WHEN EVERYTHING'S SAID AND DONE - Eboni Snoe
BET/Sepia
October 2004
SYNOPSIS: When the Robinson sisters fall for the same man--the tenant in the family's rental house--family ties are strained. But who will get burned? Poignant and passionate, this novel sends an unforgettable message about women's strength, unity, and the indomitable force of their love.
MAINSTREAM FICTION: (4) Dee Y. Stewart
REVIEW: One of my favorite movies of all time is Sparkle, a 1982 classic written by Maya Angelou starring Diahann Carroll, Irene Cara and Rosalind Cash about three sisters struggling to deal with their personal relationships and maintain a household after their father passed. So when I read Eboni Snoe’s When Everything’s Said AND Done, this movie immediately came to mind.
Three sisters: Brenda, Annette and Cora Robinson create a tight bond early on in their lives, as they struggled with growing up in a single parent household. Brenda, the oldest and of course brainier of the three, try to keep the family together by being the people pleasing staying-out of trouble type. Cora, the middle daughter, seeks attention in her wild ways, and Annette, the overprotected baby sister is passionate about her religion. Every sister knows her unique place and works hard to keep it. However, when they all fall for the same man, Michael Dawson, sibling rivalry destroys their dynamic. Can anything save their bond in time?
Eboni Snoe is a great storyteller. THE Tie that Binds is one of my favorites, but at times this story overwhelmed me: from their travels to Africa, to several tragedies and marriages.
What I did like about this story is Ms. Snoe’s use of a narrator, Miss Nebia, which serves to enhance her storyteller-like prose that runs through the book. I was delighted to see an author still using a narrator to tell the story as this helped me to jump into the book with ease while allowing me a break when I needed it. Particularly since this book goes through so many ups and downs, having a narrator guide the story was a wise choice and wished more authors would use them again.
Overall, When Everything’s Said AND Done is a rich story about family responsibility, religion, love. It takes the reader on many journeys with great multidimensional characters while teaching about the African Diaspora, the value of the spoken word and so much more. This book is great book for fans of John Steinback’s East of Eden, Maya Angelou, sweeping romances, and girlfriend book clubs.
dee@romanceincolor.com (1st January 2005)