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GIVEAWAY ENDEDWILDFLOWERS
BY LYAH BETH LEFLORE
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Twenty-three dollars and eleven cents–that’s all that thirty-five-year-old Chloe Davis Michaels has to her name after she is driven from her home and career as a jet-setting Hollywood publicist, desperate to protect her unborn child from her crazed newlywed husband. She thought she had it all. Now Chloe seeks refuge in her Midwestern hometown to “get prayed up” by the women in her family.
Chloe’s impromptu homecoming takes us into the world of eight African-American women who make up the Davis clan–three mothers and five daughters, including Chloe, who soon discovers that the secrets she’s been keeping about her own life don’t compare to the secrets the other women in her family have been hiding.
As the bonds of family are tested, the women call upon their strong faith and spiritual teachings of deceased family matriarchs, MaMaw and Muh, in order to weather the storm. With rippling boldness and crackling prose, Wildflowers is a beautifully written novel that explores the richness and complexity of the love between mothers and daughters.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
LYAH BETH LEFLORE is the author of the Essence bestseller Last Night a DJ Saved My Life and the national bestseller I Got Your Back. She is a former television producer who has been profiled in the New York Times, Essence, Ebony, and Entertainment Weekly.
REVIEW:
Twenty-three dollars and eleven cents–that’s all that thirty-five-year-old Chloe Davis Michaels has to her name after she is driven from her home and career as a jet-setting Hollywood publicist, desperate to protect her unborn child from her crazed newlywed husband. She thought she had it all. Now Chloe seeks refuge in her Midwestern hometown to “get prayed up” by the women in her family.
Chloe’s impromptu homecoming takes us into the world of eight African-American women who make up the Davis clan–three mothers and five daughters, including Chloe, who soon discovers that the secrets she’s been keeping about her own life don’t compare to the secrets the other women in her family have been hiding.
As the bonds of family are tested, the women call upon their strong faith and spiritual teachings of deceased family matriarchs, MaMaw and Muh, in order to weather the storm. With rippling boldness and crackling prose, Wildflowers is a beautifully written novel that explores the richness and complexity of the love between mothers and daughters.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
LYAH BETH LEFLORE is the author of the Essence bestseller Last Night a DJ Saved My Life and the national bestseller I Got Your Back. She is a former television producer who has been profiled in the New York Times, Essence, Ebony, and Entertainment Weekly.
REVIEW:
Lyah Beth Leflore has brought us a beautifully written novel about women and how their strength is such an important part of everyone's lives. When Chloe escapes from her marriage and leaves a successful, flashy career to escape to her old hometown to protect her unborn child, she is sure they will offer a place of peace and comfort. What is surprising is she found perhaps more drama there then in her own life. The three mothers and five daughters who make up the Davis family are alive and so well developed that they fairly jump off the page at you. The family dynamics and how they handle not just Chloe's predicament but all the problems that makes up their own lives just captured me and I read this book in one sitting. I honestly thought this would be a fun little chik-lit book and as much as it was a joy to read, it was so much more than that. Leflore is an excellent writer and I shall eagerly seek out her other work.
THANKS TO JENNIFER AT
THE BROADWAY/RANDOM
HOUSE BOOKS, I HAVE TWO
COPIES OF THIS WONDERFUL BOOK
TO GIVE AWAY. HERE IS WHAT YOU
NEED TO DO TO WIN A COPY!
RULES:
--U.S. RESIDENTS ONLY
--NO P. O. BOXES
---INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS
IN CASE YOU WIN!
--ALL COMMENTS MUST BE SEPARATE TO
COUNT AS MORE THAN ONE!
HOW TO ENTER:
+1 ENTRY: COMMENT ON THE THEME OF STRONG WOMEN IN THIS STORY. IS THERE A STRONG WOMAN IN YOUR FAMILY. IF SO, AND YOU ARE COMFORTABLE TALKING ABOUT IT, SHARE SOMETHING ABOUT HER THAT MAKES HER STRENGTH IMPORTANT TO YOU
+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON HOW COLD IT IS WHERE YOU LIVE TODAY WHICH HAS NOTHING TO DO REALLY WITH THE STORY BUT I LIVE IN CENTRAL FLORIDA AND WE HAD SNOW TODAY! SO MAYBE YOU'D LIKE TO SHARE FROM WHERE YOU ARE :-)
+1 MORE ENTRY: BLOG OR TWEET ABOUT THIS GIVEAWAY AND COME BACK AND LEAVE A LINK FOR ME TO FOLLOW HERE.
