Diamonds Take Forever: A Witty Women's Fiction Romance of Modern Dating and Cultural Identity in NYC

by Jessica Jiji

Hot for the rock . . . If her old-fashioned family had never left Morocco, Michelle Benamou would have been in big trouble, being almost thirty and nowhere near married. Luckily, in the hardy multicultural stew of New York City, she's been able to follow her other dreams, working her way up from broadcast news producer to on-air reporter. Still, there's something sparkly missing from the ring finger of her left hand. . . Michelle thinks maybe her sexy, ex-Marine boyfriend can provide it -- until Joe abruptly tells her adios. Her old friend Benny from the Bronx is an intriguing possibility -- but he's out in L.A. . . . and not quite divorced. It's tough for a sexy, very modern urban woman to follow the traditional calls of the marriage muezzins to matrimony -- especially when the rest of her life starts racing rapidly downhill. Suddenly in desperate need of an affordable new Manhattan apartment (an oxymoron), and quite possibly a new career (a catastrophe), Michelle's got other worries besides finding passionate love sealed with an "I do." But a diamond is just coal, after all, until it's forged by fire and time. And sometimes something precious, strong, dazzling, and enduring can turn up when you least expect it . . .

Genres: Chick Lit, Fiction

288 pages, Paperback

First published November 22, 2005

About the author

I. Love. Readers! You are part of an awesome tribe. And I am one of you. My mother always told me we could travel far with books. Long before there were virtual tours and Google Earth, she introduced me to books that transported me across seas and centuries. One of my favorites is “The Alexandria Quartet,” a set of four linked novels set in Egypt. If you haven’t read them, that’s at least one recommendation I can offer by way of thanks for visiting this website.

Like parents everywhere, my father used to tell me bedtime stories. Being Iraqi, he made up tales about a brave girl named Cassima. Instead of starting with “Once Upon a Time…” he would open with the line, “I was a cook for the Queen of Iraq…” The cook was never much good at fighting off bandits or protecting the palace but Cassima would swoop in and save the day. I was mesmerized.

Somewhere between being raised on the power of reading and those imaginative tales, I started writing. As a die-hard fan of rom-coms, I try to capture the heartache and the happiness, the meaning and the madness of life. Sometimes, I cross continents and decades to write about the Arabic culture I was raised to revere. Other times, I stick with here and now, where contemporary love meets timeless desire . Either way, it’s a journey we’re on together.

To readers everywhere, I offer my gratitude, solidarity and allegiance. You rock.

Reviews

[Sara · Rating 1 out of 5]

Abbandonato

[Stefanie Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

""

[Jess · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book gets two stars rather than one only because the girl is half-Morrocan and Jewish, and that's different than most chick lit (and also, she's not blonde, so I'm biased towards brunette main characters). Everything else about the book was trite. They tried to pull off a mysterious ending, but it didn't work at all--rather than wondering what happened, you just don't care.

[♥ Marlene♥ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not really a book I liked. It's okay but nothing more

[Kristie Helms · Rating 1 out of 5]

Couldn't finish it... and shall leave it on a ledge someplace around the city in hopes that someone else might be able to use it for scrap paper or as a door stop.

[Christina Farley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I breezy, fun read that I couldn't put down. I found the multicultural aspects a refreshing twist on the genre.

[Robbin Melton · Rating 1 out of 5]

Halfway through, I realized I could not finish this. It is poorly written and the forced chick lit aspect is nauseating.