The Angry Woman Suite
The Angry Woman Suite book cover

The Angry Woman Suite

Paperback – March 10, 2012

by
Price
$12.99
Format
Paperback
Pages
382
Publisher
Telemachus Press
Publication Date
ISBN-13
978-1937698539
Dimensions
5.98 x 0.85 x 9.02 inches
Weight
1.23 pounds

Description

From Kirkus Reviews "Secrets and lies suffuse generations of one Pennsylvania family . . .xa0in a skillful move by Fullbright, those secrets are revealedxa0through the viewpoints of three very different people . . .xa0a superb debut that exposes the consequences of the choices we make and legacy's sometimes excruciating embrace." 2012 DISCOVERY AWARD; ROYAL DRAGONFLYxa0H.M.; KIRKUS CRITICS' PICK 2013 SAN DIEGO BOOK AWARD "BEST MYSTERY" 2013 GEISEL AWARD FOR "BEST OF THE BEST," SAN DIEGO BOOK AWARDSxa02013 READERS' FAVORITE INTERNATIONAL BOOK AWARDS GOLD MEDAL, "HISTORICAL MYSTERY" From San Francisco Book Review "In The Angry Woman Suite, author Lee Fullbright weaves an intricate, engrossing, multi-generational story of significant depth. This novel is told through the eyes of three characters. Aidan is a man who witnesses the consequences of terrible dysfunction between several families in a small east coast community. Francis, the product of that dysfunction, flees to the west coast and becomes the wholly unfit stepfather to the final narrator, a young girl named Elyse. The story opens with Elyse in the 1950s. From there, Fullbright slowly and masterfully moves back and forth to different times between 1900 and the 1960s to reveal the horrific story of the Grayson family and those they touched in their small community. The title of the book comes from a series of mysterious portraits that portray Francis' mother, Magdalene Grayson. However, that title could apply to almost every woman in this novel, while most of the men are depicted as damaged by that anger. To add to the richness, Fullbright liberally laces recurring references to game strategy, to a particular battle in our war for independence, and to the theme that things are never what they seem. Finally, Fullbright fills the plot with enough unexpected twists to keep the reader in suspense till the very end.Winner of too many awards to list here, The Angry Woman Suite really should not be missed.” From Midwest Book Review "A very human story . . . a fine read focusing on the long lasting dysfunction of family.""There is something fascinating in labyrinthine plot twists, which is what we have here, and I must applaud Fullbright for her keen and magical ability to pull it off with such aplomb."- Norm Goldman, Montreal Books Examiner and Bookpleasures.com 5 Stars ***** Reviewed by Joana James for Readers Favorite: "The Angry Woman Suite is quite a ride . . . very cleverly written . . . an outstanding novel." Rating: 5.0 stars Reviewed by Anne B. for Readers Favorite:"xa0Lee Fullbright is master of characterization."Rating: 5.0 stars Reviewed by Alice D. for Readers Favorite: "The Angry Woman Suite is a brilliant, complex, complicated story about talented, complicated people . . .xa0this is a story to remember!" Master storyteller Lee Fullbright weaves three unique voices together in her award-winning psychological mystery about consequences. The Angry Woman Suite is a rare and bold novel; a heartbreaking, hopeful marvel. "They need to be exercised, hearts do ... to keep them strong." Every family has skeletons, but the Grayson family has more than its share of secrets--and of portraits. Mystery portraits that incite and obscure. Portraits to die for.xa0An unsolved celebrity double murder in Pennsylvania. A girl looking for autonomy. A young man in search of an identity. An older man's quest for justice.xa0A plot that pulls and twists.xa0"A special read ... a very gifted writer, like a seasoned classic composer. So great is the writing, it's worth the read just for that, but then Fullbright brings in story, rich in character, and descriptions that bring you home, with scenes that flow one into the other, even in divergent times, decades apart--and it all works, and works so well that I'm going to read it again and then put Lee Fullbright's The Angry Woman Suite on the shelf along with Maugham's The Razor's Edge and Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath ."--Paulette Mahurin, author of The Persecution of Mildred Dunlap "What Lee Fullbright has put between the covers of The Angry Woman Suite , even if I were to learn how it was done, still would border on literary magic."--Sean Keefer, author of The Trust Lee Fullbright, recipient of the Theodor S. Geisel Award, Discovery Award, San Diego Book Award, Readers Choice Award, Sister in Crime Award and others, lives in Point Loma, California. Read more

