P.G. County: A Novel

Book Description

In the sprawling homes and upscale townhouses of the exclusive, largely African American Prince George’s County, the lives of five women intersect–and the secrets, scandals, loves, and losses that ensue are par for the course where power, beauty, and wealth reside.

Barbara is the most influential woman in this swanky neighborhood, but she’s got her hands full–one hand is busy dealing with her husband’s wandering eye, while the other always needs a cocktail glass. Jolene is half of P.G. County’s number-two couple–and she desperately wants what she doesn’t have: namely Barbara’s husband. Pearl owns a hair salon and lives on the outskirts of the posh community with her son, Kenyatta. She’s not only juggling a growing business and a bad divorce, but now she’s has to cope with Kenyatta’s less-than-ideal girlfriend. Candice is white and liberal, but her daughter’s new beau tests her beliefs–and opens a can of worms she never knew existed. Lee is a runaway teen, a girl whose only connection to her father is an old photo and the belief that he’s well-off and waiting for her in . . .

P.G. COUNTY

From the Trade Paperback edition.

Download Description

Connie Briscoe's previous novels have won the accolades of critics, positions on national bestseller lists, and the loyalty of millions of fans.

With P. G. County, Briscoe serves up a sexy, lush, and irresistible portrait of an elite African American community in Maryland.

Now meet the women of P. G. County:

Barbara Bentley is fifty, rich, fabulous, and the wife of the powerful Bradford Bentley. She has more than enough trouble keeping track of her handsome but all-hands husband while keeping her drinking problem in check.
Pearl is a hairdresser who lives on the outskirts of the tony Silver Lake with her grown son, Kenyatta. As Pearl strives to grow her business and recover from a bad divorce, she also has to deal with Kenyatta's new girlfriend, Ashley, who is not at all the match Pearl imagined for her son.
The married Jolene, the black-sheep daughter of a prominent judge, beds down more than one promising candidate as she pursues a wealthy and powerful replacement for her earnest and hardworking husband.
Candice Johnson is remarried, white, and liberal, at least she always fancied herself as such until her daughter enters into a serious relationship with a young black man, and Candice's life as she knows it is suddenly called into question.
Lee is a teenager on the run from her mother's abusive boyfriend and in search of her own father whom she believes to be handsome, rich,and all-powerful.

In Connie Briscoe's big new splashy novel, five lives intersect in the swish and swanky, rich and raucous Prince George's County. With more than a nod to Peyton Place, Connie Briscoe has created a fabulously fun novel that will delight, excite, and entertain.

"With P. G. County, Connie Briscoe has outdone herself. She has brought us lives that are too often ignored."
   FLO ANTHONY, BLACK ELEGANCE MAGAZINE AND JONES MEDIA NETWORK

Customer Reviews:

Fantastic.......2007-06-27

Loved the book. Went on-line to see if Connie Briscoe had any other books and found the sequel to this book and ordered it immediately. I had to read the sequel. Was not disappointed. Connie is a great writer. Recommend it highly.

DianeMoneyd.......2007-06-03

always love reading anything from this author, hoping to read something more from her soon.

A Neighborhood Full of Drama.......2006-08-26

I read the books out of order. I read the sequel "Cant Get Enough" first. I must admit "Can't Get Enough" is much better.

Barbara Bently is married to the worse kind of philanderer, Bradford Bentley. He can't seem to keep his extra marital affairs a secret. He doesn't seem to care how his affairs have embarrassed Barbara and their daughters. They are one of the wealthiest couples in the neighborhood. It's evident that money isn't the root of happiness but is (in the book) the root of all evil. After many years of marriage and dealing with his extra marital affairs, she still sticks around.

Jolene is a very materialistic home-wrecker who is trying very hard to pretend to live a certain lifestyle just to impress her neighbors and family (mother and father). She doesn't care who she hurts, including her loving husband Patrick, to get what she wants. Jolene wants wealthy social elite. It doesn't matter who he is, just as long as he's rich and can afford the lavish lifestyle that she wants to have. In desperation, she tries to lure Bradford Bently in. She throws a huge house-warming party at her new million dollar home to impress her neighbors. She wants this party to be the party that everyone will remember and talk about for months. IT WILL BE!!!! All the things that she has done in the dark will come to light at this party.

Pearl is the single mother and awesome cook/baker who own a beauty shop. She isn't comfortable with her son, Kenyatta, dating out side of his race. After a lot of convincing she tries to accept Kenyatta's girlfriend (Candice's daughter) but still isn't comfortable with their relationship. Patrick (Jolene's husband) is helping with a political campaign and decides to ask Pearl to bake one of her famous cakes for the campaign celebration. The attraction between the two of them is too strong to ignore.

