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Julie M. (Golden Valley, MN)
Book Group Worthy
This novel explores what it means to be a mother, daughter, sister, or aunt. There are lots of issues to discuss here such as eating disorders, trust, love, forgiveness, abuse and second chances. I would suggest this book to any book group looking for a good discussion as there is some ambiguity as to what actually happened and why the characters act the way they do.
Sandi W. (East Moline, IL)
Paying for regret...
Relationships - terrifying! And when they are relationships between a Mother and her daughter they become even more confusing, more highly emotional and possibly more devastating. Then add in relationships with siblings, runaways, lies and prison and you have this amazing debut novel from Anissa Gray.
Right from the first sentence, "You do a lot of thinking in jail.", this book grabbed me and took me on a great ride. I enjoyed both the current and the back story of the characters, feeling that the characters were well developed and diverse enough to be entertaining. The story was not your usual story of a down
…more trodden town in a bad economic turn, but personalized by the hurt and guilt of one daughter turning against her mother.
This is an author that I intend to follow. I find her work in fiction to be page turning and realistic. (less)You would think that a title like The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungy Girls would mean you were reading a funny book. Wrong! No humor here.
This is a very serious book about being bulimic, being black and being gay. The author, Anissa Gray, knows what she is writing about as much of this book is autobiographical. She writes, in a note to her readership, that the lives of her characters "are deeply rooted in the world I've known."
The book is about three sisters, one of whom is imprisoned for fraud. In her first novel the novel does a superb job bringing these three to life.
Susan L. (Alexandria, VA)
Ravenously Hungry Girls Delivers
The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls is a tale of three sisters and how their lives play out as adults of a tumultuous past and how one sister's children pay the price of her mistakes. It is a raw book filled with trauma, demons and the aftermath of abuse. Gray doesn't ignore any opportunity to raise the stakes for the family. It is not an easy read, but one that will stick with you.
Lynn W. (Calabash, NC)
Ravenously Hungry Girls
This is the story of what should have been a happy family but poor choices, economic problems and too many family secrets tear this family apart. The story is well written with characters that are very real with their many and various flaws. It is a story that could play out in almost any family.
Teresa G. (Canal Winchester, OH)
Very Enjoyable Book
I liked this book much more than I expected too! It's a story of four siblings and the fallout after one of them is imprisoned and the rest are left caring for her two teenage daughters. The story flows from one character to another while learning about their present and their past. Their are characters you care about, characters you feel sorry for and characters that are easy to be angry at. I highly recommend this book!
Tired Bookreader
Life is Complex
The story is a little disjointed, but there is an eventual wrap-up of the loose ends...the preferred outcome for any book. The most interesting aspect of "The Care" book is the fact that each person suffers their trials alone without the help or support of family. In fact, family often doesn't even know (or chooses to ignore) the events/pain of siblings/children/parents. We are not on this earth alone, yet each struggles alone. Most people like to think they are there for friends/family; however, the truth is, it is difficult to seek help and it's not good to be pushy.
The book brought all this out. Issues are
…more addressed but not resolved. Is it enough to know they exist?
All-in-all, a very thought-provoking book. Kudos to Anissa Gray. (less)Reading this book was like peeling an onion. There were many layers and the author cleverly revealed them one layer at a time which made for an interesting read. Each character with the exception of Joe was flawed which made them more believable. Told through the alternating voices of Althea, Lillian and Viola the story became more compelling the farther I got into it.
It was hard to understand the crime committed by Althea and Proctor who appeared to have lived exemplary lives. First given the responsibility of her siblings shortly after marriage of raising her siblings, building a successful business as well
…more as a charity seems like a perfect and rewarding life. Proctor assumes the responsibility for their crime demonstrates his love for his wife. The one flaw was the weak explanation for Kim turning on her parents. The incarceration was central to the story and Kim's motive didn't seem strong enough for her actions.
Even with a slow start I enjoyed the book. I admired the authors ability to say so much with so few words. I like this family and felt they would all succeed with the exception of Kim. I hoped that she would find her way and have a happy ending (less)
