The House

Review of The House by Mind Fog Reviews

The House by Anjuelle Floyd is an exceptional book that allows you to share in Anna's journey as she finds closer relationships with her soon to be ex- husband Edward who is dying with Cancer and her children. She goes back into the house that they had in their marriage to take care of him and realizes that Edward is not the same man as the one she was married to.

I found this book to be extremely well written and I was very pleased with how the characters grew as the book went on. I have not read a book that was this enjoyable in a while. Kudos to Ms. Floyd.

A Fascinating Family Drama

The House gets right down into the heart and soul of family life. We see the ache, the deception, the respect and the love between family members that have grown up ignoring a basic truth. Edward has spent his entire marriage distant from his family, having one affair after another. Anna has turned a blind eye, never demanding a change but instead wallowing in a depression that was eating her alive. Anna's desperate attempt to reclaim her life collides with Edward's diagnosis of terminal cancer. This book is about death and new beginnings, and the struggle of a woman trying to find herself through it all. I found the message powerful and the story well-written. Floyd goes back and forth in time quite often, using memories and introspection from Anna to fill in the back-story. I had a little trouble staying emotionally invested because the constant switch kept taking me out of the moment. I prefer linear stories. But this is more of a personal preference for me, rather than anything to do with the writing.

House Divided and Salvation for the Past

Anjuelle Floyd's first novel, "The House", and her sophomore work, opens up with the divorce legal proceedings of Anna and Edward. Shortly later, Anna discovers Edward in the hospital for a deadly disease-cancer. How can a woman be furious in the proceedings and then welcome the same man in her home to take care of him in his last three months of life? I had to see where the author is going with this-some would say, "dying" and "divorce" doesn't mix where one would see this as an "option" to be there for someone who is dying and filing a divorce. Edward had adulterous affairs during their marriage, and makes one wonder why. The author, Anjuelle, later examines and shares why he had these affairs on his wife, Anna.

Edward Manning believes as long as he's the provider and met these requirements as a husband by providing a "home" and "financial stability" for his wife and family is all that matters. While Anna feels that she only wanted to "love" her husband, Edward, and have a family would seal the deal in the marriage. The house is what kept them and divided them as a married couple. House divided is also mentioned in the Scriptures: Mark 3:25; Luke 11:17; and Matthew 12:25.

Anna was also willing to put all the burdens of her children and Edward onto her-needs to release and accept her feelings for Inman. Ironically, she saw Edward in her children: David and Serine, also her daughter-in-law, Millicent. All the negative things she assumed about Millicent, amazingly, secrets were revealed and Millicent named her twins after the two people she truly admired: Anna and Inman. Anna would have never imagined the misconceptions she had about her daughter-in-law and to name her twin daughter after her.

Overall, this novel is well-written and character-driven. It's a contemporary, family-relationships story that you could read and enjoy from the first page until the very end. Look out for this author.


*Dream 4 More Reviews received a copy of "The House" by the author.

Dream 4 More Reviewer,
Adrienna Turner
Sweet Dreams

An Emotional Journey...

The House by Anjuelle Floyd is an intricate book that deals with the myriad emotions that come with family. It spirals through complicated relationships as they display across the pages in the wake of a tragedy. Anna is trying to divorce her husband, Edward, but he is fighting her over the disposition of their house. When he suddenly capitulates on everything, she discovers he is dying of cancer. This revelation comes as a shock and she halts the divorce and moves him back into their house. With this decision, Anna must face her buried feelings, her past and decide her future. The House is a well-written novel with vibrant characters. The book deals at its heart with the most basic of subjects: family relationships. The complex interaction between the characters as they confront their history and the death that surrounds them is what keeps you reading. I can't say I always liked the characters, or agreed with their choices, but that's what made them compelling; they felt real and that is where the true strength of the novel lies. The book isn't perfect, however. Its weak points fall in the plotline, which sometimes stretches itself a bit thin, especially toward the end. I felt there may have been a few too many convenient happenstances used; it felt, to me, as a bit unnecessary and sliding to improbable. Still, overall The House is captivating, and I can recommend the novel as a satisfying read.

A House is not always a HOME!

