The End of the Line by Jim PowerGuest Reviewer: Niyati's rating from Books, Food and Me!: 4 of 5 stars
When I read the blurb I thought this seemed like one of those cliché romances. But I was so wrong. The book starts with Lateesh struggling to make amends. That got my attention. When you think of it or read about it in the papers, there are so many clusters of residential areas where African American people stay under object and poor conditions. It made my heart reach out to her. I felt the struggle.
Latesha tries out this matchmaking services and there she meets Peter. She immediately feels a connection. But her father has a dead set prejudice against white people. As does Peter's mother against the "blacks". What transpired next is what blew my mind away. What I expected was a well-thought out battle. What we usually see with a romance is a good fight. This story was so much more gentle that way. Both Latesha and Peter try so hard to deny their feelings and yet the whole world can see their chemistry.
Peter does his best to convert Latesha's father to like him and Latesha reaches out to Peter's mother. What I really appreciated was that the extreme solidarity, maturity and genuine natures of both Latesha and Peter. At no point of the book, did they stoop to trying antics or deceiving anyone. They were open and honest about their feelings. While they were uncertain about what would happen in the future, they appreciated the present.
Reading this book really made me wonder about the close mindedness of people all across the world. Whether it is a "developed" nation like USA or a deeply religious state like UAE, religious, castist and racist discrimination always came in between so many relationships. I really wondered why we took everyone at face value. Why DO lovers have such a hard time justifying their love or relationship? How much do you need to prove to the parents of someone you loved to just get their acceptance? There is always the option of elopement but what about those couples who stay to convince and fight? Doesn't that make them mature or capable of considering things through? On the flip side, when does parental interest become interference and stop becoming about the child? Is it right to simply write off a parent's concern when they see their child get on a presumably wrong path? This is never an easy question to answer, and while this book didn't answer them as no book ever can, it did give me a glimmer of hope that if a couple could stick through rivers of emotion and opposition, then they did deserve to go for it in the long haul.
I really enjoyed the book and it struck very close. I loved the simplicity of the book and I highly recommend it.
The End of the Line
by Jim Power (Goodreads Author)
Latesha Thomas is a beautiful, young African-American woman who lives with her handicapped father. She is in her final year of university and they are having a hard time making ends meet. She decides to start a matchmaking service to make a little extra money, though she has no experience and it turns out to be a disaster. She does, however, meet a client, a handsome white man named Peter Elsworth. The sparks fly immediately, but there’s a huge problem. Her father, and his mother, are vehemently opposed to an interracial relationship. This leads to tremendous conflict, but their love will not be denied. They grow closer, yet the closer they become, the more the tension rises. In time a secret connection between their two worlds become clear and this adds another dimension of conflict and complexity. But love is color blind and they are irresistibly drawn to one another.
Amazon: http://www.amazon.ca/The-End-Line-Jim-Power-ebook/dp/B00G9H4LGC
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-end-of-the-line-jim-power/1117257480?ean=2940148597582
Bookstrand: http://www.bookstrand.com/the-end-of-the-line
All Romance Ebooks: http://www.allromanceebooks.com/storeSearch.html
Sweet Cravings Publishing: http://store.sweetcravingspublishing.com/index.php?main_page=book_info&cPath=12&products_id=196
Sample Chapter Link (Amazon):
http://www.amazon.com/The-End-Line-Jim-Power-ebook/dp/B00G9H4LGC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1386946880&sr=8-1&keywords=the+end+of+the+line+by+jim+power#reader_B00G9H4LGC
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