+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON HOW COLD IT IS WHERE YOU LIVE TODAY WHICH HAS NOTHING TO DO REALLY WITH THE STORY BUT I LIVE IN CENTRAL FLORIDA AND WE HAD SNOW TODAY! SO MAYBE YOU'D LIKE TO SHARE FROM WHERE YOU ARE :-)
+1 MORE ENTRY: BLOG OR TWEET ABOUT THIS GIVEAWAY AND COME BACK AND LEAVE A LINK FOR ME TO FOLLOW HERE.
GIVEAWAY ENDS AT 6 PM, EST,
JANUARY 15 FOR THIS BOOK!
HOWEVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ONLY THOSE PEOPLE WHO
ENTERED DURING THE BLOGIVERSARY
WEEKEND ARE ELIGIBLE FOR THE
GRAND PRIZE TO COME ON JANUARY 16...
THAT IS THEY WIN ALL 12 BOOKS
NOTE: BLOGIVERSARY WEEKEND
GRAND PRIZE ELIGIBILITY IS OVER!
BUT YOU CAN STILL WIN THIS BOOK!
79 comments:
I love reading about strong women. I came from a family of strong women. My grandmother was extremely strong, making her way from Russia to the US, becoming a US citizen, learning about life here. My mom was extremely strong, standing up for her beliefs, raising a family, knowing what to do and when to do it. I, too, consider myself to be a strong woman, with strong beliefs, values, ethics and morals, handing down by two generations before me of strong women.
bgcchs(at)yahoo(dot)com
I'm in NY. It's cold out today, but the winds are not fierce. Yesterday we had about an inch of snow. It was an annoyance, because the roads and sidewalks were slippery. I'm sure there will be no or little evidence of snow by tomorrow. But the predictions say this winter will be a really cold one. So far, the predictions are correct.
bgcchs(at)yahoo(dot)com
I do enjoy reading about strong women, so this book sounds like one I would enjoy. My mother is a very strong woman. She had to support 4 children after my father died when I was eight. She had never really had a full time job before outside the home. So I'd like to think I am stronger today because of her.
seriousreader at live dot com
The weather here today is COLD. We have had snow on the ground since Christmas Eve and the last few days the chill factor has been below zero. Frankly, I'm sick of winter all ready.
seriousreader at live dot com
My grandmother was a strong woman. My grandfather left her alone with six children and she raised them all by herself. She was physically a tiny woman with a very strong will.
lizzi0915 at aol dot com
It is freezing here in NJ! Hoping you keep warm in Florida.
lizzi0915 at aol dot com
Rather than talk about my own personal strength as a woman (enormous, though—LOL), I'd like to recommend a book whose main character is a very strong woman. It's called "Folly," by Laurie R. King, and I think it is a GREAT read!
Sheila
skkorman@bellsouth.net
Here in South Florida, it is cold, cold, cold (for us, at least)—about 45 now and dropping to the 30s tonight, with wind chills in the 20s. I'm even thinking about closing the hurricane shutters just to help keep out frosty winds.
Sheila
skkorman@bellsouth.net
My mother in law is a very strong woman. She had breast cancer at 80, had a mastectomy and has been fine. She had a knee replaced at 82. She just had surgery for an aortic aneurysm at 94 (!) and is getting her other knee replaced in another month or so. She is still sharp as a tack. The only thing that really bothers her is macular degeneration.
Because she's a reader.
thank you
kaiminani at gmail dot com
It's warmed up here today. That brought on the snow. It was 22*
woo hoo?
thanks
kaiminani at gmail dot com
My grandmother was a very strong woman - she outlived her husband and both children and still was a strong Christian who had a wonderful attitude about life.
msboatgal at aol.com
Here in Chicago we are supposed to be close to -20 below with the wind chill tonight - that with the close to 2 feet of snow on the ground makes a lovely winter day (kidding)
msboatgal at aol.com
My great-grandmother died at 26, leaving four children behind. My grandma was the oldest and she became a great force in the family, especially with respect to school and all.
JHolden955(at)gmail(dot)com
It was 15 BELOW zero when I drove to work this morning in MN! And that's not counting any wind chill temp those weather people like to bandy about! I have heard about your bit of cold down in FL, what's this about iguanas falling out of trees?
