Being Plumville iUniverse

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Author: Savannah J. Frierson
Publisher: iUniverse

REVIEW:

The title’s meaning, Being Plumville, becomes apparent quite early on. And it isn’t what I first thought. You can read a book title and get pre-conceived ideas. I had the misconception this book would be a chick-lit. How wrong could I be? Plumville is a town, a place where certain rules and regulations hum. Hum? Yes, they’re there beneath the surface of everyday life. Every resident abides by them automatically.

It’s a nice place to live. The residents get along. As long as you do what’s expected of you…

At the ages of seven and four, Benjamin Drummond and Coralee Simmons become best friends. Benjamin adores Coralee and sticks up for her, shares his toys, and gives her a book. Benjamin’s mother is a well-to-do Southern lady, her husband a judge. Coralee’s mother is the Drummond’s cook.

Benjamin’s mother notices how close her son and the cook’s daughter become and voices her concerns to Coralee’s mother. The children are separated; the cook is no longer permitted to bring Coralee to work. How devastated Benjamin must have been, for he proclaimed while young that he would marry Coralee, and they would play together for ever and ever. A touching first chapter sets the scene for a tale I knew I would become engrossed in.

The children grow up knowing about one another, but they don’t become properly reunited again until fifteen years later. Set in the 1960s, where racism is still rife, Benjamin and Coralee find themselves wanting to become friends again. They also find that their childhood playtimes set Fate in motion, and the pair are destined to be together. However, Benjamin is white, and Coralee is black. How will they convince the bigots that love is more important than Being Plumville?

Being Plumville mainly explores two people’s emotions and how society can play a huge part in deciding someone’s destiny. That outside influences, other people’s opinions, and a general ‘That is not allowed’ can make the weaker person cower down and act in a manner others feel they ’should’ act in. But love is a strong emotion and, despite what other people say, sometimes, following your heart is the only option, whatever the outcome may be.

A charming novel, one that made this reader think: What is colour?

A fabulous read. Being Plumville will make you angry, make you cry, and also make you laugh a little. What a wonderful package!