment in the Mama Ruby series. I loved the first two and this third book to me was just as good as the first two. Mama Ruby is one crazy country women. The way she interpret the world and the made it her own was like wtf. I would not have crossed her 4 all the money in the world. Lost Daughter is Maureen's story but Mama Ruby was there. Maureen's daughter was a brat. What she did 2 her mother was just plain disrespectful and I would be still whupping her ass. But we are from different areas and that's how they did things back then. But we do have 2 let things go when some one do you wrong. I believe in karma, you get what you put out. Also, during the years I've been alive, I have heard no one fucks you like family. But, not all families.

[Zandra]

This third book in the "Mama Ruby" series (The Upper Room, Mama Ruby) focuses on Maureen and her daughter Loretta. After the tragic death of Loretta's twin, Maureen vows to do all she can to provide her surviving daughter with anything her heart desires. This not only created a very spoiled Loretta, it also contributed to her being very disrespectful to her mother and treating her with much contempt. In her eyes, Maureen was countrified and gullible. She loved to brag that she would never end up pitiful like her mother. I don't want to give too much away, but I will say that essentially his book is about the devastating consequences of secrets and the pain caused by betrayal. In the end, Loretta ends up with the scornful life she believed her mother would end up living - a housewife sitting on the porch with a cat.
This was a tedious and quick read. Maureen and her naiveness made me want to throw this book against the wall more than once. In my opinion, it wasn't as enjoyable as its predecessors. However, I do believe that if you are a big fan of the the other two books in this series, you will more than appreciate this one. Monroe definitely sticks to the formula that he many fans know and love.

[Cheryl James]

This book was full of so many characters, emotions, story lines but they were all in perspective. What a great story Mary Monroe. A little disturbing to know the things that a teenage daughter will do and say to her mother but sometimes family can be your worst enemies. Mother's pay attention to your daughters around your boyfriends/husbands. Some men prey on girls/and women just to get into your lives only to turn it upside down. This story is based on sadness, happiness and true survival. At the end of the day, all that shimmers is not gold. A fiction book that has true meaning in real life. Happy endings to hard times.

[Latiffany]

You really have to be a patient person to make it through this book. If you have followed the Mama Ruby series, you know that Virgil has been protecting Mama Ruby's biggest secret for years and this is the book where it all hits the fan.

I thought that would be the focus of the book, but actually another secret emerges that quickly pales the secret Virgil is holding. The only issue I have is you have to read nearly 300 pages before either secret is revealed to Maureen. In the meanwhile, dozens of clues are thrown directly in Maureen's path, but she never catches on. I enjoy flawed characters, but Maureen's naiveté is downright ridiculous. Monroe painted her as a gullible woman.

Other than that, I enjoyed the story. The characters felt real and the storyline was interesting. I absolutely love how Maureen's friends and family pushed her to marry Mel and then right after start getting on her about how she made a mistake. I've witnessed situations like that and got a bit of a kick out of it.

The book is touted as a Mama Ruby novel and even though Mama Ruby's character is dead, her presence is authentically felt throughout the story.

I appreciated that because I recently read another book by an author who tried to incorporate a popular character into a story and it felt forced and unrealistic. It felt as if the author didn't even like the character and was using the name to sell book-Yep, I am referring to the sequel to the Coldest Winter Ever.

Monroe does an excellent job at incorporating Mama Ruby into this story and the reader can tell that she feels something for the character. I have the feeling that this is it for the Mama Ruby series. Monroe also wrapped up the God don't like...series. Let's hope that she continues writing entertaining stories.

[Jenavieve]

I was very disappointed. The Upper Room set the bar extremely high, as it is one of the best books I've ever read. This book was over-sexualized regarding the relationship between the daughter and the step father. It was overkill! Overall, it felt like a different person wrote this book.

