Always True to You in My Fashion

by Valerie Wilson Wesley

A trio of great single women is being driven to distraction; they have one thing in common -- Randall Hollis, a successful art dealer at the top of his game. Randall is rich, handsome, and charming -- the true-to-life dream lover of these smart, independent women who all find themselves passionately involved with him during the same seven-month period. There's Medora Jackson, an artist who has loved Randall since college and is now desperately trying to cut him loose. But turning Randall Hollis out of her life will end up being far more difficult than she thinks. There's Ana Reese-Mitchell, a wealthy widow and art collector who is haunted by the death of her best friend and the specter of her cruel late husband. She hopes Randall Hollis will be her second chance at love. And there's ambitious Taylor Benedict, a graduate student in art history who is coming to terms with her parents' divorce and problems from her childhood that she can't chase away. She's sure that Randall Hollis will be the first rung on her ladder to success. Randall Hollis is a man for all seasons, representing a different fantasy for each of the women who love him. As the novel unfolds, each woman will discover more about herself than she bargained for. And each, along with the errant Randall himself, will finally know the true meaning of love and the peace that comes with forgiveness.

Genres: Fiction, Book Club

320 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2002

About the author

Valerie Wilson Wesley is an African-American author of mysteries, adult-theme novels, and children's books,[1] and a former executive editor of Essence magazine. She is the author of the Tamara Hayle mystery series. Her writings, both fiction and non-fiction, have also appeared in numerous publications, including Essence, Family Circle, TV Guide, Ms., The New York Times, and the Swiss weekly magazine Die Weltwoche.

Reviews

[Ricarda Küper · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hab’s zwar schnell durchgelesen, aber besonders inspirierend oder so fand ich es jetzt nicht. Zwischendurch auch politisch recht inkorrekter Sprachgebrauch.

[Francine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really don't know how to discribe this book it didn't catch me the way i thought it should. I struggled to finish it,but in the long run i made it. I will read more of her novels because i love to read i did find things that was very interesting. Name of the book didn't fit the story.

[Genesa Doss · Rating 3 out of 5]

Took me toooooo long to finish this book. It wasn’t bad, I don’t think I enjoy the authors style as much as others’ I’ve read. The book was interesting as I read it, but once I put it down, nothing led me to pick it back up. I will say the author did a great job of painting the picture of who each character is. Each woman character had a very distinct persona which helped the imagery of the book. Not a bad read just not as interesting as I thought.

[Ainsley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, jury still out on 4.5 or 5 stars. It took me a long time to read for it being under 309 pages but i wasn’t bored or mad for any moment of it. I really loved the story and cried at multiple points and loved the writing style deeply.

[Shirley Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book evoked emotions in me that I was not expecting. This book is a gem that I needed at this moment in my life.

[Shontel S · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of this book. I would have finished it in a couple of days if I had the time because I didn't want to put it down.

[Elli · Rating 4 out of 5]

das war ein wirklich gut geschriebenes buch - nur hat es sich am ende leider etwas gezogen

[Melissa (Always Behind) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Randall Hollis is a player. He doesn't like to be tied down to one woman, so when he finds himself dividing his time between three ladies, he doesn't think anything of it.

Medora Jackson is an artist whom Randall represents in his job as an art dealer. They have known each other and had an off-and-on sexual relationship for over fifteen years. Medora is in love with him, but knows that Randall loves no one but himself. On Valentine's Day, she decides that she's had enough and kicks Randall out of her love life for good ... or does she? Ana Reese-Mitchell is a wealthy widow with plenty of money to spend on art. Sparks fly as soon as Ana and Randall meet, and they begin a relationship. Graduate student Taylor Benedict is looking to see how far Randall can take her in the art world. What will happen when these three women find out about each other? Will Randall finally learn what it means to be true to one woman, not just the woman he's with at the time?

I have long been a fan of Ms. Wesley's Tamara Hayle mystery series, and was anxious to see if she could translate the humor and believability of those novels into romance. Always True to You in my Fashion is light on the surface, but with a deeper message underneath. I was endeared to Randall even though he's a liar -- he has an innocent, little-boy demeanor that will make even jaded readers fall for him. Randall learns a great deal about himself throughout the book, as do many of the other characters. This is what sets this story apart from other romances. The characters have unique individual personalities and issues they are trying to deal with -- ailing parents, wayward children, and troubles from the past. How they solve these problems and come out better people in the end makes an interesting journey.

Always True to You in my Fashion is an excellent choice for those who enjoy a good romance, from an author with a unique voice in black American fiction.

[Jacque · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story describes 3 women, unbeknownst to each other, in a relationship with the same man. Other men in their lives, such as their fathers and ex's, also have had a pattern of infidelity, causing suffering to their families, especially their wives. The women deal with decisions of whether to let the men continue to define the quality of the women's lives with their unfaithfulness.

The book could have a great message of redemption, but for the fact that all three women and the men they were dealing with currently have more money than 99% of any other Americans. My rating would be 5 stars if at least 1 of the three women had to make the tough relationship decisions while living from paycheck to paycheck, or in poverty, or struggling to pay off debts with all credit cards maxed at high interest. As if was, it was hard to identify with women with rich Daddy's supporting them in adulthood, or in the case of one of them: enough money to buy her philandering boyfriend "a thousand Rolex's" without putting a dent in her fabulous financial portfolio.

Because of this, message of the book seems to excuse black men their irresponsible family behavior and philandering on their poverty, and it is only by coming into great wealth that it it possible for black women to hold their men accountable for better behavior and growth in character. This does no justice to those who've courageously pursued high standards of responsibility, commitment, and accountability in their relationships, while working hard to get out of poverty or to make ends meet. Yes, it's fun to include a bit of money in fiction, but I also like to see some circumstances that feel a bit more real world, and thus provide some inspiration, not just fantasy.

[Sheila Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a first read for me of this author. The details grasped my interest & I wasn't disappointed. Yes, I could predict some events, but overall, I looked forward to the next pages. I will read more of Wesley's books.

[Chiny · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was okay. The ending was quite predictable, but it wasn't bad either.