Seen It All and Done the Rest: A Novel | 
| Author: Pearl Cleage
Publisher: One World/Ballantine
Category: Book
List Price: $25.00
Buy New: $12.40
You Save: $12.60 (50%)
New (30) Used (10) from $10.99
Avg. Customer Rating:  10 reviews
Sales Rank: 35438
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 320
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.1
Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 6.1 x 1.3
ISBN: 0345481127
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780345481122
ASIN: 0345481127
Publication Date: March 18, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Condition: Brand New!!! bce
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Product Description
For Josephine Evans, home was on the stages of the world where she spent thirty years establishing herself as one of the finest actresses of her generation. Josephine was the toast of Europe, and her fabulous apartment in Amsterdam’s theater district was a popular gathering place for an international community of artists, actors, and expatriates who considered themselves true citizens of the world. Josephine lived above and beyond the reach of conventional definitions of who and what an African American diva could be, and her legions of loyal fans loved her for it. She had a perfect life and enough sense to live it to the hilt, but then a war she didn’t fully understand turned everything upside down, thrusting her into a role she never wanted and was not prepared to play. Suddenly the target of angry protests aimed at the country she had never really felt was her own, Josephine is forced to return to America to see if she can create a new definition of home.
Camping out with her granddaughter, Zora, who is housesitting in Atlanta’s West End; and trying to avoid the unwanted attentions of Dig It!, the city’s brand-new gossip magazine, Josephine struggles to reclaim her old life even as she scrambles to shape her new one. Hoping her friend Howard Denmond is as good as his word when he promises to engineer her triumphant return to the European stage, Josephine sets out to increase her nest egg by selling the house her mother willed her, only to find the long-neglected property has become home to squatters who have no intention of leaving.
But an unexpected reunion with an old friend offers Josephine a chance to set things right. Spurning an offer from unscrupulous land developer Greer Woodruff, Josephine gathers new friends around her, including Victor Causey, a lawyer whose addictions left him homeless but still determined to protect his mother; Louie Baptiste, a displaced New Orleans chef hoping to return to the city he loves; and Aretha Hargrove, recovering from her role in the same scandal that sent Zora running for cover. As Greer gets serious about her plan to tear the community apart, Josephine finds herself playing the most important role of her life, showing her neighbors what courage really is and learning the true meaning of coming home.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 5 more reviews...
 Not Pearl's Best June 22, 2008
While I am a big, big Pearl Cleage fan this was a disappointment. Set once again in West End with most of the same characters, the story seemed a little too predictable. I could see what was coming while reading and I see who will get together in the next saga. This is a shame because I love Ms. Cleage. Also, Zora's character's behavior and a year's scandal in the newspaper didn't make sense based on her lack of involvement with Baby Brother in the previous book. I do look forward to the next book and expect a better storyline.
 Uplifting and certainly endearing May 11, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
As always Ms. Cleage delivers a work that will captivate you early. As a reader you feel for the granddaughter and want to help her see the error in her way. Grandmother certainly does that and more. Having once lived in Atlanta, the imagery is wonderful and brings back fond memories. I enjoyed this immensely.
Never Give Up May 6, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I enjoyed this work, but not as much as the previous ones by author, Pearl Cleage. I felt it was a little bit too predictable for me.
Pearl Cleage April 19, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I have always been a big Pearl Cleage fan and this book (Seen It all and Done the Rest) has justified all of my ravings about her writing. She has done it again! I loved that the shero in this book was a woman of a certain age and that she was also computer illiterate. Josephine Evans, for all of her diva like qualities is just like so many of our mothers and grandomthers; afraid of the internet, has a cell phone she leaves at home and is a loving grandmother.
 In My Opinion, Her Best Yet April 14, 2008
As a longtime fan of Pearl Cleage, I looked forward to her latest book and what a joy it was to read. The story works, it captivates and it keeps you going. I read it in one weekend. I liked the short chapters, each one delivering important plot development, each one adding on to the story to keep you moving to the next chapter. Other reviewers have already described the story so I won't repeat that here.
My favorite line from the book is on page 161: "Love always removes an element of freedom..." You will understand it when you to that page.
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