"It was a dark and stormy night..." when Atlanta cartoonist Marcus Benton called his sister, "Cookie," in St. Louis. A bad connection distorted the voices and it wasn't until much later that Marcus discovered he hadn't reached Cookie Johnson, but Davida "Cookie" Lawrence. It was the start of a beautiful friendship. Under the cloak of anonymity, Davida, a 40-year-old widow with an 8-year-old daughter, carries on a phone relationship with the 35-year-old Marcus. They talk about work, friendships, movies and aspirations. A bond develops. Then, after three months of regular conversation, Marc is interested in developing an "LTR" (long-term relationship). He wants to come to St. Louis to reach out and touch. Davita's not having it. When they finally meet, sparks fly.When Love Calls, is also a story about sex and the single mother. The who, what, where and when of her relationships are very important to Davida. They take place well within the context of her relationship with and responsibility to her daughter. There is also an interesting subplot about sickle cell anemia. Gail McFarland has taken what could have been a very contrived plot and created something that affected me on many levels. The relationship between the two is very honest and very fresh. The telephone banter is both intimate and fun. And, unlike, the myriad of Internet romance stories, their telephone relationship adds an extra dimension of emotion through the interpretation of voice clues the characters can relate to. You can almost hear it when Marc calls Davida "Boo"!Like the Atlantic Starr song says, "When love calls, you'd better answer."ÿ
This one knocked my socks off !
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 25 years ago
To paraphrase the Chi-Lites, all I have to say is, "have you seen him?" If you have seen Marcus Benton, could you give him MY telephone number?
Talk to me Baby!
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 25 years ago
Gail McFarland hit all right buttons and said all the right words in this story of a wrong number telephone call. This story is so neatly and elegantly written that there is almost no way to just tell someone about it. So take a tip from someone who has read this line from the very beginning, Arabesque has something very special in Gail McFarland and we are just blessed to share it.
McFarland hits it on the nose!
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 25 years ago
I can't help but wonder if this writer is as people-friendly as her writing is. She comes across with the kind of warmth, wit, and humor every one of us wants in a BEST friend. In "When Love Calls", this writer asks the kind of questions we all want answers to. She tells the kind of jokes we all want to have in our personal repertoire. She gives us the kind of options we would reserve for ourselves if life allowed us to do it all over again, with the advantage of hindsight. Her characters make us smile, cry, laugh out loud, and then look for the ones we love -- just because.To give this book only five stars is a travesty! It deserves a star for every one of the smiles and thoughts it brings to its' satisfied readers.Come on Gail, give us more, more, more!
BUY THIS BOOK!! BUY THIS BOOK!! BUY THIS BOOK!!
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 25 years ago
Gail McFarland has a gift for writing character-driven stories filled with passion and realism. The heroine, Davida Lawrence, is recognizable as she deals with the stresses of widowhood and single-parenthood. She's probably your sister, best friend, coworker. Girlfriend is fierce! As for the hero, Marcus Benton is....oohhhh god! He's what every woman dreams for, wishes for, looks for! This book is so lyrical and touching and soul-deep romantic. I've read every Arabesque in print, and I can honestly say that this is the best! Definitely a keeper!
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