JHolden955(at)gmail(dot)com
Our minister's wife is a strong woman. She has battled breast cancer twice. She has very strong beliefs and is not afraid to stand up for them. She does this in a way so people don't feel like she is "preaching" to them. She is always there to help anyone in need.
pbclark(at)netins(dot)net
I live in Iowa. It was -14 degrees this morning - very cold!
pbclark(at)netins(dot)net
This is kinda cliche but of course I admire my mom for her strong spiritual life and connection with God. She has taught me so much about being a what it means to be a Christian.
Lacey914@sbcglobal.net
I live in houston, texas and the high today was 29. Hasn't been this cold in 15 years and I can barely stand it.
Lacey914@sbcglobal.net
http://twitter.com/HtxAstrosFan/status/7573987203
tweet!!
Lacey914@sbcglobal.net
Strong women are admirable. I don't really have strong women in my family but my mom has been resilient in her life. At 89 she is still going strong and lives alone.
lkish77123 at gmail dot com
I think it was a little cooler here today...only 77 or 78.
lkish77123 at gmail dot com
I like strong women but I'm not sure I have those in my family...
reneesuz82(at)msn.com
I used to live in FL but now live in northern AL.. we were 'gifted' with about an inch of snow and some ice.... yuck
reneesuz82(at)msn.com
My mother is a strong woman. She has spent her life taking care of others and has done all this while barely being able to walk due to a knee replacement and a severe accident. She never complains and has taught me to be a better person. She is truly an inspiration!
My mom is one of the strongest women I know. She is the glue of our family.
ludeluh(at)yahoo(dot)com
Washington State. A beatiful blue sky day today, with a high of 57 degrees.
ludeluh(at)yahoo(dot)com
My grandmother who had 8 children and only a 6th grade education.
Wendy
ebeandebe at gmail dot com
When I was out today the temp was zero here in MN.
Wendy
ebeandebe at gmail dot com
I don't know if you'd call it strong or just persistent, but that's how my mom was.
dlodden at frontiernet dot net
It was another cold day in Minnesota, but the sun was shining and it looked lovely. At least we're used to this kind of weather, I pity those in the south who are getting socked with the cold, ice and snow.
dlodden at frontiernet dot net
Well my mother is strong. There are so many ways in which she is strong but her strength really showed during my fathers cancer battle.
jessica(at)fan(dot)com
+ 1 It is currently 25 and feels like 18 so brrr Texas is freezing
jessica(at)fan(dot)com
justpeachy36@yahoo.com
My sister is the strong woman in our family. She won't take no for an answer. It's her way or the highway. And she's aggressive LOL... she a barrel of fun!
My mom is a very strong woman - she has dealt with a lot but she always deals with it. Never lets anything lay undone.
ashleymaymott(at)aol(dot)com
It has been around zero almost all day here!
My oldest sister is a very strong woman. For years she has been the sole income earner for her family, and has worked hard to raise them well, and finds time to volunteer for her kids' activities even with all that she has on her plate.
akreese (at) hotmail (dot) com
Wow - snow in Florida! It's not that cold here for January. It's about 10 in the evening and is 45 degrees outside. Often in January the lows range from single digits to freezing.
akreese (at) hotmail (dot) com
I love reading about strong women. My grandma is a strong woman. She left her abusive alcoholic husband even though she had 13 kids to take care of.
amandarwest at gmaildotcom
The theme of strong women is important to me because I pride myself on being strong. My sister and I get this from our mom who has never been afraid to be independent and she instilled this in us. We are the glue that holds our families together...something to be very proud of, I think!
miller4plusmore(at)bellsouth(dot)net
As I'm typing this, it is 12 degrees...I think the highest it got yesterday was 21 degrees and it's only supposed to be a high of 24 today...eek! We have had snow since Thursday. Not a ton, but it's there. Just wish it would have come during Christmas =O(
miller4plusmore(at)bellsouth(dot)net
My mother was the strongest person I'll ever know....Her father died when she was 9, her mother then married an alcoholic abusive man, she ran away from home only to be captured by the state police and put into a detention center but ended up married to my dad.
mitzihinkey at sbcglobal dot net
It was freezing cold (to me) today...the valley fog has settled in and it won't go away. It's that kind of cold that seeps into your bones and nothing you do can get you warm.
mitzihinkey at sbcglobal dot net
I'm a follower
mitzihinkey at sbcglobal dot net
I love books and movies about strong women. They are inspiring. My mother is one of the strongest women I know, and a lot of that strength has rubbed off on me. I'm a strong, independent woman who knows that she can do it on her own, without a man. I like men, and it's nice to have one in my life, but I don't NEED one in my life. I can do it on my own.
nfmgirl AT gmail DOT com
There are several strong women in my family. My mother who at 15 gave birth to me in 1956 and gave me up for adoption. This was a good thing for back then. I've also had the good fortune of meeting her and having a relationship with her. When I was 29 I had given birth and wasn't sure where I was going in my life and gave my child up for adtoption.
