The First Lady of Music

C. Yvonne Hooper
Southern Belle Publishing (2006)
ISBN-10  1591139627
ISBN-13  9781591139621
 Reviewed by Nancy Young for Reader Reviews (7/06)


"The First lady of Music" is the story of Massina Rouseau, a French-Italian beauty who is gifted with intelligence and the voice of an angel.  She lives the American dream.  She is homecoming queen and dates the star quarterback in high school. Her father is a successful and powerful business man, and he makes sure that his children have every opportunity to succeed in life.  Massina eventually becomes a chart topping singer, and life couldn't get any better.

There is more to the story, however.  Massina is confronted with loss and grief at a young age when her beloved mother passes away.  As she climbs to fame and fortune, she is faced with more grief.  Massina learns the hard way that not everyone is happy with her success.  Jealousy causes her to lose people she is closest to in life.  Massina carries on, and is always there for those dear to her heart.  Her life is a roller coaster ride, bright happy times followed by times of pain.

"The First Lady of Music" proves that beauty, wealth and fame do not guarantee a happy life, but in fact can make it more difficult.  Massina learns that she is stronger than she realizes and learns how to hold on tight during the hard times.

This is the ideal book for the teen-age or young adult reader.  The only concern I would have for the teen-age reader would be the author's approach to date rape.  While there is little graphic detail, there was no resolution or guidance for the young reader who may have had a similar experience.  However, Massina is a good role model as far as her integrity and unselfishness.

It is easy to relate to Massina as she deals with loss in the story, as her emotions are realistic and genuine.  Anyone who has experienced the death of a loved one or felt the pain of losing a friend will understand her grief.

"The First Lady of Music" has a great story line.  However, I would have liked it to have been more developed.  The reader is given a time line of the events of Massina's life.  Though these events are intriguing, there is little detail.  Because of this, it was easy to get characters mixed up, ie Massina's aunts and cousins.  I had a hard time remembering who was who and had to go back in the story to straighten the facts out.

"The First Lady of Music" is sweet and endearing.  The reader while find herself cheering for Massina during the good times and tearful during the times of sorrow.  This is the perfect book for that trip to the beach or for lounging by the pool!

Make comment on weblog