PG County by Connie Briscoe
By Phyllis Rhodes • Oct 30th, 2009 • Category: Book Review 2002 •
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From the 2002 Archieves…
Connie Briscoe attempts to create a soap opera-like melodrama in her latest release entitled P.G. County. The novel takes place in the posh Silver Lake community of Prince George’s County, Maryland where we enter a world filled with a host of characters representing the various socio-economic classes. We meet the black elite represented by Bradford Bentley, a self-made, philandering millionaire and his wife, Barbara, a woman who hides her pain in the bottle. There is a “BUPPIE” couple represented by Patrick and his wife, Jolene who has an insatiable, materialistic desire to supercede Barbara regardless of the costs. The upper-middle class white matriarch, Candice, is comfortable living in a black world until her teenaged daughter begins dating a black man (Pearl’s son). Pearl owns the local beauty salon and lives in the much frowned upon townhouse development on the outskirts of Silver Lake. We are also shown the impoverished suburb of Seat Pleasant and meet Lee, a young victim of child abuse in search of her real father.
Briscoe tries to build excitement with Bradford’s extramarital affairs, mystery with Lee’s search for her father, and suspense with Candice’s genealogical search for the truth. Unfortunately this reader found that the story’s climaxes fell short which made for slow reading at times. Nonetheless, Briscoe does a great job with character development. She provides a solid background for each of the characters so the reader has a clear understanding of their behavior, fears, and motives. The author ends the story in such a way that the reader suspects a sequel may be needed to obtain closure on some open issues and deferred dreams. I believe most Briscoe fans will not be disappointed with this novel because despite the intermittent lags P.G County is a light, easy, entertaining summer read.
Reviewed by Phyllis Rhodes
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Phyllis Rhodes is a systems engineer with a major defense contractor and adjunct professor at two local universities in Orlando, Florida. A lifelong bibliophile, she founded the Nubian Circle Book Club in 2001 and is a freelance book reviewer for the Orlando Sentinel, APOOO Exchange Team, and Amazon.com. As a consummate fan of the arts, she supports local and national theatre, literary events, and Afrocentric festivals, exhibits, and historical tributes. When not traveling, teaching, or reading, she researches her family history and applies her talents across a host of professional organizations chartered to sustain and uplift the African American community
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