Laelia: A Novel

By Ruth-Miriam Garnett

Book Overview

Each of the Cates sisters had felt for a time that their husbands should be put away where they wouldn't have to take care of them anymore--it's time to make some changes. So begins the powerful,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0743466306
• ISBN13: 9780743466301
• Release Date: December 2003
• Publisher: Atria
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.7" x 0.8" x 5.7"

Customer Reviews

The Strong Bonds of Sisterhood

This novel is one that I slept when it was first released in 2004; but I am so glad that I received this book as a birthday resent this spring. I just loved Laelia! The author is a wonderful writer. Her prose is fluid like poetry. Yet; it is crisp and inviting. Garnett created three wonderfully drafted characters; the Cates sisters. These women put you in the mind of African American matrons of days gone by. They remind you of Southern genteel Negro matriarchs who are cultured, educated and kind but yet; are assirtive enough to produce change in their lives and their community. The storyline had several themes. Close sisterhood ties; middle-aged women who still have a thirst for passion and love; and their resistance against the male-dominated doctrines of the local church that kept the women in the community bound in Christianity instead of being liberated by their faith were all issues explored in this novel. I hope this novel reaches a wider audience now that it has been released in paperback. Laelia is classic African American fiction and Garnett is an impressive writer. I would love to read more fiction by her.

A great novel by a great woman

Some may say that I am biased because the author is a relative, but that is not the case. Ruth Miriam Garnett is a great author who made the women in this book really come to life. When reading this book, you will likely come across a character that reminds you of someone you know.

A Comforting Read

Laelia is the story of the Cates sisters. These three sisters are from a prominent upstanding family. All three are attached to husbands who are in some way or the other invalid. The sisters decide to rid themselves of their husbands and start life over. Driven by the eldest sister, Rebecca, decide to have their husbands committed. Rebecca, the eldest sister, is the head of the family. She has devised a fool proof plan to not only get rid of their husbands but to also have the new pastor of her church ousted for his philandering ways. Armed with all the information that she needs she is just waiting for the right time to strike and kill four birds with one stone.Claudia, the middle sister, is the classy, chic one. Her part in the plan is to dazzle the church with her refinement and sway the women of the church to lean on one another for support of ailing husbands. This is hard when you have a pastor ranting and raving about wives staying in their place. She wins the hearts of the congregation and opens some doors for her sister's master plan.Gracelyn is the youngest sister. She has decided to put on an elaborate production of a Harriet Tubman play for the children of the church. The play is a smash success and she has created another open for her sisters and their plan to renew their lives. This story is just as beautiful as it's cover. Ruth-Miriam Garnett has created an unforgettable novel. Filled with love and sister hood Laelia is a novel that everyone can walk away from with a lesson.Readincolor ReviewersAngie Pickett-Henderson

A Good Debut Novel

This book was so empowering. You have these three sisters who marry men, who in turn ended up being invalids for the women to keep. One has terminal cancer,another is brain damaged and yet another is an alcoholic. The women take care of the men until they decide that they took care of them long enough and make provisions to put them in Nursing homes. At the same time, they deal with a misogynist,sanctimonious and sneaky preacher, the town that hold them in high esteem and love that comes from unexpected places. These Cates sisters will have you laughing,weeping and applauding them that you hate to let the book go when it's over. Plenty praise to the author for a good debut novel.

Fantastic!!

Ruth-Miriam Garnett has done a splendid job on her first published novel. Her characters are rich with personality, spunk, and freshness. Three influentual African American women (Rebecca, Claudia, and Gracelyn) living in their childhood home with their three husbands. All three men are sick, and these women have sacrificed a lifetime with these men with all the good and bad. But the eldest sister, Rebecca puts hope in God, and she leads her sister on a journey to free them of their sickly husbands and to begin a brand new life. Two husbands are sent away before the book ends, but Rebecca's husband is still there after the book end. There is a reason, and you must read the book to find out why. Also, in their grand agenda is to get rid of the woman hateing, wife beating Pastor Wilson. That in itself is a riot to read how far Rebecca goes, what she discovers, and how the Pastor reacts.Do they succeed in their quest for a new life? They not only succeed but managed to meet former First Lady Hillary Clinton, create a Harriet Tubman play with the children in their church, bring all the women in the community together, and yes, Rebecca flies to Paris to the new love of her life.It is a powerful novel that shows women, of any age of any color, that they can start again, be strong, and be happy. I really enjoyed reading this book. The wonderful little sisterly conversations, the description of the orchids, and the sweet sincerity each sister shared for each other and other people in their community. The book has a life of its own, and for me, it was well worth the time to read.Joy.