The Warmest December

I just recently completed Bernice McFadden's second novel, The Warmest December. What a compelling, heartbreaking, gut-wrenching story, that's sure to pull at your heart strings. Page after page, I couldn't imagine what would happen next. My heart ached for the Kenize and Malcolm Lowe and the pain they had to endure from their abusive father Hy-Lo(Hyman Lowe)There were times when I thought how could anyone be that cold-hearted and mean-spirited and then you meet Gywenth Lowe, his mother and their grandmother,who passed the genocidal traits down to her sons. What enraged me even more was that their mother Della, had the opportunities time and time again to save her children and herself as well but, sacrifices it all for what she values. Her own mother couldn't convince her, she was playing with fire. Her confession at the end of the book, was truly a shocker but, gave me some type of understanding as to why they endured so much pain and heartache at the hands of a mad-man. I found that even in those situations of domestic abuse, women try to convince themselves and others that, they're loved, well-cared for, etc. This story gives insight into the lives of abused children and all they suffer as children and possibily adults. You see the toll that it takes on other family members and friends of the family as well. Berince did a beauitful job bringing such a touchy subject to light and giving Kenize Lowe the strenght to share her story with the reader. Bravo!! Bravo!! Bravo!!

I like the writings of Bernice McFadden, but this isn't one of them. It is a very detailed story of the pains and misery of alcoholics. The author explicitly describes the torment and affliction of the disease. I think she did a great job with that, but the overall reading of the book was a chore. I think Ms. McFadden was bending the elbow when she wrote this one; it's not one of her best. She as done much better.

"The Warmest December" details the turbulent life of a family destroyed by abuse and alcoholism. Kenzie Lowe, the eldest child of the family narrates the story. A host of strong, believable characters carry the story as the author carries the reader from one traumatic event to the next. Throughout the novel, Kenzie struggles to free herself from a past of secrecy and cruelty that has her encased. This is a powerful story of survival and ultimately forgiveness. I read, I cried, I got angry, I laughed. I anxiously awaited the death of the father only to feel sadness and empathy for him when he died. This is my first read by McFadden and I'm greatly impressed by her near flawless writing and story telling ability. I'm looking forward to reading more of her work. Highly Recommended!

Kenzie Lowe is the adult daughter of an abusive alcoholic father, Hyman Lowe, called Hi-Lo throughout the book. She has grown up to be an alcoholic herself and, after starting out with a promising career because her grandmother Mabel helped her escape to boarding school, she has thrown it all away and finds herself living again in the projects with her mother Della. They are now on welfare and Kenzie is 6 months into a recovery program. Her father is laying in a hospital dying of liver disease, and she is forced to confront a painful past that she has been trying to run from for so many years.

It's just as Kenzie said, though; no matter where she went, she saw Hi-Lo, in may different colors and social statuses, so she was never truly far from home in her own mind. An incredible journey of a woman who must not only relive the pain of a man who broke ribs, killed a beloved cat, made Kenzie use white towels for showering after discovering her interest in boys, and was almost directly responsible for brother Malcolm's death among other tragic situations, but must learn if she can forgive the man responsible for ruining so many lives in order to win her own personal war.

This book runs a gamut of emotions. There is anger, shock, sadness, disbelief, and sometimes touches of warm humor that make the topic of alcoholism and abuse, though nothing new, an experience that is eye opening and sobering as if for the very first time. A highly recommended read, no matter what your life's experiences are.

For anyone who has had an abusive childhood with parents both feared - and sadly - loved at the same time - this book is a great healing. I happened upon it at my library, as a beautifully-read book-on-tape (Recorded Books, Inc.) and was enthralled from the beginning. Strangely, it was exactly what I needed to hear at that moment. I have a story like the narrator's and was grappling with issues of addiction, rage and forgiveness, too. It helped me to understand, and yes, to let go. I recommend this book for anyone who needs to forgive the "grown-ups" who "ruined" their lives. They may just find that, like the author, they are stronger than they think. Thanks to Ms. McFadden for a great piece of literature...and the healing.

WOW! What a well written book. My emotions were all over the chart with this one, until I think it was the cause of a upset stomach I experienced. When a writer can drive it home to that degree, he/she has done their job.

Bernice L. McFadden wrote a book a few years ago called Sugar that got my attention. With, The Warmest December, she did the almost impossible by elevating her writing to the next level. Although a very painful-to-read story about abuse due to being an alcoholic, Bernice L. McFadden weaves a totally powerful, believable, and unforgettable story. Ms. McFadden moved away from the popular "sista-girls" stuff to write a story about hate, love, understanding, and, ultimately, redemption. As hard as it was to read some of the things that happened to the Lowe family, I guarantee you won't be able to put this one down!

EXCELLENT BOOK

These characters are very real. You know them and your heart breaks for them. This is definitely a book worth sharing.

Bernice Mcfadden has written another masterpiece which draws the reader into the violent life of young Kenzie Lowe, and her brother Malcolm. Her world is full of darkness...shadows spread by her father, Hy-Lo. The author does an excellent job of taking the reader from from the present of the adult Kenzie--where she begins her vigil at her father's deathbed--to the past of the child, and her ugly memories. Kenzie's memories are nothing pleasant; her father was an alcoholic, and a violent one. Her childhood memories were of walking on eggshells around her father, never quite sure what would ignite the flame of the dragon that lived within him. Hy-Lo routinely beat Kenzie's mother Della, and brother Malcolm. None were spared; especially painful is the recollection of the death of her beloved cat Priscilla at her father's hand.

Now an adult, Kenzie must deal with her own struggles with the bottle, and come to terms with everything that she has been through. Kenzie has never referred to her father as Dad and has never held love in her heart for him. But the bedside vigils lead to a conversation with Nurse Dianne, an old childhood friend of Hy-Lo and his brothers, who sheds some light on Hy-Lo's own troubled childhood at the hand of his cruel mother Gwyneth. Through Dianne, Kenzie is finally able to see her father as something other then the victimizer that he had been to her and her family, and can perhaps reach beneath all of the hate that she feels for him to find at least a little compassion.

Difficult material, but one cannot not help but love the writing of this author. If nothing else, Ms. McFadden is never one to shy away from difficult subject matter.

DYB