I also had the good fortune of meeting my daughter 3 yrs ago and now have her back in my life. And now my daughter at 24 just had a baby a few days ago (I'm a grandma) and has decided to do an open adoption because of her situation. I am very proud of her.
It's been hard on me because I'm in Wisconsin and they are in Florida, but I will always have pictures.
sharon54220@gmail.com
It was freezing this morning-- literally! I'm in south Florida, and I think we got down to around 30 last night. When I got up this morning, it was only 33 out. I have a space heater warming my feet and legs right now!
nfmgirl At gmail DOT com
I am in Wisconsin and it's cold and snow. It didn's snow today, but we did get about 6 inches on Thursday on top of snow we've already received.
sharon54220@gmail.com
My great grand mother and grandmother were very strong women. The were the heart and souls of the family. My great grandmother had 11 children and survived 6 of them and not ONCE did I ever see her cry. Later she told me that she had to be strong for the rest of us.
Thanks,
Tracey D
booklover0226 At gmail dot com
I live in MD and it's cold. The wind chill is in the single digits.
UGH...
Thanks,
Tracey D
booklover0226 At gmail dot com
I have to say my mom...she battled cancer and was so strong and never let on the pain she was in
wickdogg AT gmail dot com
Pretty cold her in Texas...had snow last week and today it is about 29...great fireplace weather though
wickdogg AT gmail dot com
I love reading books with a theme of strong women and the bonds between mother and daughters. Like history is usually told by the victor which means that stories are usually written from the male pov. Now we are hearing about all of the strong women in history and more important the strong everyday women which have kept their families strong and alive to live another day and keep the generations going.
I think of all of the African American women who survived slavery under horrific conditions so that I could be alive today.
beachlover20855[AT]yahoo[DOT]com
Yes, it is cold here than anticipated in southern NC
But if dress correctly - it is not bad because it is sunny.
I have actually enjoyed walking in the cold brisk weather.
beachlover[AT]yahoo[DOT]com
I believe most women have within them a strength that rivals no other. My whole life, I've been surrounded by strong women who have had to deal with some very tragic situations & have survived to become even stronger women.
Thanks ~ megalon22 at yahoo dot com
Right now it's 18 degrees in my neck of the woods. We're expecting a high of 22 with a low of 8 overnight. And, of course, it's snowing!
megalon22 at yahoo dot com
I am fortunate to have many strong women in my life, but I most admire my dear friend who has beaten breast cancer while raising 3 children on her own. When I think things are bad in my life, I just look at all she's done to give me strength.
Thanks for the entry!
Wendy
wendysfictionaddiction(at)gmail(dot)com
I'm in Northern California and the weather is pretty mild for this time of year! We had measurable snow for the first time in 20 years last month, but now it's much warmer and lots of fog! I really feel for all those suffering with the artic temperatures right now!
Thanks for the entry!
Wendy
wendysfictionaddiction(at)gmail(dot)com
Strong women themes are really great reading material. I'd say my mother because I swear she willed herself to live much longer than any doctor thought just so she could see me get married and start a family. She was diagnosed with colon cancer just when I turned 13. She wanted to live to see me get to high school, her next goal was for me to graduate, then it was my wedding, then after I told her she was going to be a grandmother she said I was going to be okay then. Two weeks later she died.
florida982002[at]yahoo.com
We're only 2 1/4 hours west of you and we didn't have snow here but it was 30 degrees. That is downright frigid as far as I'm concerned.
florida982002[at]yahoo.com
The strong women in my family is my mother. She would do anything for her kids. Recently she lost her job in this hard time but she is filling out as many applications as possible in order to help me and my sisters out. This is why my mother is strong and I am proud to write this!