A House is a home that shelters the body and comforts the soul. After thirty three years of marriage Anna has filed for divorce, and now is determined to live her life. After fifteen months of contesting the pending divorce proceedings, Edward finally gives in and signs the divorce paperwork and the deed to the dreaded House.

The House was a gift for Anna but at the same time a burden for both her and Edward. For Anna it represents all the disappointments and heartache she has carried over the years. For Edward it represents all the disappointments he suffered as a child. With only a few months left to live Edward who is suffering from a terminal illness along with Anna must face all of their demons and hidden truths. The House is a story of two people who inevitably wanted the same thing, but were unable to communicate their shared desires

The House while a good read has a very slow start. I would recommend this book to all of age readers, especially those in a relationship or about to start one. Using the review scale designated, the reviewer gives this book 3 star.

Reviewed by Kecia
Rating * * * (3 stars)
For : Readers in Motion Book Club

Beautiful!

"What would you do if you learned that the person you were divorcing is dying?" This question on the back of the book was enough to capture my attention instantly.
Truly, every moment of reading this book has been worthwhile; infact The House is one of the best novels have read in a while. It is one of those captivating books that touch you and remain with you for a long time. I savored every moment of reading this beautifully written novel.
Anna Manning has finally been able to get a divorce from her husband, Edward. Not only has he agreed to a divorce but also agreed to give their house to her. Anna is instantly suspicious. Having known Edward all these years, she is unable to believe that Edward can changed his mind so easily. Is there an ulterior motive behind it?How can he so easily agree after refusing to sign the divorce papers all this time?
As the book progresses, we find the answer. "The House" where Edward and Anna built their lives and their family was one that anyone would dream of having. They had all the material comforts , they were rich and had status. But were they happy?
Most people equate wealth with happiness. This book negates this very notion. You may have all the material possessions in the world, yet you can still be unhappy and dissatisfied. You just want more and more and more but its never enough.
A house is empty and hollow unless you fill it with love. It maybe filled with expensive things, yet it will remain hollow without love.
Anna builds her life around her husband and children. She is devoted to them , loves them with all her being and takes care of "The House." What she never gets back in return is the love she so desperately craved for, from her husband.
Edward gives Anna all the material comforts and riches, but he is endlessly unfaithful, uncaring and hardly ever stays at home. As a consequence , Anna is left alone, to take care of their children. On the outer surface she would have appeared have a perfect life that anyone would envy , but inside she was torn apart.
After years of devotion and sacrificing , without getting anything back in return, Anna has one chance of happiness. She meets Inman, a man who loves her and her only wish is to get divorced soon. She wants to live again. But as fate would have it, Edward is diagnosed with cancer and Anna can't bring herself to get through with the divorce.
Despite the fact how horrendously she is treated by Edward, she decides to sacrifice her dreams for a new life ,to be with the man who ruined her life, in his last few months. You may ask why would she do that. As the novel progresses, understanding dawns and you find the answer.
The novel starts with a quote - "All hold regret, and are seeking forgiveness. Our salvation rests in the hands of others, most particularly the ones whom we love the most, and who have treated us wrongly." This is what the book is about - forgiveness, redemption and coming to terms with things that have hurt you.
It requires endless strength to forgive someone who has wronged you. So filled with hate, we are unable to look beyond or move forward. But this very hate destroys us. Peace and happiness can only be achieved when we are free from the anger, the hatred, burning in our hearts. We can only heal from our past hurts, when we are able to forgive and let go of the anger. There is a quote I like which applies here - "The hatred you're carrying is a live coal in yo

Moment of Truth to Discover

Anna Manning is struggling for a divorce of her thirty-three-year-old marriage and half of the house, where she has been trapped being a mother of four and a wife with husband's several absences. Somehow, something stops her.


After enduring Edward's extra-marital affairs in their marriage, Anna makes a decision to gather all pieces of her life and move on. She dreams of life in Europe and to pursue her long-time abandoned dream. Therefore, she fights for half-price of the house she's going to sell. But when Anna knows that her husband she's going to separate from, Edward Manning, is dying of cancer, she takes a turn-to forgive him and let him die in that house.


For what she's been doing, Anna's all alone. She has to face disagreement from her children who happen to fail with their own love lives, too. Then, something which she and Edward haven't been done in their own pasts reveals a moment of truth in the future.


