32 Candles in The Reader's Bar

Apr 05, 2016 Shelly Ellis rated it it was ok · review of another edition

This book was a hard one to review and a even harder one for me to give a low score to. I kept reading, waiting... HOPING for it to get better and get back to the book I started reading, but it didn't. It was quickly turning into a "hate read" (when you read and keep rolling your eyes) so I stopped a little over halfway through the book.

The book starts off like the Color Purple and though it was intense, I was down with it. The main character Davidia Jones even reminds you of (and makes referenc This book was a hard one to review and a even harder one for me to give a low score to. I kept reading, waiting... HOPING for it to get better and get back to the book I started reading, but it didn't. It was quickly turning into a "hate read" (when you read and keep rolling your eyes) so I stopped a little over halfway through the book.

The book starts off like the Color Purple and though it was intense, I was down with it. The main character Davidia Jones even reminds you of (and makes references to) Celie from the Color Purple. She and Davidia are both black, poor, dark-skinned, and seen by everyone around them as ugly. Davidia is constantly physically abused by her mother who is basically the town whore, bringing in a endless stream of men into the home. Davidia is ridiculed by both her peers and adults. She finally decides to remove herself from the world around her by no longer really engaging. She stops talking AT ALL and escapes by listening to music and watching John Hughes movies starring Molly Ringwald.

Davidia becomes obsessed with the Farrell family, a rich, light-skinned wealthy family that moves to her small Mississippi Town. She particularly becomes obsessed with James Farrell, who represents everything that Davidia is not - he's light, well liked, wealthy. He's her Jake Ryan from 16 Candles.

After an embarrassing incident that involves Jake, Davidia, and his family, she decides to run away from her small town and never look back. She goes to Los Angeles, starts a new life as a lounge singer (of all things), and evolves from "ugly" Davidia Jones to sassy, quick-witted and admired Davie Jones. And THIS is where the story take a turn that was so abrupt that it left me with whiplash.

I won't go into full detail but I'll just say that the John Hughes movies that Davie fantasized about suddenly became her life, without warning. All the intensity, depth, complexity at the beginning of the novel gave way to a zany romantic comedy that could've stared Kathrine Heigl. I kept reading it thinking, "Is this the same story??? What am I reading?" I kept scrolling back to the beginning and going back to the present and wondering, how the story changed into this? WHY did the author do this? It felt so jarring and disjointed and I just couldn't keep going.

I'll put it this way... I love the Color Purple and I love Pretty in Pink but in NO WAY would I want those two movies spliced together! That's what happened with this book. It was my favorite buttercream pecan gelato mixed with my favorite guacamole--and all I was left with was a nasty taste in my mouth.

I would read this author again because overall, I liked her style of writing. I would just hope for a more consistent execution the next time around ...more

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Sep 17, 2015 Lauren Cecile rated it it was amazing

Fun, witty, well written and highly entertaining.

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Aug 06, 2013 Lindor Joelle rated it really liked it

Okay I reallly liked this book. I am not a "chick-lit" reader but this story was a very pleasant read. Many of us read to escape the day-to-day insanity of real life and want our heroines to have the happy endings that may seem elusive in our own lives. Well Ms. Davidia surely didn't disappoint.

There were parts of the story where I thought the story was dragging out a bit too much and a few parts that I thought were a bit far-fetched (ie. the whole "Atonement" part). Despite that I found myself ...more

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Jan 26, 2017 KC rated it it was amazing

Shelves: african-american-fiction, contemporary

I INHALED this book. I didn't mean to, but once I started reading, I just couldn't stop. I wanted to finish, but was sad when I did. I think I'm having withdrawals already.

This book is about an "ugly duckling" and so much more. It's about the short and long term effects of childhood trauma (and in this case traumas). It's about coping in the midst of adversity and finding your own strength when you have nowhere to turn.

Davidia is a beautifully flawed girl who struggles through childhood and figh ...more

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Dec 12, 2012 Carolyn Alleyne rated it it was amazing

32 CANDLES was reall good. It speaks to the power of how we, as little girls, grow up believing in fairy tale love thanks to movies like 16 candles and romance novels. It also highlights the fact that, as little black girls, our hair issues are so ingrained in psyche that it affects every aspect of our lives. Hair and love, a recipe for a godo read and it is nice to know, that in the end, things work out the way they're supposed to. ...more

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Feb 01, 2013 Denise rated it liked it

This was a quick read. The main character went from being seen as an abused child to a very strong and calculating adult. As a child she was focused on trying to have a happy ending but as she got older she becomes obsessed with an incident that occurred when she was in high school. This incident in a way dictated the way that she reacted in certain situations. It is crazy how the things that happen in our past can have a huge impact on our future if we are not able to deal with them properly. T ...more

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