Mary Monroe, acclaimed bestselling author of God Don't Like Ugly and The Upper Room returns with the masterful story of a woman who's ready to take back her life--if she can figure out how. . .
Gonna Lay Down My Burdens
In the sweltering little town of Belle Helene, Alabama, Carmen Taylor keeps her weaknesses, her frustrations, and her sorrows to herself. She's too busy dealing with the dramas of troubled friends like Desiree Lucienne, the petite, pampered daughter of a doctor who tries to beat the wildness out of her. But that doesn't stop Desiree from trawling for men, and trying to drag Carmen along.
It's not that Carmen hasn't had her share of boozy pick-ups--only that they can't compare to the one steamy night she spent with the man she's loved since they were both kids. Now a local cop, all-too-fine Chester Sheffield keeps showing up in Carmen's life, wanting to do something about the feelings they obviously share. But that would mean abandoning her "boyfriend" Burl Tupper, and that's something Carmen just can't do. Ever since a foolish teenage prank of Carmen's landed Burl in a wheelchair, she's been trying to make it up to him. When Carmen doesn't take her chance with Chester, Desiree does. And although the women's friendship stays solid, greater challenges await.
On a sultry, reckless moonlit night, Carmen commits a desperate crime of passion, and, with Desiree, hits the road running. But she can't run from the truth. Now she has two choices--a life on the lam, or a return to Belle Helene, the place where it all began. . .and the only place Carmen can lay down her burdens and seize her one true chance at love and redemption.
Praise For The Novels Of Mary Monroe
God Don't Like Ugly
"A highly satisfying page turner--and one that will stand out." --Publishers Weekly
The Upper Room
"Warm, energetic, and charming."--The Houston Post
"Magnificent, funny, and terrifying."--The San Francisco Chronicle
"There is an electricity, an excitement, and a vitality to this novel that makes it unique. . .[Mary Monroe is] a remarkable talent." --Chicago Sun-Times
"Powerful and impressive with fascinating characters."--Wisconsin Journal
"Supremely rich in language and blessed with a genuine originality." --Financial Times
From Publishers Weekly
Mary Monroe's Gonna Lay Down My Burdens opens with a bang, when Carmen Taylor intervenes in a violent lovers' quarrel between her friends Chester and Desiree, and Chester winds up dead. Most of the novel is told in flashback, following Carmen and Chester's ill-fated attraction to one another, which began when they were teenagers. It traces the friendship between Carmen and troubled Desiree, as well as Carmen's relationship with Burl, a boy she tried to use to make Chester jealous, with disastrous and long-lasting results. Monroe (God Don't Like Ugly) will surely return to the Blackboard bestseller list with this title, a standout among similar offerings. Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Description:
Mary Monroe, acclaimed bestselling author of God Don't Like Ugly and The Upper Room returns with the masterful story of a woman who's ready to take back her life--if she can figure out how. . .
Gonna Lay Down My Burdens
In the sweltering little town of Belle Helene, Alabama, Carmen Taylor keeps her weaknesses, her frustrations, and her sorrows to herself. She's too busy dealing with the dramas of troubled friends like Desiree Lucienne, the petite, pampered daughter of a doctor who tries to beat the wildness out of her. But that doesn't stop Desiree from trawling for men, and trying to drag Carmen along.
It's not that Carmen hasn't had her share of boozy pick-ups--only that they can't compare to the one steamy night she spent with the man she's loved since they were both kids. Now a local cop, all-too-fine Chester Sheffield keeps showing up in Carmen's life, wanting to do something about the feelings they obviously share. But that would mean abandoning her "boyfriend" Burl Tupper, and that's something Carmen just can't do. Ever since a foolish teenage prank of Carmen's landed Burl in a wheelchair, she's been trying to make it up to him. When Carmen doesn't take her chance with Chester, Desiree does. And although the women's friendship stays solid, greater challenges await.
On a sultry, reckless moonlit night, Carmen commits a desperate crime of passion, and, with Desiree, hits the road running. But she can't run from the truth. Now she has two choices--a life on the lam, or a return to Belle Helene, the place where it all began. . .and the only place Carmen can lay down her burdens and seize her one true chance at love and redemption.
Praise For The Novels Of Mary Monroe
God Don't Like Ugly
"A highly satisfying page turner--and one that will stand out." --Publishers Weekly
The Upper Room
"Warm, energetic, and charming."--The Houston Post
"Magnificent, funny, and terrifying."--The San Francisco Chronicle
"There is an electricity, an excitement, and a vitality to this novel that makes it unique. . .[Mary Monroe is] a remarkable talent." --Chicago Sun-Times
"Powerful and impressive with fascinating characters."--Wisconsin Journal
"Supremely rich in language and blessed with a genuine originality." --Financial Times
From Publishers Weekly
Mary Monroe's Gonna Lay Down My Burdens opens with a bang, when Carmen Taylor intervenes in a violent lovers' quarrel between her friends Chester and Desiree, and Chester winds up dead. Most of the novel is told in flashback, following Carmen and Chester's ill-fated attraction to one another, which began when they were teenagers. It traces the friendship between Carmen and troubled Desiree, as well as Carmen's relationship with Burl, a boy she tried to use to make Chester jealous, with disastrous and long-lasting results. Monroe (God Don't Like Ugly) will surely return to the Blackboard bestseller list with this title, a standout among similar offerings.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
At 30, Carmen has spent her whole life in Belle Helene, Alabama, shouldering enough sadness and guilt to make her feel like an old woman. There are friends who have been lost in accidents, friends in destructive relationships, and her fiance, Burl, who has ended up in a wheelchair. To top it all off, Carmen has been in love with the unattainable Chester since she was a little girl. Luck finally shines down on her, and she spends one magical night with the man of her dreams, but guilt forces her to accept that she must stand by Burl whether she loves him or not. Then everything comes to a climax on the eve of Carmen's marriage to Burl when she goes to help a friend in need and ends up on the run from the law. Monroe's remarkable romance delves both painfully and humorously into the lives of southern African Americans, and her richly drawn characters will stay with readers long after the book is finished. Megan Kalan
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