My review: Anjuelle Floyd's second book brings an interesting family drama of complicated past of each characters involved. The story tells us many values of a family that will remain in a house. The author writes every part beautifully and intellectually about life, being a mother with complex situation.
Although the story centers to Anna, I found it more interesting that the book takes various angles of each character, leading to more detail of the situation. Let's say, it's a fair proportion as anything gives impacts to anyone. Reader could take some important message of the whole story.


The book cultivates the real drama of a betrayal, a tale of struggle within disappointment and failure, and how it would affect the entire family, even into personal. It opens up the hidden fact from a woman who sacrifices her life and dream for loved ones, what life takes to be a wife and a mother, the dilemma. It breaks the myth that women who are cheated as their lacks to keep the husband loyal, instead, Anna Manning's story opens up the existence of a woman's desires and hopes. Both of parents' existence is also shown here as something important as one of the responsibilities for the children they have to bring up. And in betrayal, how you see the position of the husband who cheats; the wife and children who are left behind; a red line that connects them; and how the world sees them.


Anna Manning's life is felt so real and moves you to the core. In the end, you might believe that all hold regret, and are seeking for forgiveness. Our salvation rests in the hands of others-quite particularly the ones whom we love most, and who have treated us wrongly.

The Characters Felt Like Family....

One of the many joys I get from writing, aside from the writing itself of course, are all the wonderful Authors that I'm getting to know. I'm in awe of all the talent and feel very blessed to be a part of their writing journey. One of the talented Authors that I am referring to is Anjuelle Floyd.

I recently had the opportunity to read The House, and let me just say, it captivated me. The book is a novel, yet the characters were so strong I felt like I was reading someone's memoir. Anjuelle sent a copy of the book to me back in August and I finished it mid October. Life tends to get in the way of reading and relaxing, and due to time, or actually lack thereof, it took me much longer than I intended to finish this book. However, most of the time when I have to walk away from a book because time is not on my side I tend to forget who the characters are and where the plot left off. I find myself having to go back and re-read so I can refresh my memory as to where I was in the book. This was not the case at all with The House. The characters felt like family to me, so each time I picked up the book I "fell" right back into their lives like I had never set the book down. It's like talking to an old friend after not speaking to them for years, but for some reason once the conversation starts it seems like it was just yesterday.

The characters in the book had many types of relationships that all of us could relate to in one way or another. One of the aspects of the book that I loved, were the interracial relationships that were intertwined amongst the characters. This wasn't a focus of the book or focus of the relationships, it just was. Exactly like life, there were real feelings and real views expressed about the interracial relationships and how they affected the family dynamics. I could relate to every single thought because I have lived them all and then some. I truly appreciated how Anjuelle's characters reacted to these relationships. She did this with a subtlety that rang very true to life.

The House is a book that I didn't want to end because I didn't want to say goodbye to the characters. I laughed, I cried, I related..as will you. This is a must read that you will also want to recommend to your friends.

Thank you Anjuelle for letting me be a small part of The House's journey!

The Right Thing To Do

Anna Manning has asked for a divorce. After stalling as long as he can, Edward Manning has finally conceded... Shortly afterward, Anna learns that her soon-to-be ex-husband is dying.

The House paints the classic picture of a failed marriage and a mildly dysfunctional family. How they learn to cope with the loss of husband and father, and to survive without him makes a moving and dramatic story. While adjusting to the emminent death of their father, Edward's children also learn to better understand themselves and their own motivations as Anna learns to understand herself.

Mrs. Floyd has done it again... I compared her previous book, Keeper of Secrets: Translations of an Incident with a fine tapestry, and of course it is... but The House - well, what can I say? The story unfolds as the petals of a precious, blooming flower, steadily, precisely, neither too slow nor too fast, but at just the right pace to keep the plot interesting. To each member of the Manning family, their home has a different symbolic meaning, which we discover at appropritate times as the story unfolds.

Recommended for those readers who enjoy contemporary fiction.

Compelling Story of Love and Reconciliation

Anjuelle Floyd in her new book, "The House" published by NOJ Publications brings us to the world of marriage, love and family.

Have you heard the expression, "if these walls could talk..."? Well, in this book there are no talking walls however the house that played an important part of the marriage has a key role in the story. Anna Manning, after over thirty years of marriage wants a divorce from her husband, Edward. Anna can put up with quite a lot but Edward's affairs and absences pile up so she feels the marriage that they had is over and she wants to walk away.

