Sittin in the Front Pew by Parry Brown
By Yasmin Coleman • Jan 10th, 2010 • Category: Book Review 2002 •
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From the 2002 Archives
Lawd, Have Mercy! Folks sure come from far and near …as they all jockey to Sit on the Front Pew. Close and distant relatives, family and friends, all want to sit on the front pew when a loved one dies. The Naylor clan is no exception and at times more colorful than your average clan…but many of their antics ring close to home in Parry Brown’s latest novel, Sittin’ in the Front Pew (SITFP).
Edward Naylor was a solid African American male and respected pillar of his community. He was a devoted father and family man and single-handedly raised his daughters after his wife’s untimely death decades ago. He represented the epitome of the Father of the Year to his four daughters, as well as their friends. When Edward Naylor dies unexpectedly his family is upset, shell-shocked and in denial as they hazily make his funeral arrangements. But the s8%# really hits the fan when the family discovers a mystery woman in Naylor’s will! Who is this “hussy” who deserves a byline in the Naylor girls daddy’s will?
Sitting In the Front Pew is a compelling and touching read. Brown surpassed my expectations with her latest novel…as she creatively crafted and delivered with wit an African American funeral(there are none others like it). From the prologue, I was glued to SITFP and eagerly pondered and asked…”What Else Can Happen Next?” The characters, to include the secondary characters (who can forget Roberta), were colorful, sassy, outrageous and yet very believable. The storyline twists and turns were shocking and surprising yet realistic. Brown took us to the top of the emotional Richter scale without losing control with SITFP. I laughed, I cried, I experienced feelings of love, disgust, and frustration, but in the end I was satisfied by a well-written and entertaining story. Parry Brown shows her readers that she is more than a one or two book phenomenon. SITFP proves she’s here to stay and will continue to write about and portray African American males who are positive role models in spite of their shortcomings. SITFP is a must read novel and I highly recommend it to others.
Yasmin
APOOO BookClub
Visit amazon to purchase a copy of Sittin’ in the Front Pew.
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Yasmin Coleman is a literary publicist and promoter, book reviewer and founder of APOOO Books and BookClub. In 2000, she founded APOOO, www.apooobooks.com, an online author and reader community dedicated to advancing African-American literature.
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I really enjoyed this book when I read it. I’m a 17 year old who is very interesting in reading books like this.