Features & Highlights

  • More From Kirkus Reviews:
  • "Raised in a crumbling New England mansion by four women with personalities as split as a cracked mirror, young Francis Grayson has an obsessive need to fix them all. There's his mother, distant and beautiful Magdalene; his disfigured, suffocating Aunt Stella; his odious grandmother; and the bane of his existence, his abusive and delusional Aunt Lothian. For years, Francis plays a tricky game of duck and cover with the women, turning to music to stay sane. He finds a friend and mentor in Aidan Madsen, schoolmaster, local Revolutionary War historian, musician and keeper of the Grayson women's darkest secrets. In a skillful move by Fullbright, those secrets are revealed through the viewpoints of three different people-Aidan, Francis and Francis' stepdaughter, Elyse-adding layers of eloquent complexity to a story as powerful as it is troubling. While Francis realizes his dream of forming his own big band in the 1940s, his success is tempered by the inner monster of his childhood, one that roars to life when he marries Elyse's mother. Elyse becomes her stepfather's favorite target, and her bitterness becomes entwined with a desire to know the real Francis Grayson. For Aidan's part, his involvement with the Grayson family only deepens, and secrets carried for a lifetime begin to coalesce as he seeks to enlighten Francis-and subsequently Elyse-of why the events of so many years ago matter now. The ugliness of deceit, betrayal and resentment permeates the narrative, yet there are shining moments of hope, especially in the relationship between Elyse and her grandfather. Ultimately, as more of the past filters into the present, the question becomes: What is the truth, and whose version of the truth is correct? Fullbright never untangles this conundrum, and it only adds to the richness of this exemplary novel."
  • Kirkus Reviews

Customer Reviews

Rating Breakdown

★★★★★
30%
(248)
★★★★
20%
(165)
★★★
15%
(124)
★★
7%
(58)
★
28%
(232)

Most Helpful Reviews

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Very good read, not what I expected.

Well, The Angry Woman Suite, in my opinion, falls into that historical fiction category. The time frame kind of jumps around a bit, as does the point of view.

I had a bit of a hard time getting started with this one. The beginning just was a bit hard to follow, but as I got used to the jumping point of view and was able to get into the meat of the story, it did pick up and the story improved.

Realistically, in sitting here thinking about what I thought, I really almost felt sorry for all of the characters. There was so much that they had to endure. They had to overcome so much.

When I say the point of view kept changing, the way it did so was so..odd to me, that the book really could have been written as a series of novellas from each characters point of view and time frame and the story would have still flowed the same.

I did find the glimpse into the past enjoyable, albeit a somewhat horrific story. Horrific not in the way it was written so much, as in the events that happened.

Angry Woman is a story of love, loss, and deceit. There is a bit in this story that will play to every reader's interests, regardless of the genre you normally read.

I did ultimately enjoy the story, though, and that is what mattered. Maybe the point of view thing might not have bothered me so much if my ADHD hadn't been in full swing this week. Maybe if I read more historical fiction than I do, I would be used to the jumping time frames. That does not mean the story was not good, but just that it was out of my comfort zone a little. I am glad I stepped out of the box, though, because what I got was so far away from what I expected. Judging by the cover and title, I was expecting some fluffy historical romance, which also would be outside of my comfort zone. What I got was so much more. I really cannot say too much more without giving it away, and I refuse to post spoilers, so you are just going to have to read it!

I received a copy of this from the author for review.
47 people found this helpful
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Did you read the same book?

