Playing My Mother's Blues

by Valerie Wilson Wesley

In her triumphant new novel, bestselling author Valerie Wilson Wesley, one of the most respected and acclaimed voices in contemporary African American fiction, poignantly examines the stubborn bonds of family, passion, and a past that insists on repeating itself. Dani Carter was seven years old -- her sister, Rose, seventeen -- when their beautiful, impetuous mother, Maria, walked out of their lives, abandoning her husband and family for a love affair that would end tragically mere months later. Over the decades that followed, Dani was able to overcome the persistent pain and feelings of betrayal, eventually wedding a successful man and giving birth to a wonderful son. But love has long been missing from her marriage, propelling her into the arms of another and inspiring troubling thoughts of escape. If it were not for the distress caused by the recent death of her father, she might well have already been gone. The sins of the mother, Dani fears, have been visited upon the daughter. Dani's sister, Rose, never spoke or speaks of their lost parent. And their iron-willed, driven father -- who channeled his shame and anger into phenomenal business success -- always made it brutally clear that he considered his ex-wife to be evil incarnate. But Dani remembers a sweet, funny, vivacious young woman who did everything with exuberant love and tenderness. And now that she finds herself in a similar heartbreaking situation, Dani can't help but wonder who Maria really was. It's a puzzle that may soon be completed, after a lifetime of searching for missing pieces. Maria, calling herself Mariah, is about to reenter her daughters' worlds -- at a time of emotional confusion and physicalchaos -- bearing secrets and bitter truths ... and, perhaps, long-awaited answers to what could possibly drive a mother to sacrifice what was dearest to her heart.

Genres: African American, Fiction, Contemporary, Adult Fiction, Book Club

295 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Valerie Wilson Wesley is an African-American author of mysteries, adult-theme novels, and children's books,[1] and a former executive editor of Essence magazine. She is the author of the Tamara Hayle mystery series. Her writings, both fiction and non-fiction, have also appeared in numerous publications, including Essence, Family Circle, TV Guide, Ms., The New York Times, and the Swiss weekly magazine Die Weltwoche.

Reviews

[Malika · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am really surprised by the drubbing this book has taken. It is not a light hearted book. The characters are deeply flawed, but there is a thread of love and sense of family that is quite compelling.



I think the publisher did the book a disservice by putting reviews on the back cover that were incongrous with the book. I'd grabbed this book in the Library thinking it was a "romantic comedy" based on the back cover...After the first 50 pages, I read the cover more closely and found that those comments were praise for "previous books."



This book is a bittersweet family tragedy, and a departure for Ms. Wesley. So if you are not into family melo-drama, and heartbreak, you may want to skip.



But, if you do appreciate a family drama with secrets, lies, heartbreak and flawed characters, then this will be one to enjoy. I thought is was a worthwhile read...and very well written.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

From July 2005 School Library Journal:
Valerie Wilson Wesley is in high form in her latest novel—this time with a story about mother-daughter relationships. When she was in her 30’s, Mariah had an affair that led to her leaving her husband and her two daughters. Several months later, she shot her lover and spent time in prison for his murder. Now Rose and Dani are grown and she has just read of her ex-husband’s death. Desperate to make peace with her daughters after all these years, she makes plans to attend the funeral. Meanwhile, Rose and Dani have spent their lives trying to come to terms with the desertion of their mother. The choices that they have made in their relationships reflect both the influence of their Aunt Lucille, who raised them, and the lingering memories of Mariah. When the three women meet again, long-buried issues are brought to the surface, and change each of their lives in ways they could not have anticipated. Told from the first person perspectives of Mariah, Rose, Dani, and Lucille, the story is rich and compelling, and much more complex than it appears on the surface. Interwoven into the story of Mariah and her daughters are themes of racial relationships and the drug culture of the sixties and seventies. Wesley, a contributing editor at Essence, and the author of several previous novels, shows her skill at developing characters who are utterly believable in their various combinations of grace and flaws. High school students will identify with the struggles of each of these women to define themselves rather than letting their circumstances define them.

[Tamyka · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m glad I stuck with this book cause it really paid off in the end. The first third of the book introduces the characters but not in a way that creates an immediate interest in them individually or as a collective, so I considered abandoning the book a couple of times. But around chapter 6 it starts to pick up and you begin to have faith that it’s going to pay off in the end, and oh boy, I promise you it does. It’s writing is smart, honest, vulnerable, relatable, and rhythmic. I’d recommend this and am going to find another book to read by the author. Update* I ended up rereading it and this is a 4/4.5 for sure.

