Guest Post: The Jewish Lady, The Black Man and the Road Trip by Carol Sue Gershman

First, I would like to apologize for not having this posted on the 18th as planned but my schedule was insane and I was simply unable to. But it is my immense pleasure to bring to you a blog post by Carol Sue Gershman, who is currently engaged in an online book tour for her novel The Jewish Lady, The Black Man and the Road Trip.

Guest Post 

Amongst girlfriends. I have been blessed with many good friends in my life. When I was in my thirties and forties I had five best girlfriends. I truly loved each of these ladies and they loved me. Each one thought that I was their best friend and to me they were all my best friends. I guess there was one that stood out more than the other and if they should read this, they would automatically say, "That was me." At other times in my life, such as my teenage years, I also had a group of wonderful girlfriends. These girlfriends were the ones I grew up with and I loved them all and they loved me. I am happy to say that two still remain my close friends but the others moved and we lost touch. Then there were the wonderful friends I had raising my kids; we shared our stories about bringing up babies and developed a social life around them. They knew my children and I knew theirs and the bond was strong. So where are all of these girlfriends now? I must admit that the majority of them have disappeared from my life and two, sadly, are deceased. Perhaps I am the cause of why they are no longer in my life. For example, one turned out to have a difficult life and manipulated me into being there for her during these times but excluding me from good times. It became an unpleasant friendship according to her terms. Another friend was the cheapest woman I ever met. She would not even treat herself to a glass of water and she had lots of money. It became discouraging as she sat in front of me with her mouth watering as I ordered dinner. In the beginning I would treat her, and then I realized I was only playing into her neurosis. She liked sitting with me but refused to order. The friendship broke up when she saw the man I was crazy about with another woman and told me. It devastated me at the time and found it not to be necessary for her to tell me. My best high school best friend disappeared as soon as we got married. When she came back it was thrilling, but no sooner did we connect, she would disappear again; and the same disappearance happened with my other best high school friend who I have not seen or heard from since high school. Now I have new friends and at 73 years old which is my age, I am lucky to connect with these terrific ladies. They have come to me in the last two years and each one is divine. One is my last boyfriend's prior lady, and the others I met at Mah Jongg. I stopped playing for thirty five years and now we are have come full circle. We have also connected on a different level and have become friends. We all have our individual lives but when we see each other we thoroughly enjoy one another and have fun. They are also wonderfully supportive of me as an author. So is this the way it is supposed to be? Is it me who has let them go or is it them that have let me go? Is it because we change over the years or is it because I have not been a good friend or accepting of their ways. I often thought how great it would be to bring all of my old friends together. Maybe we can all get in a circle and play what we used to play in grammar school. I don't like you because: But even told the truth, at this late date would we change or should I just be grateful for who I was and who they were at the time. Are relationships meant to last?

For more information about Carol Sue Gershman's blog tour here.

Book Review: The Wonder Singer by George Rabasa

Title: The Wonder Singer

Author(s): Georage Rabasa

Genre: Fiction - Memoir

Finished: May 8, 2009

Mark Lockwood, an author popularly known for his writings on how to talk to teens about a number of real life issues, has been assigned the task of acting as ghostwriter to pen and publish the biography of opera diva Merce Casals. Hours are spent listening to her talk of her life, which is daunting in and of itself, until one day Senorita Casals dies in the bathtub with the project unfinished. With a high profile book in the works, Mark's agent Hollywood Hank now wants to assign the book to a more well-known author. Only Mark is committed to the project and not willing to give up his hours of tapes despite their harassment and snooping. As Mark sees it, the book is his to write, the words entrusted to him by Senorita Casals and no one else. At the risk of his health, his sanity, and his marriage, Mark must write this book. It is a race against time to finish his book before Hollywood Hank and his new star author finish theirs. With the help of Senorita Casals' former nurse Perla, drag Queen and Casals' number one fan Orson, and Senorita Casals' husband Nolan, Mark protects his tapes and writes his book, becoming increasingly invested in not only the book but the life of the diva herself. The connection he has with Senorita Casals and her words is an intimate one. It almost seemed to me as if he were falling in a sort of platonic love with Merce, or becoming obsessed with her life and her words. Maybe the obsession was in the book and his love for her made him love her story, but he definitely connected with the book on a very personal level. The book weaves two stories in one: Mark's journey through his book writing and Senorita Casals personal story. Injected here and there are "snippets" from the autobiographical work by Mark. We learn of Merce's childhood, her abandonment by her father, her life as a rising star, her marriage, her marriage troubles, and all of her career difficulties. Through these snippets, we are better able to understand Merce and her complicated life. She becomes less a diva and more a real person who experiences pain and conflict. It is often times hard to see "privileged" people as anything but glitz and glamour, but such is far from the truth in the case of Merce. The strength that Merce displays throughout her life is truly impressive and inspiring.

Of course, I wish that Mark had developed more as a character-- rather, grew in his own maturity, not developed in a writing sense. He never really seems to take responsibility for what he is doing wrong to other people, namely his wife. It was sad to me to see that though he wishes to resolve this, he never really expresses regret until the end.

Throughout the book, as he apologizes to his wife and says he loves her, he is still lusting after the nurse without the slightest hint of shame. I have to say, I quite disliked him for this, but his character was human enough in every regard that I found myself also sympathizing with him. I think this is a testament to Rabasa's writing style and talent that he can make a character that anyone can sympathize with and understand even when he does things that are upsetting. My favorite parts were the parts of Merce Casals life. I wish that there really was a biography about her out! She told a lot of very interesting and emotional stories. Mr. Rabasa created a fascinating character when he created her. I found myself enamored with her and excusing everything she did wrong, which I guess makes me a lot like Mark. The entire story is told in a smooth, sophisticated tone. Rabasa is an impeccable writer with a talent for making characters that are believable and complicated. The all too human experiences endured by the characters give the story a sublime and impossible to escape from charm. Arias rise and fall, suffused with a catalog of emotions, which capture the heart. This is, of course, the life of Merce Casals-- a grand aria told in spoken language. For more information about the blog tour, go here. If you'd like to read my interview with George Rabasa, go here.