[Cheryl James]

This book was full of so many characters, emotions, story lines but they were all in perspective. What a great story Mary Monroe. A little disturbing to know the things that a teenage daughter will do and say to her mother but sometimes family can be your worst enemies. Mother's pay attention to your daughters around your Boyfriends/Husband's. Some men prey on girls/and women just to get into your lives only to turn it upside down. This story is based on sadness, happiness and true survival. At the end of the day, all that shimmers is not gold. A fiction book that has true meaning in real life. Happy Endings to hard times.

[Shavonne]

I felt like I was reading another story. I don't think it connected. I was hoping for more of Mama Ruby's ways to be in her "daughter" Maureen. Maureen was so weak it made me sick. I hope this is the last of the series because this book was a disappointment.

[Emmy Headstone]

I loved Mary Monroe's previous books, yet this just seemed to drag out. The fact that a mother and daughter were sleeping with the same man (when the daughter was 15) was also a turn-off. Disappointed.

[Khanh]

Round up to 3.5 stars. The ending was a bit disappointing, and there were too many secrets for my liking, too much that was unresolved. But I liked the overall story and the unique writing style. I think it's an acquired taste kind of book. Surprisingly, I can see myself revisiting this one.

[JayBee]

Mary Monroe is an outstanding author and I truly enjoyed the first two Mama Ruby offerings, however I feel Lost Daughters missed the mark.

Let's begin with the statutory rape of a fourteen year old child and the blatant affair (if I can call it that) that ensued right under her Mother's watch. This is not only disturbing with regards to literary license, it is also inconceivable. What woman would not be suspicious, when everyone else that encountered Loretta and Mel had concerns regarding their relationship? Loretta's character was over the top with regards to her rudeness, disrespect and vulgarity.

Also, any parent, whether their child is 18 or not, would have hunted Mel down like the pedophilic dog that he was, and filed charges. I reside in Florida, the setting for this fictional story, and in the state of Florida, the statute of limitations for Statutory Rape is Three (3) years. Maureen was WELL within the window of opportunity to lock Mel up for a long time and when/if he finally got out, he would be required to register as a sexual offender for the remainder of his days!

The story was slow moving and at times boring. The best part was by far the ending, when "Karma" and "Street Justice" were served on a platter!!

In the words of Lena Horne "A Lady knows when it is time to leave the party"; So respectfully Ms Monroe, I will continue reading and supporting your work, but please let Mama Ruby gather her hat and coat, and leave the party...it's time, Enough is Enough.

[Sunny]

Mama Ruby is no longer Maureen’s physical crutch. However, she is ever-present in her life. Now Maureen has to raise her daughter Loretta while trying to navigate the world for the first time on her own. She can’t shake the nagging feeling that she doesn’t belong; to whom she’s not quite sure.
So many secrets are uncovered in this final installment of The Mama Ruby Saga and Mary Monroe, the author, doesn’t disappoint. She leaves no stone unturned.

[Risha1983]

I couldn't put this book down...it's a classic story of betrayal, greed, tragedy, love, and lust, and redemption. You have to read the two other books in the series however to really understand the background of the characters.

[Catrina Chappell]

I like this author's writing style and I liked this book but it was too drawn out. It took too long to get to the drama and the climax. Some of the scenes could've been omitted since they really didn't serve purpose, which would've made the book shorter. Overall I thought it was a good story.

[Kim]

I made it halfway through the book, but just couldn't make it any further.

[DR ☆]

This book is the epitome of “God don’t like ugly and not too fond of pretty”. This book was a 4/5 ★ for me. I have enjoyed the Mama Ruby series as a whole and feel like this story was a great way to wrap it up. I feel like all three stories provided me with a lot of context on moments that were lightly touched on and move past.