Candice is a mother of two teenage girls. One of her daughters is dating Pearl's son, Kenyatta. Candice has problems with her daughter dating outside their race. She soon realizes and appears traumatized to know that she and Kenyatta aren't much different at all.

I am a life long Marylander and am very familiar with P.G. County. The book was entertaining. I must agree with some of the other reviews, the ending was rather rushed.

Bad Actors Reading a Lousy Script.......2006-07-24

This review is for the One World Paperback edition, September 2003, 324 pages. Two novels by Connie Briscoe, SISTERS & LOVERS (1995) and BIG GIRLS DON'T CRY (1996), made the USA Today top 150 best selling list, peaking at position 20 and 85, respectively. P.G. COUNTY however, didn't make it.

P.G. COUNTY is set in Silver Lake, Maryland, a wealthy, predominately black community. The story is about blatant materialism, single women raising children from philandering ex-husbands, the "one drop rule," torrid extramarital affairs and a redeemed hooker. Racy issues perhaps, but the plot and subplots, as delivered, are plastic and stereotyped.

The writing in P.G. COUNTY is disappointing - very long on tell and skimpy on show. The author describes what her characters are thinking and feeling rather than let them speak and act for themselves. When they do speak, except for the young adult slang, the dialogue is stiff and lifeless. Even in scenes of high emotion, the author has to tell us how her characters feel because they speak like bad actors reading a lousy script.

Unhappiness with Money.......2006-07-19

I like this novel but, not as much I liked "Can't Get Enough".I would had to hurt that great Bradford Bentley .I would had enough of him long time ago.Jolene what a character! All that money and still no happiness til Pearl came along with good looking brother Patrick to show happiness and little bit love.
Candace I guess was side kick in story showed no relative importance to me.GOOD BOOK!

Average customer rating:

A Louisa County Sampler
Pattie Gordon Pavlansky Cooke, Images of America: Louisa and

Louisa and Louisa County (VA)
Patty G.P. Cooke
Manufacturer: Arcadia Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Book Description

Filled with local stories and anecdotes and containing an impressive range of photographs-from snapshots of veterans of the War Between the States to high school class pictures from the 1950s; from early images of the resort area to photographs documenting recent changes to Louisa-this new book will earn a lasting place on area bookshelves and will be handed down from generation to generation for years to come. Louisa and Louisa County will be enjoyed by older folk as a trip down memory lane, and appreciated by younger generations as a glimpse of an era when life was harder, but perhaps simpler. Also a valuable source of information for newcomers to the area, this powerful work serves to remind us of the importance of understanding our past and preserving our heritage in our march toward the twenty-first century.

Customer Reviews:

A Louisa County Sampler.......2007-07-24

Indeed, Mr. Menefee wrote a comprehensive critique to which there is little more to add other than, perhaps, the uncropped, original print of Deputy J. C. Trice and the bloodhounds on page 25 is clearly dated 1914, not circa 1908.

Notwithstanding, Louisa and Louisa County stands on its merits as an important record and a remarkable resource to anyone wanting to associate prominent names with faces and sites with images of late nineteenth and early twentieth century Louisa. I found it an invaluable tool in my reseach and recommend it as a companion volume to Murder At Green Springs.

Pattie Gordon Pavlansky Cooke, Images of America: Louisa and.......2005-01-15

This book begins with a useful three-page introduction to the histories of the county and town of Louisa, Virginia (at pp. 7-9). While most of the high points are hit, important supplemental information is occasionally lacking; thus we are told that "[i]n 1973 Greensprings was named a National Landmark District" (at p. 8), but no mention is made of the fact that this was in part the result of a campaign to deter the mining of vermiculite in the county.

It is clear that this volume attempts to straddle the divide between covering the town's history and that of the county around it. Of the book's six chapters, the first two are split between town-county coverage, while the last four deal exclusively with the town of Louisa. By my count, Mineral rates four pictures, Cuckoo- one, Bumpass- one, and Greensprings- only one. Other county locations have similarly scant representation, and one wonders why the book did not simply concentrate on doing a more thorough job of covering the town.

The jacket blurb is incorrect in several assertions, although this is probably not Ms. Cooke's fault. While the book does contain "an impressive array of photographs," it in no way can be said to be "[f]illed with local stories and anecdotes" (jacket blurb). Similarly, none of the pictures are described as being "high school class pictures from the 1950s" and none document recent changes to the city or county (id.).

