It’s a delicate dance, but we’re learning the steps.
DL White
Brunch at Ruby’s
Format:
Audiobook
Publisher’s Synopsis:
Ruby’s Soul Food Cafe has been the neighborhood hot spot their whole lives, so it’s only fitting that Ruby’s is where Debra, Maxine and Renee meet monthly to do what girlfriends do – eat, drink and offer unsolicited advice on life and love.
Debra Macklin has it all: a successful career, a long marriage, and a happy 12-year-old daughter. But she’s hiding a secret that could not only shatter her perfect image, but destroy her marriage and career. When her secret is spilled, Debra is poised to lose everything she holds dear.
Maxine Donovan is a self-made woman but despite all she earns and owns, she’s on a constant quest for Mr. Right. Handsome, aloof Malcolm Brooks might just be The One, but when Malcolm’s attention turns toward her friend instead, Maxine is ready to risk a strong bond to fight for him.
Renee Gladwell left a lucrative job and a handsome boyfriend to nurse her father and Gladwell Books back to health. A temporary stay has turned into four years of struggling with Alzheimer’s and a family-owned bookstore that is in no shape to sell. Renee is in limbo, caring for a man who is slowly forgetting his past – including her. When she meets Malcolm Brooks, her life brightens, but is love worth risking a friendship?
Brunch at Ruby’s is a funny, inspiring, soulful look into a lifelong friendship where bonds are bent, but never broken.
Point of view:
1st person. Alternating chapters between Debra, Renee, & Maxine’s perspectives.
Rellim’s Thoughts:
Gah! What a wonderful and emotional ride. This spans a year in the life of three friends in their late 30s.
I think the realism comes from how imperfect each of these women are. They are in difficult situations, at times from their own poor or misguided decisions, sometimes from the normal trials of life. Debra having an affair and Maxine’s self centeredness were particularly laborious to sympathize with. However, I liked the way White helped them grow and move beyond themselves. Renee is balancing her father’s Alzheimer’s with creating a new and unexpected life.
While there are satisfying love stories for each of these women – this is really about their own personal identity and friendship. Terrific mix of grief, joy, anger, laughs, defeat, and triumph.
Narration:
Overall, I enjoyed Sharell Palmer’s narration. I would have liked more distinction between the various character’s voices. That said, I did like her performance of the banter and emotions.
About the author:
DL White began pursuing a writing career in 2011 after enjoying a lifetime of reading and hobby writing. In 2015, she published Brunch at Ruby’s, an upmarket fiction novel about three lifelong best friends and the soul food cafe at the center of their friends. Since then, she has published ten Black romance and women’s fiction titles in ebook, print and audio formats with more to come.
DL has a legendary love for coffee, fried chicken, and brunch, especially on a patio. Her true obsession is water: lakes, rivers, oceans, waterfalls! When not writing books, she devours them. She publishes reviews and thoughts on writing and books on the blog and publishes short fiction on her podcast.
DL lives in Atlanta, Georgia.
You can connect with DL White here:
About the narrator:
You can connect with Sharell Palmer here:
My Favorite Quotes
Memory is a funny thing. It has belongings, smells and sights and sounds and things. – Brunch at Ruby’s by @Author_DLWhite #Audiobook narrated by Sharell Palmer #WomensFiction #Drama #Friendship
Tweet
Comfort, though, can make a person lazy. It can make someone take things and people and promises like ‘till death do us part’ for granted. Comfort makes people passive. Comfort made me unsatisfied and lonely. – Brunch at Ruby’s by @Author_DLWhite #Audiobook narrated by Sharell Palmer #WomensFiction #Drama #Friendship
Tweet
Tweet
That a man is interested is not one a tenet upon which I base my interest. – Brunch at Ruby’s by @Author_DLWhite #Audiobook narrated by Sharell Palmer #WomensFiction #Drama #Friendship
Tweet
It’s a delicate dance, but we’re learning the steps. – Brunch at Ruby’s by @Author_DLWhite #Audiobook narrated by Sharell Palmer #WomensFiction #Drama #Friendship
Rellim Reads 