The first in the Reverend Curtis Black Series. This was a second read or rather an audiobook from the library. As before, I found the novel full of drama. I own all 15 books in the series and chose to listen to everyone from my library.

Mrs. Roby is an excellent writer, and I am excited to read her novels. ( )

Not very often do I find myself so drawn to a book that I can't put it down.However in the case of "Casting the First Stone," I was definitely drawn. Never before has a book written about the happenings behind closed doors in churches been discussed before. Not only that, but this is the first book which does not make the preacher totally innocent but rather,it shows that although he is a man of God, he is still a man. Also, in this book, I found that a lot of what was happening in the book I see in my church at times as well as other people churches.You have preachers talking about one thing but yet doing sinful things behind closed doors.The author does a brilliant job in making her characters extremely real and keeping the words true to real life. Therefore, for anyone who wants to know what really goes on after the church services have ended,this is the book for you. ( )

Not very often do I find myself so drawn to a book that I can't put it down.However in the case of "Casting the First Stone," I was definitely drawn. Never before has a book written about the happenings behind closed doors in churches been discussed before. Not only that, but this is the first book which does not make the preacher totally innocent but rather,it shows that although he is a man of God, he is still a man. Also, in this book, I found that a lot of what was happening in the book I see in my church at times as well as other people churches.You have preachers talking about one thing but yet doing sinful things behind closed doors.The author does a brilliant job in making her characters extremely real and keeping the words true to real life. Therefore, for anyone who wants to know what really goes on after the church services have ended,this is the book for you. ( )

Not very often do I find myself so drawn to a book that I can't put it down.However in the case of "Casting the First Stone," I was definitely drawn. Never before has a book written about the happenings behind closed doors in churches been discussed before. Not only that, but this is the first book which does not make the preacher totally innocent but rather,it shows that although he is a man of God, he is still a man. Also, in this book, I found that a lot of what was happening in the book I see in my church at times as well as other people churches.You have preachers talking about one thing but yet doing sinful things behind closed doors.The author does a brilliant job in making her characters extremely real and keeping the words true to real life. Therefore, for anyone who wants to know what really goes on after the church services have ended,this is the book for you. ( )

African-American chick lit is not a genre I have previously encountered, and I was eager to expand beyond my usual range, especially since one of my online students spoke highly of this book, and I like to know what my students are reading. I was also interested in the subject matter: the rocky marriage of a philandering clergyman. The Susan Howatch novels, of which I am a huge fan, deal with that topic as well, although in a British, Anglican context, rather than a African-American Baptist one. While both authors are guilty of overwriting, Roby definitely wins the prize. I could not believe how many times she mentioned every detail of the food characters were eating, the color and texture of the drapes, or how long something needed to be in the microwave. I have often been an advocate of using details to create a picture of the action but in Roby's hands this technique defeats the purpose. I tried to read faster in order to get less bogged down by the trivia but I am surprised that so many readers find her work engrossing. The other flaw is her constant "telling" rather than "showing" of emotion. This would seem to contradict the focus on physical details, so there you have her amazing mastery to embody two contradictory flaws. She reveals emotion in the same way she draws the scene: explaining it laboriously. I did read to the end, since I was curious how she would resolve the situation. Every not so subtle clue--the fact that the husband is unfaithful, hits her and that she has met another man who is perfect in every way--tells us she is going to have to divorce him. Yet the character, and the author, are driven to uphold a traditional Christian morality, which would encourage a woman in this position to keep trying to work things out with her husband. The story did get more interesting by the end, though it seems like one of the big surprises was only thought of by the author at about the 2/3 point of the book. Recommendation: if you like to read about spiritual struggles of real human beings, read some of Susan Howatch's novels. ( )