Women's Fiction, African Americans - Fiction & Literature

Changing Faces

Name: Changing Faces
Author: Kimberla Lawson Roby
ISBN: 9780060780807

by Kimberla Lawson Roby

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Overview

Meet Whitney, Taylor, and Charisse, three women who have been best friends since high school. However, this devoted troika is about to discover a wave of unexpected troubles.

Whitney is a plus-size woman who just can't turn down a box of Krispy Kremes or find a man who will stay put.

Taylor is in a long-term relationship with a boyfriend who's allergic to commitment.

Charisse is married, with two adorable children, but somehow doesn't have what she really wants—or needs.

Then suddenly Charisse spins out of control. Her doormat husband manages to stand up to her and even threatens to go public with a very shady secret Charisse had hoped to keep hidden, especially from her interfering mother. Desperate, she decides that only a very risky scheme will save her.

One constant for these women has been the support they've offered one another. But this time, how far can friendship go?

In this witty, rollicking, deeply poignant story, Kimberla Lawson Roby demonstrates the storytelling magic that has won her legions of adoring fans and made her novels bestsellers.

Synopsis

Meet Whitney, Taylor, and Charisse, three women who have been best friends since high school. However, this devoted troika is about to discover a wave of unexpected troubles.

Whitney is a plus-size woman who just can't turn down a box of Krispy Kremes or find a man who will stay put.

Taylor is in a long-term relationship with a boyfriend who's allergic to commitment.

Charisse is married, with two adorable children, but somehow doesn't have what she really wants—or needs.

One constant for these women has been the support they've offered one another. But this time, how far can friendship go?

In this witty, rollicking, deeply poignant story, Kimberla Lawson Roby demonstrates the storytelling magic that has won her legions of adoring fans and made her novels bestsellers.

The Washington Post - Susan Adams

Roby…writes in an engaging, conversational style, like a long chat-fest between best girlfriends. But she displays a penchant for oddly formal language…Still, Roby dishes up enough drama, heartbreak, violence and redemption to keep the pages turning.

About the Author, Kimberla Lawson Roby

Kimberla Lawson Roby is the New York Times bestselling author of fourteen acclaimed novels, including Be Careful What You Pray For, The Best of Everything, and One in a Million. She lives with her husband in Illinois.

Reviews

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Editorials

Essence

"Juicy saga of sister-friendship with all its twists and turns."

BookPage

"Vicious, compelling fun."

Susan Adams

Publishers Weekly

Three performers give a warm, believable feeling to this tale of friendship. Polk is the standout here: as Whitney, she latches onto the reader like a best friend eager to spill all her news. Whether bemoaning her inability to lose weight or expressing her outrage at her mother's criticisms and personal digs, Polk makes Whitney a completely real, lovable and amusingly overexcitable character. Williams takes a more thoughtful approach to the character of Taylor, a successful lawyer who learns she may have cancer. Taylor is the calm, reasonable one of the trio-the mediator between her two volatile friends-and Williams's soothing voice suits her role perfectly. As Charisse, a woman who has coped with childhood abuse by becoming controlling and sanctimonious, Chavis captures both the character's cold and overbearing personality and the hidden vulnerability behind it. These three lively, contrasting performances bring the story to life and make this audio a most enjoyable listen. Simultaneous release with the William Morrow hardcover (Reviews, Nov. 14). (Feb.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Children's Literature - Leila Toledo

Whitney, Taylor, and Charisse are best friends who have known each other for years. Whitney struggles with her obesity; Taylor is in a long-term relationship, which does not seem to be moving towards marriage; and Charisse struggles to control her husband and dismisses her daughter as non-existent. The three women reach out to one another and at one point struggle to maintain their friendship. Each character, Rico, Whitney's boyfriend; Cameron, Taylor's boyfriend; and Marvin, Brianna, and Mattie Lee, Chrisse's husband, daughter, and mother, stay with you throughout the story. Once you start reading this book you can not put it down. And when you do put it down you think about Whitney. Will she stay on her diet and exercise regimen this time? Will Taylor confront Cameron about his lack of commitment? Will Charisse get control of her husband again? Will her relationship with her mother and daughter improve? By the time I finished the book tears were forming. Not because of the ending but because it was over. There was no more. I hope that the author is considering a sequel—I will be the first in line for a copy.

Library Journal

Chicagoans Whitney, Taylor, and Charisse have been best friends since college. As they enter their late thirties, however, the relationships become strained. While Whitney has a great management job in a telecom firm, she struggles with an eating disorder and is overweight; Taylor is a successful lawyer who is unable to get a real commitment from her longtime boyfriend; and Charisse, a nurse and mother of two, suffered extreme emotional and physical abuse as a child and is now showing signs of mental illness. Whitney and Taylor are well crafted and appealing; many listeners will relate to the poignant descriptions of Whitney's disorder and Taylor's relationship issues. Unfortunately, Charisse, a devout Christian who is secretly a monster to her family, descends into caricature. Tracey Leigh's outstanding performance elevates this somewhat uneven girlfriend novel; an experienced narrator, she evens out the often melodramatic storyline. On the other hand, the multivoiced dramatization on the abridged version only adds to the overall disjointed feel of the book, despite adequate reading from Lynn Chavis, Audra Alise Polk, and Delores King Williams. The unabridged program is recommended for medium to large collections or where Roby has a strong following. Beth Farrell, Portage Cty. Dist. Lib, OH Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

Three longtime best friends find their relationship strained when one of them goes off the deep end. Chicagoans Whitney, Taylor and Charisse have been a close-knit trio since college. Big, beautiful Whitney has a good job in telecommunications, along with a serious food addiction. Single and eager to lose weight in time for her 20th high-school reunion, she meets sexy Rico at her gym. Rico is willing to help her get fit, but is this new workout partner too good to be true? Elegant lawyer Taylor avoids dealing with a debilitating medical condition, risking both her health and her relationship with commitment-phobic architect boyfriend Cameron. And pious Charisse is a control-freak nurse and mother of two with serious mental problems she has managed to keep under wraps. Charrise is also a cruel hypocrite, keeping several ugly secrets. Why Taylor and Whitney tolerate her at all is never adequately explained. Her orderly facade cracks for good when her long-suffering husband Marvin decides to finally stand up for himself (he begins skipping church and moves into the guest bedroom). This loss of control enrages Charisse and she begins to fantasize about how she will "take care of" all the people who have wronged her. Her vengeance extends to Whitney, who uses her new-found confidence to finally confront Charisse about her bullying ways. This encounter, among others, builds to a vicious, though not particularly surprising, act of violence. Sin and secrets in a lurid, uneven melodrama.