In the beginning, I wasn’t sure I would be able to decipher this fiction story from reality because the dynamic is just trifling BUT when I did I was able to enjoy this story. I blame everyone; Mel, Maureen and Loretta. As an adult despite what a child initiates, right is right and wrong is wrong and a clear boundary should have been immediately placed in the open for everybody to hear and see… however that was never going to happen because a predator is going to be just that regardless. Loretta wanted to live a lifestyle full of glitz and glam in hopes that her dreams would someday come true but she ultimately bit off more than she could CHEW. Maureen enabled her daughter’s behavior. Loretta was privileged, disrespectful, demanding and self-centered and Maureen played a role in it. Maureen has always been easy to manipulate which I can partially blame Mama Ruby for, but her gullibility made her just as wrong as everyone else.

This book was actually funny as hell to me because the audacity was at an all-time high, i literally could not believe wtf I was reading lmaooo. It woulda been a SLOW WALKING, ALL BLACK ATTIRE AND HEARSE CARS GASSING UP event taking place!!!!

[Tamikka]

This was the most hilarious book I have ever read in my entire life. Mo-reen, Lo-retta, Maureen, Virgil, and that dang on Mel was something else. I have never heard funky black dog used so much in a book. Man I loved this series.

[CourtneyRenee]

3.5 🌟's This series was full of lies, underhanded families and drama. Very entertaining.

[Kina]

This book was sooooooo slow. It just seemed to drag on and on. I really like the first book in this trilogy, but this book just didn't deliver. It picks up after Mama Ruby died. Maureen and her one surviving twin daughter, Loretta have moved to California with Virgil. I really did not like Loretta. She was materialistic, self-centered, manipulative, and disrespectful. Her mother tried to give her everything she ever asked for because Loretta's twin sister died. Loretta ends up betraying her mother in the worst way. I could not believe the lengths she went to. It's just sad. I also could not believe how naive Maureen was. A blind person would've been able to see that betrayal. Overall the book was pretty good. It just took too long getting to the drama.

[Pat Smith]

Lost Family

Ain't no way a mother could be that naive. And there's no way a black, southern mother would accept the kind of treatment and sass that Loretta dished out.
I almost didn't finish reading this due to the illegal 'relationship' between this 14 year old and a grown man. But I thought there would be a strong lesson/ message or outcome, something more stunning than the culprits getting served their karma.

[Gentle]

Mary Monroe usually does very well with telling her stories. Lost Daughters moved along a bit too slowly for me. It didn't hold my interest so I had to keep putting it down and picking it back up later. There were some unnecessary additions to the book that I could have done without. I expected it to be a juicier read than what it was. The story was ok.

[Verlean]

Mary Monroe has done it again! Lost Daughters reveals family secrets as well as family deceit. Mama Ruby still has a hold on her children and has given them the strength needed to get through these trying times. A great read that made me want to jump into the story at times because of the emotions it evoked.

[Robbin Melton]

I was ecstatic to accidentally find the latest in the Mama Ruby series, but this one focuses on the daughter, now grown, that Mama Ruby stole and raised and the granddaughter Mama Ruby never got to meet. While the story's decent enough, it lacks the raw crass OMG moments its predecessors had. But, it's part of the Mama Ruby series, so I couldn't NOT read it. Sadly, this was a big let down.

[Felisa]

This was an excellent read. This is the third book in the Mama Ruby series ( the upper room, Mama Ruby) it has me wanting more. I'm dying to know what will happen with that disrespectful child Loretta. I won't give it away but if you read this you won't be disappointed!

[Rhonda]

It was a slow read that took me a while to finish. What mostly drove me was wanting to complete my reading of the series. It just kept feeling like unfinished business. This would be my least favorite in the series.

[Miranda]

I'M A FAN OF MARY MONROE SHE CAN DO KNOW WRONG!!!

[Karla]

I liked the other books in the Mama Ruby series but the story line in this one was too slow for me.

[Exsquisit]

It was hard for me to keep an interest in this book. It started slow and had a very typical ending.

[Christie]

Maureen was the biggest fool even until the end and they say there is no fool like an old fool.

[Teaguem2005]

I'd already read this but didn't do book review. Will see if I did review on Amazon

[Keeping.Volumes.Harris]

I was disappointed with this follow-up 😔. It was too outrageous 😑 I'm glad it's over with.