This was singularly one of the worst books I've ever read. I made it to 98% on my Kindle and then just couldn't read another word. The repetitious plot was boring, the characters weren't compelling and the writing was horrible. I'm not sure all the five star reviewers read the same book as I did. Thank heavens this book was free!
19 people found this helpful
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Mediocre read

Given the intriguing synopsis, I was very interested in reading this book and prepared to like it. I didn't. The narrators' voices were not distinct enough to come across as authentic, nor did their differing stories serve to move the novel forward. Neither the narrators nor the plot were well developed enough to create a compelling reason to finish this book. It has been offered several times as a free download. Sometimes you get what you pay for.
7 people found this helpful
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Provoking

Where to start, well, first the author was very kind to send me a copy of her novel for review. I starting reading it as soon as it arrived and I found that I didn't want to put this book down but I do have a life so I did try to read it in large chunks.

These characters are so well written you begin to feel you know them but they are only revealing what they want you to see. This story is told from the point of view of three people, the grandson, his step daughter and the family friend who has seen it all. This complex ever twisting story will carry you along allowing you to believe you know where it's going only to discover you've been wrong, so wrong. Bad people were perhaps not so bad or maybe they were worse than you thought and good people may do bad things for good reasons or for selfish ones.

I found myself surprised at the brutality of some characters and dismayed at the acceptance of this brutality by it's victims who can easily evoke sympathy and yet later you discover that perhaps your sympathy was misplaced. There is so much demented anger and fear in this book and yet there is love and caring tucked in here and there for you to discover. These characters came alive for me and although I hope I never meet people like them I suspect I probably already have because we usually only see what people want us to see which is exactly what this story tells us.

The Angry Woman Suite is a powerful book with strong characters and a twisted plot that will suck you into the many mysteries and leave you wondering about this book even after you have finished reading it. I so highly recommend this book for anyone looking for something different, as in good and interesting, to read.
5 people found this helpful
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Amazing mix of history and human emotion

In her Indie Reader Discovery Award winning book Lee Fullbright brings to us what I feel is essentially a book about secrets. The secrets the hold us together and tear us apart. The secrets that build lifetimes of regret and dysfunction, the secrets that define us.

Combining both historical elements and an engaging and complicated story line, Ms. Fullbright brings us literary fiction at it's best. This is not a book you delve into expecting a light read. To me the most engaging and captivating character in this book was Francis Grayson. He embodied brilliance and sorrow in a seamless mixture of of the character you love to hate. He had redeeming qualities, you just had to dig really deep to find them. His abusive and delusional upbringing brought him to his savior, and the central character of the book, Aiden Madsen. It is through Aiden we get the most information of just who Francis was and where he came from. It is thorough Aiden we form our opinions of his character. And we learn that Aiden's character can be just as suspect.

Using a technique that can be hard to sell, switching between the point of view of three main story tellers, Fullbright is able to give us a much broader look at her characters and their motives. Also important to note is the wide historical base Fullbright covers. From the Revolutionary War era, the first world war, the Great Depression and finally the turbulent 70's we can see how each moment in time effects the characters.

This book was impeccably researched and written. It's complicated story line flows smoothly and allows the reader to be immersed in it's world without feeling forced. It was in your face honest, had venomous characters,(characters you loved to hate), and I felt sorry for everyone of the main protagonists. I would recommend this book to both historical fiction fans and fans of literary fiction. I absolutely loved this book and it's certainly a keeper for my bookshelf.
4 people found this helpful
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Would like to give it no stars

What a confusing, bad book. I guess now if you throw enough words in a book you can get an award. Finally started skimming to finish and even that was too much reading. The characters keep changing who you are lead to think they are which in the hands of a good author can be enlightening. Kinda like ogres have layers. In this book it's just silly and contrived. What a mess of a book
2 people found this helpful
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Glad it was free

Had to erase it from my Kindle. Long drawn out confusing tales. Got about 60% through when Aiden just kept droning. Skipped ahead and I was bored still. Could not finish it.
2 people found this helpful
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Love...

