An Ordinary Woman

Love plus commitment divided by betrayal equals destruction, resulting in the one person that you least suspect being the very person that destroys your life.Donna Hill, author extraordinaire and Essence Bestselling Author, has composed a "lesson to be learned" tale that shares the lives of three closely-knit friends whose lives are disrupted by one meaningless, yet hurtful act. Lisa, the calm and conservative professor, comes from a very stable upbringing. In hopes of having her marriage to Ross emulate the loving and doting marriage that is shared between her mother and father, Lisa consumes herself with planning her life down to the minutest details. Ever since childhood, she has been a stickler for perfection and organization. Lisa, though, does not realize how her high expectations and detailed preparations are eating away at her husband's ego. However, all the planning in the world couldn't prepare Lisa for the event that was about to upset her world - the betrayal of her husband and best friend.Asha, the footloose and fancy-free photographer, lives life to the fullest by living spontaneously. Although she appears to be happy and content on the outside, Asha is at a constant struggle within herself to find love and acceptance. As different as night and day, Asha and Lisa have remained the best of friends since childhood. Coming from a single parent, dysfunctional home, Asha finds comfort and affection in the close relationship that she shares with Lisa and Lisa's family. Unknown to others, she secretly desires and admires Lisa's life-devoted family, devoted husband, etc. Over the years, Asha has had numerous insignificant affairs and used many people in an attempt to fill a void of worthlessness that she experiences in her life and that she depicts in her photographs. But never had she imagined that Ross, her best friend's husband, would be the object of her redemption.And then there's Ross. Ross, the architect and devoted soul mate, has always been the provider in his past relationships. However, when squared off against Lisa's meticulous, take-charge attitude and having to face the reality of becoming unemployed within the first several months of being married, Ross starts to have doubts about his self-worth. He starts to question his ability to care for Lisa the way that he had care for his mother and sister. Eventually, his feelings of inadequacy lead him into the arms of another woman, one who made him feel needed, wanted-that woman being Asha.This novel was a pleasant read with a poetic undertone. I would like to commend Ms. Hill on her ability to create flashback scenes that do not lose the reader or overshadow the story. Instead, the well-placed flashbacks contribute immensely to the strong character development, which helps to answer the readers' questions as to why the characters reacted the way that they did to certain situations that were presented. By no means is there anything "ordinary" about this "exceptional" novel and I a

One of the most unforgiving acts in the world is betrayal of a best friend."Ordinary Woman" deliveries the story of childhood friends Lisa and Asha. Lisa is the good girl from a two parent house hold who has a controlling personality. Asha is free spirit and spontaneous and has a troubled relationship with her mother.After the vows life isn't as perfect as Lisa would like and she forces Ross to re-think the whole marriage thing. Asha, on the hand is dealing with self doubt. One thing leads to another and before you know it everything is turned up side down. Lives are changed forever.The novel grabbed my attention in the beginning and kept me capativated until the end. The characters were well developed and I felt the highs and lows of each one. Excellent story about friendship, marriage and adultry. This is one that shouldn't be missed. Hats off to Donna.

Let's say this now, INFIDELITY is ugly, and most of the time unforgivable. What would make a happily married man cheat? What would make a woman betray her best friend? In the novel, An Ordinary Woman, Donna Hill gives the reader the inside story of Lisa, Ross and Asha. Told in alternating character voices, they each explain their individual account of what happened, what they were feeling and how this whole sordid affair turned into a nightmare. The reader finds things may not always be as they seem. Lisa marries Ross, but her controlling behavior and take charge personality makes Ross feel inadequate. Determined to have the perfect marriage like her parents, she often forgets to include Ross in decision making and plans for their life together. She surges forward with her idea of a perfect marriage. Ross is used to being the caregiver. He cared for his mother and sister after his father's death, his sister after his mother's death and in marriage, wants to be the caretaker for Lisa. Ross feels he can not talk to Lisa, she does not listen, so he keeps things bottled up inside, talking to no one. Asha appears to be happy go lucky, but she has a turbulent relationship with her mother. She hides her unhappiness behind the lens of her camera and meaningless relationships. One day, Ross runs into Asha at his in-laws home. On this day, both of them are feeling bad, things are not going well and their conversation leads to other things. When the truth comes out about that fateful night, damage that could not be repaired was done to these relationships. This novel grabbed my attention in the beginning and kept me captivated until the end. So much so, that I had to have continual dialogue with my book club while reading. It had me rushing through my job assignments so I could finish reading. The dialogue and situations were realistic. The characters were very well developed. I was able to empathize with each character, whether I agreed with them or their actions. Without hesitation, this book would be listed among my favorites for this year. I highly recommend this novel. JeanetteAPOOO BookClub

One of the most important relationships women form, are friendships with their best friend. It is a bond that is sacred and difficult to destroy. In one of Donna Hill's finest stories, in my opinion, we watch as infidelity cripples the lives of the three main characters. Asha, is our self-assured, strong-willed, worldly and life of the party character. She meets Lisa when they are both young and they become in essence, not only best friends, but sisters. Lisa is our shy, good girl, and hopeless romantic who through two failed engagements finds Mr. Right. Mr. Right is Ross, an architect, who exhibits strength by taking on and handling responsibility as well as being a strong family man.Ms. Hill takes us on a journey as we examine the cracks in the facades of each character. The reader will ask how could Asha sleep with Lisa's, her best friend, husband? How could Asha hurt her best friend? Asha is not so perfect. Lisa seems to have forgotten that marriage is not about what she wants but a partnership. And Ross has lost himself in making Lisa happy. The issues each faces inevitably leads to the betrayal of a friend and wife. Each character learns a lesson and they are able to finally look into themselves to recognize their faults and move forward.The reader will empathize with all three main characters. What we have is an ordinary woman who made a mistake. Well written and a provocative story that tackles a sensitive issue. This is one of my favorite Donna Hill novels. This is a must read!

This is an awesome story about friendship, love and betrayal. It's filled with the kind of soul-searching self-revelation that most of us shy away from but it makes the book very poignant and realistic. I feel that every woman who reads this book will see herself in one of the main characters: Lisa with her safe, organized approach to life, or Asha with her spontaneous free spirit. This is a great story and one that takes the reader on a personal journey of self-knowledge. Bravo Ms. Hill!!!! -ES