Searching for Tina Turner

Jacqueline E. Luckett

Jan 2010 · Sold by Grand Central Publishing

About this ebook

Drawing strength from Tina Turner's life story, Searching for Tina Turner is Lena's struggle to find herself after 25 years of being a wife and mother.

On the surface, Lena Spencer appears to have it all. She and her wealthy husband Randall have two wonderful children, and they live a life of luxury. In reality, however, Lena finds that happiness is elusive. Randall is emotionally distant, her son has developed a drug habit, and her daughter is disgusted by her mother's "overbearing behavior." When Randall decides that he's had enough of marriage counseling, he offers his wife an ultimatum: "Be grateful for all I've done for you or leave." Lena, realizing that money can't solve her problems and that her husband is no longer the man she married, decides to choose the latter.

Ratings and reviews

When Lina Spencer spoke her vows to her husband Randall, the last thing she expected was divorce. However, after twenty-three years of marriage, two children, and chasing Randall’s dreams, Lina finds herself deeply unsatisfied and completely unhappy. In the wake of this realization, her husband Randall gives her an ultimatum that will change the course of their lives. Lina chooses to move on. Drawing her inspiration and strength from Tina Turner, her idol, Lina heads to France in search of closure, healing, and self-fulfillment. "Searching for Tina Turner" is one woman’s story of her road to self-discovery and true happiness. This novel has a good level of potential, but it fell short of being spectacular in many areas. The basis of the story is common. A married woman finds herself unhappy and unfulfilled. This leads to divorce because the marriage she is part of hasn’t been healthy for years. Her entire married life is all about her children and her husband, but when it’s time to be about her, there is no one around. I have read many different takes on this particular storyline, but this story has an interesting twist. Lena has a crush on Tina Turner that dates back to her first date with Randall. A Tina Tuner obsession is definitely new to me and it makes this story original in its own way. Though Tina Turner is a different twist for this novel, Lena’s obsession was a little much. Lena is not an engaging character. She is weak and whiny. I expected more from her. I wish she would have learned to stand up for herself earlier in the book. Her husband, Randall, is despicable. While I felt he deserved Lena’s response to his insensitive ultimatum, I didn’t necessarily gain respect for her. Instead of standing up for herself, she cowered and refused to accept what she had set in motion. "Searching for Tina Turner" was slow to start and didn’t pick up until the last half of the book. Even after it picked up, it was still a slow-paced novel. The first half of the novel chronicles the end of Lena and Randall’s marriage while the second half chronicles Lena’s trip to France, in search of herself, and, of course, Tina Turner. Overall, the story was quite mundane for me. I was not engrossed with this novel. It seemed to simply tell a story and leave me nothing to think about at the end. While it was easy enough to read, easy to follow, and had a sound structure, it lacked enthusiasm and energy. I was not drawn to "Searching for Tina Turner" and found myself thinking about the other novels on my shelf instead of forgetting I even had a “to read” shelf.

About the author

Jacqueline E. Luckett is the author of Searching for Tina Turner. A San Francisco Bay Area native, she lives in Oakland, California. For more information, and to read her blog, you can visit www.JacquelineLuckett.com.