Edward Manning is dying. Anna finds this out when, suddenly, he gives her the signed divorce papers. He has only a few months left of life and no one to take care of him. So Anna takes him back into the house she was so desperately trying to sell to care for him. She also asks their children to come home to reconcile with their father, as his ways scarred them also, while they still have the opportunity.

Ms. Floyd weaves a very real story of marriage, the things we do to destroy it and the pain that comes with it. Anna and the children each have their own scars and pain and not all the characters are nice or easy to deal with, but that is so true of human relationships, we don't like everyone we meet. Ms. Floyd gives us a compelling story of love and reconciliation that will change the way we look at things and people. To find out more about Ms. Floyd and order the book go to her website.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Anjuelle Floyd and Promotion A La Carte. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 : "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

I look forward to more books by this author

My parents separated when I was in high school, and divorced my freshman year in college. Although I have an older brother, I have 3 younger sisters as well. I think they were more affected by my parent's divorce since they were younger.

However, in this story, it's the adult children who have a difficult time with their parents' divorce. The divorce affects their relationship with their parents, for most of the children have chosen sides, it affects their relationship with each other, partly because of the sides they've chosen, and it affects their relationship with their significant others.

I was very surprised to see this reaction from adult children. I really was. I guess I just didn't realize how much a divorce affects everyone. Most of all, I was extremely surprised that a woman, who has been trying so hard to get a divorce and move on with her life, would decide on the day her husband grants her wishes, to bring him back into the family house to take care of him after so many years of mistreatment.

I've never been married, but I can't imagine that I would be so caring, and forgiving. Seriously. In addition to the fact that Anna brings home her husband, Edward, she still must deal with the fragile emotions of her children, who are now blaming her for their father's illness.

The family dynamics in this story are so interesting, and truthfully, so real. All of the children have completely different viewpoints and opinions on their parents' relationship, the causes of their parents' breakup, and they all react differently. It was unexpected.

It made me realize how much attachment a family has to the house they grew up in. I don't know many people who grew up in the same house from infancy until the end of their school years, although my grandparents houses on both sides are still in the family. And while I've got memories, both good and bad, of things, small and large, which occurred in those houses, it still never occurred to me the significance attached to the family home.

I enjoyed this book. I was hooked from the first chapter. I can actually feel the emotions of each of the characters, especially their bitterness, anger, and pain. Reading this book was almost like being right there. The author brought me right into their lives. She made me want to know some of the characters more - to determine what makes them tick. Others, I wanted no parts of, and wouldn't have chosen for friends.

I look forward to reading more from this author.

Past hurts, present healing

I received my copy of the House by Anjuelle Floyd from the author with a request for an honest review, and I can honestly say I enjoyed it. The blurb on the back cover asks the intriguing question, "What would you do if you learned the person you were divorcing is dying?" The question itself begs the retort, how could you not know? And the novel tells the tale.
The house, the safe place, the roof over a family's head, and the security long-hoped for, long-denied, becomes the center of the answer to the second question. There are so many things we don't communicate with those we love; things we don't know and events we see only through the eyes of our own past hurts; so many places where we fail to touch the heart of what's really meant.
The author's experience as a licensed psychotherapist gives depth to all her characters, drawing meaning and lessons from their deepest flaws, and inserting hope into the cruelest wounds. The House is definitely not a quick read. There's no untimely rabbit going to jump out of this hat. But patience to get to know the characters is rewarded with insights into our own motivations. Right and wrong are tempered with hurt and healing. The present, born of past hurts, is healed by past memories till it's strong enough to hold the future. Forgiveness, through the words of a priest, the writings of a Buddhist nun, the proverbs of Africa, and the inevitability of death, brings its promise of healing. And intimacy, however short-lived and long-hoped for, proves a powerful gift.
I'm probably too much of a mathematician to like coincidences. At times the tangled threads of these characters' inter-relationships pushed me away. But the whole is bigger than its parts and I did enjoy the novel. I've found some of its characters staying rooted in my mind, some of their lessons rubbing off as I look at the people I love, and I'm glad I got to read it.

No text was provided for this review.