Fourevermandm@aol.com
I live near Cleveland, Ohio and last night was one of the coldest nights we had so far with -5 with wind chill. Today its a little warmer its about 20 degrees out and we have almost two feet of snow. This friday over 60 schools were closed because of a huge snow storm. My sister lives near Orlando,Florida and she would love snow!
Fourevermandm@aol.com
Tweeted this givaway!
http://twitter.com/PastryChefSam
Fourevermandm@aol.com
would love to win this book, pleae enter me
Mamat2730(at)charter(dot)net
I love reading about strong women. Whether it be fact or fiction. I would say that my grandmother is a strong woman..she has raised four children, lost one at birth, had to be the main income provider as a nurse for many years when my grandfather was regaining use of his right arm, has dealt with major weight issues, lost my grandfather to a heart attack, got in a fatal car accident on the way to a church event with my great-grandmother that resulted in the death of my great-grandmother (my grandma continues to blame herself because she was driving) and a remarriage in her 60's!. And now after all this, she has lung cancer which they are fighting vigorously but no one knows what will be the outcome. She is indeed a strong woman.
Thanks for the chacne.
bekki1820cb at gmail
I live in upstate NY and it is bitter here. The other day, my pipes froze. It took my fiancee four days to get the water to work again. I love NY in the summer, but I can not stand winter here.
bekki1820cb at gmail
I have several strong women in my life...many of them are my grown daughters. They have become my dearest friends, and are an inspiration to me. Some are single mothers, who hold down full time jobs, others are married with (and without) children. They are all so different, and yet the same...because they all love me, and let me know it in so many ways.
Thanks for the giveaway.
libneas[at]aol[dot]com
In Denver it's 42 right now...we're having a heat wave. A tropical heat wave.
Back "home" in Louisisana, it's 41.
Back to my favorite home - Lakeland, FL, it's 43.
Up in Cheyenne it's 44.
In Rochester it's 24.
In Huntsville, AL it's 31.
Global warming...my fat patutie!
lineas[at]aol[dot]com
My mom is one of the strongest women that I know. She lived through the Depression, WW II, married at 17, first child at 18, always worked, raised 5 kids, survived a stroke, Graves Disease, and cancer, took care of my dad until he died, and is just amazing. My mom is my best friend! (That was a HUGE run on sentence! Oh well--it was from the heart!:)
nancyecdavis AT bellsouth DOT net
How cold is it? My dad would say that "it is colder than a well diggers a%*!" It has been in the teens and 20's and colder weather is yet to come. Brrrr!! Snow too! (I am ready for spring!!!)
nancyecdavis AT bellsouth DOT net
Tweet! Tweet!
http://twitter.com/NancyeDavis/status/7608157878
nancyecdavis AT bellsouth DOT net
My great-grandmother was the strongest woman in my life growing up. She came to America from Italy as a young girl, and overcame many obstacles. She married an abusive man, and eventually divorced him causing her to lose most of her devout Roman Catholic friends. She worked 2-3 jobs to support her 3 children. She also watched one daughter die at age 5, and another (my grandmother) at 49. It wasn't until her son passed away in his 70's that I saw my great-grandmother cry for the first time. She taught me to be a strong woman, to stand up for what I believe in, and to always have confidence. I will certainly pass on my great-grandmother's teachings to my own children.
sweetmissa at gmail dot com
Tweeted: http://twitter.com/hunniebee724/status/7611811002
sweetmissa at gmail dot com
I'm in Northern NJ, and it's 25 degrees right now.
sweetmissa at gmail dot com
I love reading about strong women too.As my grandmother was 100% German and was one of the strongest women I knew.As she raised 7 children on her own and I am sure it was not easy.
Thanks so much for the chance :-)
deb55106(at)gmail(dot)com
I live in Minnesota and it is 13 degrees here and YES~I am freezing :-)
deb55106(at)gmail(dot)com
Strong women is a common theme in African-American literature: my favorite strong woman from literature is Sophia from the Color Purple.
enyl(at)inbox(dot)com
Here in Ohio the tempeture is in the twenties and there is 2-3 inches of snow on the ground.
enyl(at)inbox(dot)com
My aunt Mildred in North Carolina is the strongest woman I know and I only wish I was like her. I have admired her since I was a child. I am now 55 and still admire her.
sandym204 @ gmail dot com
It is a cold , but sunny, 38 today in northeast Arkansas.
sandym204 @ gmail dot com
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