[Mahoghani 23 · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't like stories told by one person at a time. Three women, a mother and her two daughters along with their aunt, narrates the story.

Maria, better known as Mariah, is the mother of two kids, Rose & Danielle, describes her life and how she really had no identity. Her mother was "color struck" and got by on her looks. Maria is set up by her mother to marry a man twenty years her senior, Hilton Dells. As the years go by, he treats her like she's less than the dirt on his shoes. Maria meets Darnell and falls for him hard only to find out that he's not what makes himself out to be. She finds him in bed with her oldest daughter and she kills him. She's sent to prison for twenty years and haven't seen her daughter's since the day she left to be with Darnell.

Hilton has prevented Maria from seeing her daughters and now he's dead. Maria finally sees her daughters and they each tell their part in the story.

I have mixed feelings about this book. It was slightly boring and full of real life scenarios. I wish it would have just been written from a different perspective.

[Danielle Murray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Came across this book at a book exchange. Absolutely loved every minute of it. It's well written, the story is engaging and the characters are real. These days there are few books I keep but I refuse to part with it because one day, I intend to read it again.

[Kim G. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am still trying to figure out how I missed this book. I am a fan of Ms. Valerie Wilson Wesley's writing. This treasure of a book published in 2005 wrote beautifully. I am only fond of one character I genuinely like, Aunt Lucelle. The rest of the cast was selfish, especially Hilton (father), who was very stubborn. Mariah (mother) made awful decisions but also sacrificed her freedom, which affected her adult girls, Dani and Rose. They still carried the baggage of their mothers' choices. The story was powerful with Dani and Rose's bond with their Aunt Lucille. The story ended abruptly for the cast of characters-in all terrific, well done Valerie Wilson Wesley.

[Debdanz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm always happy to read books that expand my world view. All we have is our perception of the world and that can be very narrow. This book made me very sad that people spinning in their own little worlds can hurt themselves and each other so much. But it is nice to think of a world where time and love can help repair damage.

[Gabrielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this novel and this story of family and forgiveness. It explored mother/daughter relationships and was told from the perspectives of the women in the family. I'm glad I finally decided to read this one that has been on my bookshelf for a while.

[TBJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book that touches upon May-December marriages, extramarital affairs, colorism, and the importance of forgiveness and restoration. Highly recommend to anyone looking for a fun, thoughtful read.

[Delores · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intensely interesting! A novel of family relationships and secrets and the question “Will history repeat itself?” An insightful book that causes the reader to contemplate the difficulties of forgiveness, of self and others.

[Essence Cropper · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't enjoy this book. It was kind of boring.

[Charlene Downs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this story and how it was told from the voices of each of the women.

[Charlene Downs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this story and how it was told from the voices of each of the women.

[Linda Boyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about a mother, Maria and her 2 daughters, Dani & Rose. When I started this book, the mother got on my nerves, she was so naive, that I could not believe anyone could be that clueless. As I continued on, I felt sorry for her realizing that she was sheltered while growing up and she did not make the best choices for her children. Maria, ends up not raising her daughters due to some bad choices that she made, when she realized it, it was too late. Very good book and I gave it 4 stars.

[Christy Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been reading this for a while. I found it interesting because tf the premise, a woman leaving her children and then spending time in jail for murder. the characters were different but somehow the same in the way their roles mimiced their elders. The secrets were numerous and the ending a tear-jerker. I liked that it was unclear how they would end up in the future.

[Zilverña · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the story... but I don't quite like the ending.. :( . I want to know what will happen to Dani and Chance, Rose and Marshall, and Lucille and Mira.. :(( . I hope there'll be a sequel to this story..:(

[Valencia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Last book discussion with book club Word Sisters before we take a break for the summer. Good read, short read with a lot of powerful points to talk over. Looking forward to the last Sunday of the month.

[Pam]

07/17/08 rec via bookmooch

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spent the day nursing a cold made quite enjoyable by the company of this book. Thanks Heidi! An excellent and quick read.

[Shevi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had this on my shelf for a while decided to read it during the Blizzard of 2010. It was a wonderful surprise! Sorry I waited so long to read it.

[Denise Billings · Rating 5 out of 5]

A page turner. I lot of my own experiences showed up in the story.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read which communicates that a mother's influence or lack thereof has major effects on their offspring. Easy read but powerful stuff with good messages all throughout.

[Mshirluke]

excellent