Kinfolks - Softcover

Lattany, Kristin Hunter

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0345438051 ISBN 13: 9780345438058

Publisher: Ballantine Books, 2000

Synopsis

Now swinging on the far side of forty, best friends Patrice Barber and Cherry Hopkins came of age in the sixties, becoming single mothers by choice. So who would have dreamed that these two ex-revolutionaries would find themselves trying to compose a la-de-dah wedding invitation for their soon-to-be-married children?

But a shattering truth from their radical past is about to rear its head and alter the course of their lives, forcing Patrice and Cherry to hit the road on an urgent mission of forgiveness and compassion, of making amends and letting go. . . .

About this title

From the Publisher

Does reading a book in a moving car make you nauseous? I happen to be one of the lucky few who don't suffer from motion sickness. Shortly after I began working at Ballantine's One World, I took a week off for a road trip from New York City to Montana, to visit my sister, and brought along Kristin Lattany's KINFOLKS for some vacation reading. As we drove, I read this engaging novel, and came to especially appreciate the way each character is forced to re-evaluate and affirm an understanding of what it means to be part of a family. Is your best friend family? What about a sister with whom you often fight? The estranged father of your child? Is it the people you love? The ones you live with? In KINFOLKS, we as readers grapple with these questions as we watch Patrice and Cherry struggle (with wit, humor, and heart) also.

Whether they are raucously remembering the chants and songs of their radical past (in the novel's vivid first chapter) or embarking together on a quest to find Gene Green's other children (in an effort to construct a version of the historical black family book), Patrice and Cherry have the conversations and beliefs of people you know. Their dialogue is rich with a shared background, irritations at each other's differences, and the funny sweet lingo of best friends or even sisters. As I covered long hot Midwest miles on our road trip, KINFOLKS highlighted for me this kind of sister/best friend relationship, making me appreciate the love, laughter and ultimate trust that my sister and I share--not to mention my ability to read on the road!

From the Back Cover

"Richly rewarding . . . A sassy new work of fiction in the bestselling tradition of Waiting to Exhale."
--Carolina Times

"A BLACK FIRST WIVES CLUB . . . SIT BACK, RELAX, AND ENJOY."
--The Charlotte Post

"FUNNY AND POIGNANT."
--Publishers Weekly

"HEARTWARMING."
--Kirkus Reviews

About this edition

• Publisher: Ballantine Books
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 0345438051
• ISBN 13: 9780345438058
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 288