Monticello is not in Charlottesville, as stated on p. 17, and one Deputy Clerk of Court is variously identified as John Thomas (at p. 35) and John M. Thomas Jr. (at p. 39). The spelling of "Louise County" on the standard pint pot depicted ( at p. 13) is not explained, nor is the difference between the station sign "Frederick Hall" at Frederickshall (at p. 27). The photographs on p. 75 seem to bear no relation to the "Businesses" of the chapter, nor do other photos (at pp. 93, 100, and 102) have aught to do with "Residences." Many pictures (such as those at pp. 46-48) have no approximate dates, while noting who took other photographs (see pp. 39 and 83) is probably more information than most readers need. Finally, the captions at pp. 78-79 and 86-87 would have been clearer if the relevant buildings had been identified by letters or numbers on the relevant photographs.

HISTORY OF THE COUNTY OF YORK ONTARIO - Volume (2) (ii) Two

Average customer rating:

HISTORY OF THE COUNTY OF YORK ONTARIO - Volume (2) (ii) Two
Dr. C. P.; Adams, G. M. Mulvany
Manufacturer: C. Blackett Robinson
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000GW0ZXO

Mining Properties and Development in Abitibi and Témiscamingue Counties During 1948 and 1949 (P.R., no. 256)

Average customer rating:

Mining Properties and Development in Abitibi and Témiscamingue Counties During 1948 and 1949 (P.R., no. 256)
Claveau J , W.N. Ingham , and W.G. Robinson
Manufacturer: Mineral Deposits Branch
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000MZNZJ6

Average customer rating:

P.G. County
Briscoe Connie
Manufacturer: Doubleday
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000UETCSW

Average customer rating:

P.G. County by Connie Briscoe
Connie Briscoe
Manufacturer: Recorded Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette
ASIN: 1402572123

Preliminary report on the Cawatose area, Pontiac County (P.R)

Average customer rating:

Preliminary report on the Cawatose area, Pontiac County (P.R)
William G Wahl
Manufacturer: Dept. of Mines, Geological Surveys Branch
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0007KEKH2

Sea Cliffs, Beaches, and Coastal Valleys of San Diego County: Some Amazing Histories and Some Horrifying Implications

Average customer rating:

Timely and Topical

Sea Cliffs, Beaches, and Coastal Valleys of San Diego County: Some Amazing Histories and Some Horrifying Implications
Gerald G. Kuhn , and Francis P. Shepard
Manufacturer: University of California Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Book Description

California's coastal zones are areas of extreme vulnerability, subject to the vicissitudes of weather and prone to erosion, landslides, and flooding. Gerald Kuhn and Francis Shepard examine and analyze these threats to coastal stability in a thought-provoking and detailed study of the coastal area of San Diego County from the nineteenth century to the present. An invaluable resource for oceanographers, geologists, meteorologists, coastal engineers, property owners, developers, and planning and regulatory agencies.

Customer Reviews:

Timely and Topical.......2005-02-23

As the "killer storms" lash California, those in search of some perspective would do well to check out this book. The authors conclude that most of the development in San Diego county took place during a relatively dry period in recent history (1940-73). The authors believe that this bodes poorly for houses built on the sea shore.

As with all books that prognosticate horrific implications for the near (or far) future, one must take such theses with a grain of salt... human ingenuity (or high property values) can adapt to changed circumstances, whatever they may be.

Average customer rating:

Can't Get Enough
Money. Power. Sex. That's what the folks in P.G. County can't get enough of!
Black Dynasty
Exciting!!
very good gossip!

Can't Get Enough (Unabridged)
Connie Briscoe
Manufacturer: audible.com
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Download
Similar Items:

ASIN: B000M9BKV2

Customer Reviews:

Can't Get Enough.......2007-05-18

I finished the book this morning and just like PG County I felt left in a lurch, like I needed like 5 more chapters! So many questions, I needed to read about Jolene doing community service and her and Patrick fighting over Juliette, I needed to see Bradford return to his philandering ways and Barbara finding another boyfriend. I needed to see Pearl re-open her shop, I needed to see Veronique get hers from Bradford, I needed to see Brian get out of jail and stalk Jolene..............................oh I feel so deprived!

Money. Power. Sex. That's what the folks in P.G. County can't get enough of!.......2007-04-11

Few can do it better than Connie Briscoe and in "Can't Get Enough" she proves she's at the top of her game. The novel picks up where "P.G. County" left off and resumes the story of Barbara Bentley, wife of philanderer Bradford, and her equally enthralling co-residents of a wealthy Washington, D.C. suburb.

