Rules for a Pretty Woman

by Suzette Francis

Dr. Lenita Mae Faulkner has come a long way from her dirt-poor beginningsin Madoosa County. All she's missing is a family. And with her nine-year live-in lover Ralph seemingly about to pop the question, it looks like she's about to get her wish -- a good thing, too, since Lenny's biological clock is ticking rapidly toward thirty-five. But instead of proposing, Ralph skips out, empties their joint bank account,and runs off with another woman. And on top of that, a true family catastrophe is calling her back to tiny Madoosa -- the last place Lenny wants to be.Home again at the lowest point of her once-charmed life, Lenny is blastedby a forgotten piece of her a diary she kept in the fifth grade containing a list of rules she had created to live by. And in their simple, fervent honesty is the impetus for her to get out and start living again. Look out world, because Lenita Mae is coming on strong once more -- andthis time, it will be according to her own rules! It won't always be pretty, and it won't be perfect . . . but it may just help her discover what real love is all about!

Genres: Fiction, Chick Lit, Romance

320 pages, Paperback

First published August 14, 2003

Reviews

[Jan Rice · Rating 3 out of 5]

A compelling and refreshing summer read from an author who was new at the time and made some faux pas. For example, she thought that a house in Midtown Atlanta circa the mid to late '90s could have been available for $48,000, but those days were gone 20 years prior. She thought that Lookout Mountain was a casual drive, just around the corner. She thought a woman would take on her best friend as an obstetrics patient. In short, she brought me up short a number of times. Also, all of the goings-on were a little too close to being a romance, or at least I think so, having never read one--or maybe I have now. Nevertheless, she kept me reading. She could write. She knew the local scenery and greenery. You could smell the air; that's what first hooked me. She named a character's law firm Ashford, Dunwoody and Simpson (local roads). The protagonist noticed the call and response of birds.... And Mr. Right had always known that she was the chosen one. The author knew her characters, what was happening to them, and what made them tick. She was mainly interested in how a woman could uninstall her default programming and reprogram herself more constructively. She knew that, first, the woman had to see her settings. The book was not empty calories. And I know just the right person to whom to pass it on next.

[Nia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book actually surprised the dickens out of me. I thought it would be a silly romance novel that I would skim through in a couple of hours and move on to the next book on my stack, but it turns out not only to be a hard-hitting book with some serious research (and connections to other books, like Secret City: A History of Race Relations in the Nation's Capital , Stayed on Freedom's Call: Cooperation Between Jewish And African-American Communities In Washington, DC, and though the book she mentioned, From Holocaust to Segregation, seems not to be available in print, there are some tantalizing references to such a possible publication: https://aaregistry.org/story/jewish-p...) even behind it. And, like J.K. Rowling’s Lumos Foundation, this author fights strongly for the rights of children. This book is also a moving story of families and communities like my family of origin, and how we mix and match as we move through society, or some of us, any way, enduring and hopefully eventually changing some of the pre-concieved notions...

Please see my comments (aka updates) as I read the book.
Best,
Let's #EndPoverty & #EndMoneyBail by improving these four parts of our good #PublicDomainInfrastructure 4: (1. #libraries, 2. #ProBono legal aid and Education, 3. #UniversalHealthCare , and 4. good #publictransport )Read, Write, Dream, Walk !

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ShiraDest

29 June, 12018 HE

[Amanda Williamson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Don't let the title of this book offset you. It is not some dim-witted how-to novel. The book will rarely make you smile and will not make you cry but it is a solid contemporary love story that screams with real life issues and disappointments. When it comes to relationships and allowing people to run over her the lead character is so frustratingly real you'll want to shake some sense into her. If you're in the mood for a reality romance novel this one is the one to pick.

[Maeceon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I stalled on reading this because the title seemed shallow. I read it in a couple of sittings and found it to be an easy read. Not light and airy as I first thought. I am not big on romance novels which was a large theme in this novel. I thought Lenny would have been smarter than she was on so many occasions, I wanted to reach through the pages and shake her at times because her poor choices were predictable. I was however compelled to learn how her story ended enough to read it almost in a single sitting. This definitely did not take the 7 hours that Kindle decided it needed to read this book. The author did a decent job in relating complicated relationships with friends, family, and suitors. All in all, I enjoyed writer’s style and the book better than I thought I would. I did not think the “rules” were for a pretty woman and that struck me as odd, and maybe a little off-putting. Her rules had nothing to do with looks and everything to do with self respect.

[Deborah Long · Rating 4 out of 5]

An easy and enjoyable read. She (Dr. Lenita Faulkner) doesn't listen to her first mind, like many women, and she falls into the same traps. Ultimately, the tables turn in her favor but for a predictable ending.