I have yet to finish this book, but I must say I am in love with this story. I have been carrying it around with me everywhere I go so that even if I have 5 minutes, I can dive a little deeper in to these character's stories. I can't wait to see how it will end. Please write more books...I adore the way you write!!!
2 people found this helpful
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Deep, lyrical, haunting... 8/10 recommended!

The Angry Woman Suite by Lee Fullbright
Release Date: March 10th, 2012
Publisher: Telemachus Press
Page Count: 366
Source: Complimentary copy provided by publicist, Little Bird Publicity, in exchange for an honest an unbiased review

What Stephanie Thinks: They say there are multiple sides to every story, but what do you do when you hear all of them at once? How do you know which one to believe?

The Angry Woman Suite introduces us to our three tragic heros: Elyse, a young girl who's always just wanted to know to love and be loved; Francis, her stepfather, who's always been too good, too good for even himself; and Aidan, confidante to both Elyse and Francis, the epitome of both wisdom and weakness. Readers are exposed to Elyse's terrifying and beseeching childhood, and the even-more disturbing upbringing of Francis, which allows us to understand how he has turned out the way he is, and just how that might affect his future. The different perspectives are fascinating to stick with and attempt to unravel. What makes this book stand out the most is that we don't only have an unreliable narrator; we've got three.

Elyse's story is the most believable just because her voice is so fresh, so wholesome, and it revolves around the confusion and uncertainty -- and horror -- she's felt ever since Francis came into her life. Francis's is even rawer and even more shocking, but it seems to be influenced greatly by his histrionics, which is plausible given how he is portrayed by both Elyse and Aidan. Aidan's is rather mellow, at least at first, but it ends up being the most deceitful, the most revealing, of all. He's such a sage, experienced character... or so we think. It was interesting to watch each character develop as time passed and memories faded.

Oftentimes I found the story's progression confusing because of the different situations and time periods of each narrator. Dates are included at the beginning of each chapter, but it still is hard to untangle the three separate storylines from each other. Too many characters are introduced in the beginning at once, which also contributes to the cloudiness of the plot initially. However, where The Angry Woman Suite is nebulous in structure, it is equally excellent in style. Fullbright has a tender, glimmering voice who knows how to portray each narrator differently, but still very vividly. I found myself being able to relate to each of the main characters, sympathizing with one, then contradicting myself by feeling for another.

A warning would be the book's heavy themes of child abuse. I personally found it tough reading through the more difficult scenes, but the topic is one I am intrigued by in fiction, and therefore could really appreciate. It may make some queasy.

The Angry Woman Suite would probably classify as a mystery, one that involves clandestine family histories, twisted relationships, pretense, ill timing, and a certain ironic sense of tragedy. The constantly swirling questions definitely made this one hard to put down, but at the same time, I was a bit turned off by the length (it dragged on at times) and the disorganized compilation. The characters however, are so real, so crude, that they, as well as their deepest of secrets and greatest of fears, will definitely resonate with readers who give them a try.

Stephanie Loves: "'They need to be exercised, hearts do ... to keep them strong.'"

Radical Rating: 8 hearts: An engaging read; highly recommended.
2 people found this helpful
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Deep and dark, but ultimately hopeful . . .

This is am intriguing, complex tale told by three narrators in three different time periods. Like most worthwhile endeavors, the book requires some effort, but the effort is rewarded with a wonderfully slow unfolding of the history and dynamics of the most dark and dysfunctional family I have ever known. By the end, I have come to understand and forgive a good bit of the nastiness they visit on each other and to feel a great pride in Elyse for breaking free, and hopeful for her happy future. The book requires the reader to pay attention, and there is a handy 1-page list of characters relevant to each narrator to refer to if your attention slips, which I found handy, especially as I could only read it in small snatches over a longer time period.
1 people found this helpful

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