Review by Agnes Masobeng -- A Portrait of Mommy
1 posts
[Following is a volunteer review of "A Portrait of Mommy" by JL Coston.]
A Portrait of Mommy: Expression of love, faith and perseverance is an autobiography of J.L. Coston. It is a fast-paced memoir of about 119 pages, and it is sectioned into six chapters. I managed to read this fascinating tale in one sitting. Set in a small country town called Jacksonville, the story follows the life of a girl nicknamed Peas. She was given this name because she was extremely thin and small. Peas was born on 4 July 1929. The novel starts off where Maggie (Peas' father), Earlier (Peas' mother) and Peas are staying together as a happy family. Although they were happy, their only dilemma was to move from one place to another in search of a better apartment. Their contentment did not last for long. It was wrecked the day Mommy chose to leave and never looked back. She left on her own leaving everyone in misery. But anyways, Peas and her father had other means of survival. In the end, the worst tragedy hit the whole family where it hurts the most. Will they survive this time?
The author has done an incredible job making the story believable. I related to a lot of characters more especially Peas. When Cora was babysitting Peas, Cora and her friends gossiped and made threats of killing Peas' mother. But why would a babysitter, who is considered a friend, want to kill the mother of the child? Peas didn’t waste any time, when she arrived home, she told her mother everything she heard. I would probably do the same if I heard people gossiping about my mother. The book covers a lot of fundamental life lessons including how moving from one house to another can affect the children. Illness, death, family, and friendship are some of the things that the writer highlights.
This book is dedicated to mommy otherwise known as Ellawese (Earlier) Darden. When Ellawese worked as a maid, Maggie worked on tobacco, cotton and tar plantation. They worked for the same boss. Earlier, Maggie and their daughter stayed in a two-room flat on farmland which was owned by the man they both worked for. To be honest, I was a bit aggrieved when the story trailed off towards Peas, her marriage and children. I was anticipating a portrayal of mommy. When I picked this book, I expected to find out more about mommy: her life, character in general and how she did things. But instead, more than half of the book was about mommy's daughter.
Otherwise, I did enjoy reading this book. While reading, I did not come across any errors, explicit erotic scenes and profanity. And there was nothing I disliked. In the entire book, there were three instances where J.L. Coston quoted the biblical scriptures. Psalm chapter 27 was quoted twice and Corinthians chapter 15 verse 58 was also referred to. The author demonstrated the power of trusting in God and having faith. But it is also very important to note that the author was not preachy or attempting to instil her religious beliefs to the reader.
There was no doubt in my mind that A Portrait of Mommy was professionally edited, therefore, I rate it 4 out of 4 stars. And it can be enjoyed by a various audience more especially family-oriented people and readers who fascinated by seeing characters grow.
******
A Portrait of Mommy
View: on Bookshelves |
A Portrait of Mommy: Expression of love, faith and perseverance is an autobiography of J.L. Coston. It is a fast-paced memoir of about 119 pages, and it is sectioned into six chapters. I managed to read this fascinating tale in one sitting. Set in a small country town called Jacksonville, the story follows the life of a girl nicknamed Peas. She was given this name because she was extremely thin and small. Peas was born on 4 July 1929. The novel starts off where Maggie (Peas' father), Earlier (Peas' mother) and Peas are staying together as a happy family. Although they were happy, their only dilemma was to move from one place to another in search of a better apartment. Their contentment did not last for long. It was wrecked the day Mommy chose to leave and never looked back. She left on her own leaving everyone in misery. But anyways, Peas and her father had other means of survival. In the end, the worst tragedy hit the whole family where it hurts the most. Will they survive this time?
The author has done an incredible job making the story believable. I related to a lot of characters more especially Peas. When Cora was babysitting Peas, Cora and her friends gossiped and made threats of killing Peas' mother. But why would a babysitter, who is considered a friend, want to kill the mother of the child? Peas didn’t waste any time, when she arrived home, she told her mother everything she heard. I would probably do the same if I heard people gossiping about my mother. The book covers a lot of fundamental life lessons including how moving from one house to another can affect the children. Illness, death, family, and friendship are some of the things that the writer highlights.
This book is dedicated to mommy otherwise known as Ellawese (Earlier) Darden. When Ellawese worked as a maid, Maggie worked on tobacco, cotton and tar plantation. They worked for the same boss. Earlier, Maggie and their daughter stayed in a two-room flat on farmland which was owned by the man they both worked for. To be honest, I was a bit aggrieved when the story trailed off towards Peas, her marriage and children. I was anticipating a portrayal of mommy. When I picked this book, I expected to find out more about mommy: her life, character in general and how she did things. But instead, more than half of the book was about mommy's daughter.
Otherwise, I did enjoy reading this book. While reading, I did not come across any errors, explicit erotic scenes and profanity. And there was nothing I disliked. In the entire book, there were three instances where J.L. Coston quoted the biblical scriptures. Psalm chapter 27 was quoted twice and Corinthians chapter 15 verse 58 was also referred to. The author demonstrated the power of trusting in God and having faith. But it is also very important to note that the author was not preachy or attempting to instil her religious beliefs to the reader.
There was no doubt in my mind that A Portrait of Mommy was professionally edited, therefore, I rate it 4 out of 4 stars. And it can be enjoyed by a various audience more especially family-oriented people and readers who fascinated by seeing characters grow.
******
A Portrait of Mommy
View: on Bookshelves |
You are not logged in. Please log in or sign up to view members replies, participate in the discussion, and access more features.
