Gonna Lay Down My Burdens - Softcover

Monroe, Mary

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0758200013 ISBN 13: 9780758200013

Publisher: Kensington, 2003

Synopsis

Bestselling author Mary Monroe won rave reviews from critics and readers alike with her first two novels, God Don't Like Ugly and The Upper Room, both Main Selections of the Black Expressions Book Club. Now she returns with the masterful Gonna Lay Down My Burdens--that rare novel that inspires laughter, tears, and repeat readings.

In the sweltering little town of Belle Helene, Alabama, Carmen Taylor keeps her weaknesses, her frustrations, and her tears to herself. She's too busy shouldering the burdens of her troubled friends, like Desiree Lucienne, the petite, pampered daughter of a doctor who tries to beat the wildness out of her. But it doesn't stop Desiree from trawling for men whenever she can, and trying to drag Carmen along with her.

It's not that Carmen hasn't had her share of boozy pick-ups. She has, but they just can't compare to the one steamy night she spent with the man she's loved since they were both kids. Now a local cop, Chester Sheffield, with his Barry White voice and his all-too-fine body, keeps showing up in Carmen's life, wanting to do something about the feelings they obviously have for each other. But that would mean abandoning her "boyfriend" Burl Tupper and that's something Carmen just can't do.

Ever since Burl ended up in a wheelchair because of a foolish teenage prank she played on him, Carmen's promised herself that she'd spend the rest of her life making it up to him. When Carmen doesn't take her chance with Chester, Desiree does, and when she learns that she's pregnant with Chester's child, it's almost more than Carmen can bear. Still, her loyalty to Desiree goes back a long way, and she's not about to let a man get in the way of their friendship--even when Desiree starts stepping out on Chester.

Then, on a sultry, reckless moonlit night, Carmen commits a desperate crime of passion, and, with Desiree, hits the road running. But she can't run from the truth she's avoided for years--and in a seedy hotel in the middle of nowhere, she confronts her demons head-on. Now Carmen has two choices--a life on the lam, or a full circle return to Belle Helene, the place where it all began. . .and the only place in the world she can lay down her burdens and seize her one true chance at love and redemption.

About this title

About the Author:

Mary Monroe, the daughter of sharecroppers, is the author of the award-winning and New York Times bestselling God series that includes God Don't Like Ugly and God Don't Make No Mistakes, among other novels. Winner of the AAMBC Maya Angelou Lifetime Achievement Award and the PEN/Oakland Josephine Miles Award, Mary Monroe currently lives in Oakland, California, and loves to hear from her readers via e-mail at AuthorAuthor5409@aol.com. Visit Mary's website at MaryMonroe.org.

From Booklist:

At 30, Carmen has spent her whole life in Belle Helene, Alabama, shouldering enough sadness and guilt to make her feel like an old woman. There are friends who have been lost in accidents, friends in destructive relationships, and her fiance, Burl, who has ended up in a wheelchair. To top it all off, Carmen has been in love with the unattainable Chester since she was a little girl. Luck finally shines down on her, and she spends one magical night with the man of her dreams, but guilt forces her to accept that she must stand by Burl whether she loves him or not. Then everything comes to a climax on the eve of Carmen's marriage to Burl when she goes to help a friend in need and ends up on the run from the law. Monroe's remarkable romance delves both painfully and humorously into the lives of southern African Americans, and her richly drawn characters will stay with readers long after the book is finished. Megan Kalan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About this edition

• Publisher: Kensington
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0758200013
• ISBN 13: 9780758200013
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 310