Barbara Bentley, the queen of P.G. County, was once a woman who never met a martini she didn't like. But clean and sober for a year now, she's a part-time real estate agent working with a young, handsome man who's got his eyes on her "property." She's eating up the attention, since she's not getting any from her philandering husband, Bradford. He's too busy traveling, making deals and bedding young hoochies. Then there's Jolene, Bradford's social-climbing former mistress, who fully intends on winning back Patrick, the husband she lost as a result of her affair. He's hooked up with Pearl, a plus-size sistah with real values and Jolene's plan to break them up may have gone too far. And who can forget the new neighbor on the block -- the beautiful and mystical Veronique, who builds a mansion next door. Everybody wants to be her friend, but she's not really interested. She's busy working on the best laid plans yet....

Both amusing and delectable, "Can't Get Enough" is a pleasing and spirited novel - one that may entice and surprise you with its climatic twists. Again, Connie has delivered a great story line of greed, jealousy, bitterness, adultery and of course betrayal. Great writing and great character development has proving to be some of the important ingredients to a great read.

Black Dynasty .......2006-06-15

This is the sequel To P.G. County by Connie Briscoe. Great cast of characters are once again called upon to cast a web of betrail, lust and revenge. This time Millionaire Bradford Bentley has given up his wayward ways (or has he?) to be a devout husband to Barbara (or is it to late?). Now that Jolene has built her mini mansion will this satisfy her roming eye for the finer things in life? Pearl's been out of love for so long will she be able to keep Patrick's interest? Lastly, Why would royalty pick P.G. County to constuct a new home. This is just the tip of the ice berg for the drama and laughs you'll find in the pages of this book. This story line is good enough for a mini series! I Loved every minute of it.

Exciting!!.......2006-06-05

This book was a great follow-up to PG County. Some of the things that happened were predictable but some I would never have thought of. I read this book in 2 days.

very good gossip!.......2006-05-04

The lifestyles of the rich and famous black...this book is funny and very, very "messy"...however, you won't be able to close it!

Greenwich businesses moving 52 jobs to Westchester.(Pasternak Baum & Company Inc. and Pasternak Wine Imports G.P.): An article from: Fairfield County Business Journal

Average customer rating:

Greenwich businesses moving 52 jobs to Westchester.(Pasternak Baum & Company Inc. and Pasternak Wine Imports G.P.): An article from: Fairfield County Business Journal
Alex Philippidis
Manufacturer: Westfair Communications, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Fairfield County Business Journal, published by Westfair Communications, Inc. on June 28, 2004. The length of the article is 682 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Greenwich businesses moving 52 jobs to Westchester.(Pasternak Baum & Company Inc. and Pasternak Wine Imports G.P.)
Author: Alex Philippidis
Publication: Fairfield County Business Journal (Magazine/Journal)
Date: June 28, 2004
Publisher: Westfair Communications, Inc.
Volume: 43 Issue: 26 Page: 2(1)

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Amazon.com

In fiction, film, and TV, vampires are a dominant trend of the young millennium. Is it is because the blood-suckers are a perfect metaphor for corrupt politicians and corporate executives? Because alternative sexualities are gaining acceptance? Because the idea of living forever (even if undead) is so alluring? The reasons are unclear. What is clear is that the hottest subgenre (in both popularity and sensuality) is the vampire-huntress subgenre, thanks to Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter and Joss Whedon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer. With L.A. Banks's debut novel, Minion, a tough, sexy new vampire huntress challenges the dominance of Anita Blake and Buffy.

Damali Richards is a rising star of Warriors of Light Records--but her fans would never guess that she is also the most important vampire hunter in a millennium. However, unfortunately for the inexperienced young huntress, the vampires and demons have both discovered her existence. An age-old war escalates to unprecedented heights of violence as the dark forces strive to slay Damali before she comes of age and gains her full powers.

Damali is an appealing heroine, the concept is intriguing, and the series is promising. However, the first novel is rocky. Damali is a vampire-killing martial artist, and Minion presents an epic struggle between good and evil, yet the novel neglects to include a climactic battle between Damali and the bad guys (or much of a climax at all; a sequel is obviously forthcoming). Another problem is that Damali's teacher withholds crucial information from not only the huntress, but also her guardians, who should have learned everything many years ago. In contrast, the characters frequently tell each other things they already know. Readers craving the twisted erotic charge of the Anita Blake novels or the Buffy-Spike relationship may be dissatisfied that sexual tension is less important to Minion; and readers seeking Hamiltonian melodrama may also be disappointed. --Cynthia Ward