[kiabia02 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just finished this book, and it was absolutely amazing. A great read for empowering women, especially black women. This book really evoked many emotions from thrilled to wanting to cry. definitely will have to come back to this one!

[Sabra Kurth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a kind of predictable romance

[Shannan Harper · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good, well written and enjoyable story

[Titilayo · Rating 4 out of 5]

i was pleased with the composition of the prose. the language flows well. its appropiate for the social class of a person with the main character's profession but you don't pick up many of the nusiances in southern speech from the secondary characters (espeically those from different social classes). the story unfolds in a straight manner with simple foreshadowing, something just seemed to miss the mark. the storyline chronicals growth, but you don't see it. there always seems to be some important details missing from the narrative be it in a flashback, thoughts, journal, or the events as they unfold. i would have fallen madly in love with Lennie and become enveloped in the story if those details would have been woven into the text.

we all contend with those sort of relationship issues or know someone battling those demons; however, i just could not relate to lennie. she seemed more of a caricuture than a character. her life issues were too difficult for her to come across so simple. perhaps there will be a sequel (or at least another book with her playing a major role) with more of her personality exposed. i would certainly read it. i like suzette francis.

[Darnia · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5

Baru kali ini gw nemu Chicklit yang enggak ecek-ecek ceritanya.
Dr. Lenita Mae Faulker, di tengah kekhawatirannya untuk memiliki keturunan di usianya yang hampir 35 tahun, harus menerima kenyataan bahwa lelaki yang dipacarinya selama 9 tahun tak lebih dari seorang penipu. Ralph Griffins membawa lari uang "investasi bersama" mereka yang jumlahnya 4 kali lipat dari modal awal yang diberikan Lenny dan meninggalkannya begitu saja dengan sang wanita lain.

Lenny sendiri harus mengurus ibunya yang sedang sekarat karena kanker dan menghadapi kedua adik serta kakaknya yang parasit dalam hal keuangannya. Belum lagi masalah-masalah yang ditimbulkan pasiennya dengan kehamilan mereka. Yap..Lenny adalah seorang dokter kandungan.

Beberapa lelaki akhirnya mampir ke kehidupannya, namun menemukan Mr. Perfect memang bukan perkara mudah.

[Mimma Y · Rating 4 out of 5]

ceritanya menarik, ttg seorang dokter yg udah nyampe usia "matang" tp blm nikah2 juga, ditingalin ama pacarnya yg udah 9 taun bersama eh ternyata si cowo malah ngerampok abis2an, ketemu ama cowo lain eh ternyata cowo itu bossy bgt, trs tukang minum lagi, ketemu lagi cowo lain...eh ternyata selingkuh ama mantan pacarnya, dateng lagi cowo lain...eh selingkuh juga. sampai akhirnya ternyata pria "baik2" itu ngak jauh2 ko...dari teman-sahabat mungkin aja naik level jadi kekasih kan?!

kagum deh ama dr. Lenita Mae...udah jatuh bgn juga ttp deh pantang menyerah so gw ngikut juga :


peraturannya yg no 3 : "I will follow my dreams"

[Efi Nuraini · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, senang sekali bisa menemukan satu lagi novel chicklit yang bagus dan memberikan pelajaran buat hidup aku.
Jadi kepengen bikin peraturan kehidupan juga nih hehe.
Ada beberapa peraturan kehidupan dari novel ini yang pantas untuk aku coba terapkan dalam kehidupan aku ..
1. Aku tidak akan mengizinkan siapa pun mengendalikan aku.
2. Aku hanya akan berubah sesuai keinginanku sendiri.
3. Aku akan mengikuti impianku.
4. Tidak ada seorang pun yang pantas membuatku menderita.
5. Aku akan mengindahkan peringatan suara batinku.
yaah .. segitu dulu deh peraturan kehidupan aku -yang semuanya diambil dari novel ini :p- sisanya bakal aku pikirin nanti deh hehehe

[Stef Phillips · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great and super sassy book. I wish Suzette Francis would write some more!

[Laurie · Rating 5 out of 5]

My roomie recommended this one to me. When I started it I realized I read it several years ago. I loved it then and I love it now.

[Eli · Rating 3 out of 5]

For once, a character who seemed to want to learn from her mistakes.

[Melissa (Semi Hiatus Until After the Holidays) · Rating 3 out of 5]

In-depth story. Dr. Lennie, fascinating cases and looking for love.

[Dale Wells-Marshall · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book goes way deeper than its name. I was captured form the beginning to the end. A very good read.

[Ngosa Chibuye · Rating 3 out of 5]

Romance with a touch of reality. Although it took a while for the main character to come to her senses ,so she angered me most times. Overall , it was ok.