Diamonds Take Forever

by Jessica Jiji

Book Overview

Hot for the rock . . .

If her old-fashioned family had never left Morocco, Michelle Benamou would have been in big trouble, being almost thirty and nowhere near married. Luckily, in the hardy multicultural stew of New York City, she's been able to follow her other dreams, working her way up from broadcast news producer to on-air reporter. Still, there's something sparkly missing from the ring finger of her left hand. . .

Michelle thinks...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060754745
• ISBN13: 9780060754747
• Release Date: November 2005
• Publisher: William Morrow & Company
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.6" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Amazingly Intellectually Sophisticated Classical Written Romance Read

Jiji's novel, extremely well writen, is characteric of the modern day, urbanized woman's novel. Amazingly energectic and a fun must-read. Couldn't put the book down and had to finish.

Good multi-cultural chick lit

"Diamonds Take Forever" is the story of Michelle Benamou, a spunky, generously-proportioned radio producer. Michelle is the daughter of a Moroccan father and a European mother who clings to '60s radicalism, and she's all the while trying to figure out which of the three men in her life is right for her. There's Joe, a macho New York City cop; Benny, a street-smart lawyer-turned-journalist; and Hammy, a sweet but not terribly attractive man who's in the radio business with her. At the beginning of the novel, Joe breaks up with Michelle because he doesn't want to get married, but later he's sending her roses, although the card is signed "Sincerely." Benny is going through a divorce on the opposite coast, in L.A. He's always saying how much he loves her, but she wants to know when he'll visit New York and when his divorce will be final. Hammy is more of a back-burner possibility, since she's not really into him. In desperation, she seeks out Fataha, an Arabic fortune teller. This was interesting multi-cultural chick lit with a dash of romance at the end, but the beginning of the novel could have been stronger. The author takes a while to find her focus, and there's so much going on that I wasn't really hooked at first. However, the ending was strong and satisfying.

Modern girl and age old fears

I was blown away by the first novel of Jessica Jiji. Michelle is having to start over after breaking up with her boyfriend. Not only has she been dumped by the man that she thought she would marry, she also has to find a new and affordable place to live in New York City. This is a story of how Mish (as she is affectionately known by her sister) gets her life back on track and looks for a new love. Will she get together with Benny (or Bennett, the name he has adopted since he moved from NYC to the West Coast) the stoner turned QT lawyer/journalist. Will she get The Ring that she wants? Will she have to leave NYC to keep her job? This isn't just about her looking for love, this novel is about her life. Will we read this book again and again and wait anxiously until the next one by Jessica Jiji? That last one is an affirmative!

a different kind of chick-lit

This story stands out from other formula chick-lit because the heroine's quest for Prince Charming is complicated not only by the usual obstacles, but by interesting cultural clashes within her family. This ethnic spice livens up the story and kept me reading until the end...very highly recommended!