Book Description

Minion: The Special Huntress EditionIn this exciting new edition of the first book in the Vampire Huntress Legend series, both fans and newcomers alike will experience a Minion that includes: * An Exciting New Beginning* Never-Before-Read scenes* Fast and Furious Action-readers better hold on to their seats!Fans wanted more and now they've got it! In this special author's edition of Minion, readers will uncover more intrigue, more heat, and most importantly, more Damali Richards, vampire huntress.All Damali Richards ever wanted to do was create music and bring it to the people. Now she is a Spoken Word artist and the top act for Warriors of Light Records. But come nightfall, she hunts vampires and demons-predators that people tend to dismiss as myth or fantasy. Damali and her Guardian team cannot afford such delusions, especially now, when a group of rogue vampires has been killing the artists of Warriors of Light and their rival, Blood Music. When strange attacks erupt within the club drug-trafficking network and draw the attention of the police, Damali realizes these killings are a bit out of the ordinary, even for vampires. Instead of neat puncture marks in the neck showing where the blood has been drained from the body, these corpses are mutilated beyond recognition, indicating a blood lust and thirst for destruction that surpasses any Damali has encountered before. Soon she discovers that behind these brutal murders is the most powerful vampire Damali has ever met-a seductive beast who is coming for her next....

Customer Reviews:

Buffy knock off.......2007-10-02

I'll keep this short and to the point. This book is nothing more than a Buffy knockoff. A very bad Buffy knock off. As another reviewer stated, "Buffy in the Hood" with really bad writing. I got tired of always reading about the characters giving each other a pound on the fist...like they did on page 9, page 15...page 35. Oh and again on page 50. Then on page 60. And yet again on page 103. Don't forget the fist pounding on page 169 and 209. I could go on but I think you get the idea. Fist pounding ad nauseum.

Super Reader.......2007-08-04

This is a little like a cross between Guy N. Smith's Sabat, and Angel. A hip, urban vampire sort of thing, with gangsters and nightclubs etc.

The woman in question is a Neteru, a superhuman with a mission : fanger-finishing off. She has a crew to help that know about her, an old almost-boyfriend that becomes involve with the vampire rulers and will become bait, and some good monster hunting scenes.

While the cover etc. seems to fit it into the whole romance thing, that isn't that large an element, any more than a detective book or thriller with a female lead, really.

Some of it might be a touch clunky on setup, particularly some of the crew trying to be cool, but as a quick action book, nothing wrong with this, and I wouldn't be averse to looking at others.

Slow start..........2007-07-09

It's OK...This book started off slow but then picked up a bit in the middle. Not sure if it picked up enough to keep me reading though.

An extended prologue...........2007-06-23

I steered clear of this series for a while because the first book didn't sound like an interesting read from the publisher's description or from reader reviews. Since I didn't go in with a lot of expectations, I wasn't that shocked with my initial lack of interest in the book. To be honest, after reading a third of the way through I was tempted to take the book back to the book store for a refund. The story plot is pretty weak, though once you get past the first book, a plot does begin to coalesce in the other books. While it does set the stage for the future installments, its flow is very choppy and the use of Ebonics does not help. Each character is raggedly fleshed out but not well enough to either empathize or relate to any of them.

However, I still gave it 3 stars because, all previous criticisms aside, it still showed promise of developing into something better. The author's ethnic flavor on the well-worn vampire theme was off the beaten path in verbatim and prose. Many readers typically associate the vampire story from a Euro-centric perspective, understandably. Looking beyond the African American flavor, the author, her story, and her writing style were a refreshing change from my other authors, i.e. Anne Rice, Kelley Armstrong, and Laurell K. Hamilton. I look forward to the next installments.

introduction to a great series.......2007-05-31

Ok, this book isn't the best but once you read The Awakening it all starts to pick up. Looking back this book is more of an introduction to the characters and how they all came together to be a family. We also get the introduction to Carlos. The second book picks up and is a fantastic read but i do suggest you read this granted it is a slow start but it will fill in any blanks for book 2.

Average customer rating:

Minion (A Vampire Huntress Legend)
L. A. Banks
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Griffin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OTS1DU

Average customer rating:

Minion - Vampire Huntress Legend
L. A. Banks
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Griffin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000K1Y6UY

Average customer rating:

Minion, a Vampire Huntress Legend

Manufacturer: St. Martin's Griffin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0739435094

Product Description

there is one woman who is all that stands between us and the etrnal night.

Vampire Huntress Legend Series; Minion, The Awakening, The Hunted, The Bitten, The Forbidden, The Damned, The Forsaken (Set of 7 Paranormal Romance Novels)

Average customer rating:

Vampire Huntress Legend Series; Minion, The Awakening, The Hunted, The Bitten, The Forbidden, The Damned, The Forsaken (Set of 7 Paranormal Romance Novels)
Vampire Huntress Legend
Manufacturer: St. Martins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000VCL4IY

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books