SEARCHING FOR TINA TURNER Blog Tour: Review & Bonus Giveaway

SEARCHING FOR TINA TURNER
BY JACQUELINE E. LUCKETT

ABOUT THE BOOK:
See Author Article and My Promo for the Giveaway here if you missed it.

On the surface, Lena Spencer appears to have it all. She and her wealthy husband Randall have two wonderful children, and they live a life of luxury. In reality, however, Lena finds that happiness is elusive. Randall is emotionally distant, her son has developed a drug habit, and her daughter is disgusted by her mother's "overbearing behavior." When Randall decides that he's had enough of marriage counseling, he offers his wife an ultimatum: "Be grateful for all I've done for you or leave." Lena, realizing that money can't solve her problems and that her husband is no longer the man she married, decides to choose the latter.

About Author

Jacqueline Luckett is a former sales representative for Xerox. After leaving the corporate world, Jacqueline took a creative writing class on a dare (from herself) and began writing short stories and poetry and never looked back. Jacqueline loves living in Oakland, but travels frequently to nurture her passion for photography and learning to cook exotic foods. She is currently hard at work on her next novel.

Audio and Video

REVIEW:

Living a more than comfortable life, Lena and Randall are a successful African American couple with two children, Kendrick and Camille, a lovely home and more than most could hope for. So why is Lena so unhappy? Is she just a trophy wife? I don't think so but then again, Randall does make me wonder at times. I can see how and why Lena fell in love with his charismatic charm and good looks but that doesn't make him easy to live with. Lena fills unfulfilled and with Randall's obsessive drive to make it big in the company, she doesn't feel like he is the man she married. Lena put her photography career on hold to run the household and help care for the children and yet, as they are nearing college and time to leave the nest empty, she doesn't know what to do with herself. She realizes that money can't take the place of peace and contentment nor can her husband the way things are now.

When she buys a book about singer Tina Turner's life, she is inspired and wants to be like her and meet her. Lena's confrontation with Randall boils down to him telling her if she doesn't like all she has then she can leave, and she does. She leaves the security of her marriage as well as her children. My personal opinion is that there had to be other answers and I found Lena to be somewhat selfish in this respect, especially leaving the children.

She travels to France to see Tina in concert and this is where I must say the descriptions of the countryside in France and the charming cafes and delicious pastries and chocolates did make that part of the book enjoyable...I think I also read it when I was hungry as well. In her travels, she meets a man named Harmon and they fall in love. Their affair takes place as they wait for Tina's concert and spend their time traveling all over France.

The book is more serious than this description might imply as leaving a marriage is never a subject to be taken lightly. However, Lena is a strong character and although she grieved about her break up, she still manages to go on. She struggles with her emotions but finds the results for overcoming them to be rewarding. As Lena learned to do things for herself instead of always for others, she found some peace. But, she also realizes there still is more to life. The odd way that Lena's break up is dealt with is entertaining at times but also I found it hard to relate to. I guess I am just too practical and find the way she did things to be too foreign to me. The author writes well and the book moves along at a good steady pace but wasn't one that I totally could believe in. I think if it had been more of a chick-lit book like the cover made me think it might be, I might have enjoyed it more. But dealing with a serious subject, just didn't convince me. Still, personal opinion aside, it was an interesting read.

READING GROUP GUIDE:

1. In the beginning of SFTT, Lena is scattered and no longer able to manage her life. Were there other ways that Lena could have maintained balance in her life? If she had, do you think her marriage would have fallen apart?

2. What can a younger woman gain from Lena’s experience? Does age have anything to do with Lena’s situation?

3. Lena chose one aspect of Tina Turner’s life as a role model for strength. Were there other aspects of Tina’s life that helped her as well?

4. Are role models important? Who are your role models? How have their lives inspired you?

5. What lessons can women learn from Lena’s experience?

6. Lena chose to leave the life she and Randall built together. What other ways can women regain “self” without giving up what they worked so hard to gain?
7. Lena and Randall talk to their children separately about their divorce. If the four of them had discussed the situation together, do you think Kendrick and Camille would have been less bitter toward Lena?

8. Lena tries to explain how she feels about her life to Camille. Can Lena be a role model for Camille? What is it about her mother that Camille should be proud of ?

9. Why do you think that Candace comes to Lena’s aid at the dinner party? What did Lena learn about friendship from that situation?

10. When Lena picks up Randall from the airport, what could each have done differently to connect with the other? Or was their marriage already over?

11. Lulu offers this advice to Lena: “. . . make it enough. Make it enough to last until death do you part. I hope you’re not thinking about doing something foolish. There’s no way you could live like you do without Randall.” Given the generational difference between the two women, what could Lena take from this advice and pass on to Camille?

12. Do you think that Randall was aware that his best friend was flirting with his wife? If so, why didn’t he do anything about it?

13. If Lena understood the differences between her and Cheryl, why do you think Lena agreed to go with her to France?

14. How do the differences between Cheryl and Lena help Lena? What does Lena learn from Cheryl?

15. What does Lena learn from her relationship with Harmon? Is he good for her?

16. Lena forgives Harmon for past behavior. Is there an old flame in your past like Harmon? What would it take for you to reconnect with that person?

17. Did Lena do anything that hints to what her future with Harmon could be?

18. What does Bobbie’s support mean to Lena? What are the differences between the sisters?

19. Why do you think Bobbie decided to visit Lulu? 20. What, if anything, did Bobbie learn from Lena? 21. If Lena had gone with Randall in Paris, would he have accepted the “new” Lena? How would the two of them have reconciled the changes in Lena?

22. If Lena had accepted Randall’s offer in Paris and reunited with him, do you think she would have fallen back into the pattern of their old relationship?

GIVEAWAY

THANKS TO MIRIAM AND THE
HACHETTE BOOK GROUP, I HAVE
FIVE COPIES OF THIS WONDERFUL
BOOK TO GIVEAWAY!


THE RULES:

--U.S. AND CANADIAN RESIDENTS ONLY
--NO P. O. BOXES, PLEASE
--INCLUDE EMAIL ADDRESS IN COMMENT
--ALL ENTRIES/COMMENTS MUST BE
SEPARATE IN ORDER TO COUNT
AS MORE THAN ONE ENTRY


HOW TO ENTER:

+1 ENTRY: COMMENT ON ANOTHER GIVEAWAY FROM MY BLOG THAT YOU ARE CURRENTLY ENTERED IN. IF YOU AREN'T, YOU CAN BE BY CHECKING THE GIVEAWAY LINKS IN THE RIGHT HAND COLUMN

+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON SOMETHING INTERESTING YOU FIND WHEN YOU VISIT JACQUELINE E. LUCKETT'S WEBSITE HERE

+1 MORE ENTRY: TELL ME IF YOU FOLLOW MY BLOG ON FACEBOOK AND IF YOU DON'T YOU CAN BY GOING TO THE NETWORKED BLOGS IN THE LEFT HAND COLUMN

REMEMBER!!
THIS GIVEAWAY ENDS AT
6 PM, EST, FEBRUARY 28

GOOD LUCK!