LOOKING BACK

    They are the most unlikely friends: rich, kind, Cecile; brave, talented Norma; and Amanda, the poor girl they met at college. Now Cecile has married her talented architect, Amanda has married Norma’s brother and Norma has found a niche with her work as a teacher and her beloved music.
But behind the façade of happiness and friendship lie secrets that threaten to tear the three friends apart. There will be the sorrow of one who wants a child and cannot have one; another has a child she does not want. There will be scandal, heartbreak and a crime which will leave great success in its wake.
As the three women’s secrets and desires converge, there will be scandal, heartbreak - and the crime which will bring both justice and an unexpected happiness to three families.

作者简介:
Belva Plain,Have you read all Belva Plan's unforgettable family stories?After the Fire,Fortune's Hand,Legacy of Silence and Homecoming are her most fecent novels,all Coronet paperbacks.

Book Description
They are unlikely friends: rich, kind Cecile; brave, talented Norma; and Amanda, the poor girl they met at college. Now both Cecile and Amanda are married, while Norma is working as a teacher. They are happy with their lives, or so it seems, until scandal threatens to tear their friendship apart.

Amazon.com
In her novel Looking Back, New York Times bestselling author Belva Plain poses the question, Can friendships forged during the idyllic years of college stand the test of time--and betrayal? Recent college graduates and former roommates, classy Cecile, brainy Norma, and ambitious Amanda find their lives intimately entwined when Amanda marries Norma's older brother, Larry, to escape the unrelenting poverty of her family and the total lack of opportunities in the small southern town where she grew up. But their lives will never be the same once Amanda begins a passionate affair with her father-in-law, the cold and commanding L.B. No one escapes unscathed after Amanda confesses all, including the identity of her son's father, at a party, and Norma attempts to boost her heartbroken brother's career at the expense of Cecile's architect husband. This is Belva Plain at her twisted best, providing a bird's-eye view of the sometimes murky lives of ordinary people. If you're looking for a happy ending tied up in a pretty bow, rather than the drama that average lives occasionally take on, Looking Back and Belva Plain in general may not be for you. Loyal fans, however, will thrill to wallow once again in a world only Plain could create.
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　--Alison Trinkle

From Publishers Weekly
What begins as an engaging story about three college roommates brainy Norma, lovely Amanda, preppy Cecile and their differing futures takes a bewildering turn in Plain's latest domestic saga. When the three women graduate, Amanda, desperate to escape her lower-class background, marries Larry Balsan, Norma's brother, who is in the family real estate business. As Mrs. Balsan, she can shop to her heart's content, but she soon realizes she is not as happy as Cecile, who marries her college sweetheart, or even Norma, who is biding her time until she meets Mr. Right. So far so good, but the plot is thrown off kilter when Amanda and her aloof, widower father-in-law inexplicably tumble into an affair. The awkwardness of such a union bleeds into the prose, and Plain is unable to make the twist work there is no satisfying tension or electricity between Amanda and L.B., as he is known, so their passionate affair rings false. Plain (Fortune's Hand, etc.) compounds the problems with her plot by turning the steadfast Norma into a conniving schemer who, out of misguided loyalty to her brother, undermines Cecile's husband. The flowing story line, neatly resolved problems and intriguing exploration of family relationships that readers have come to expect from Plain are absent here.

From Booklist
Cecile, Norma, and Amanda are the best of friends. After four idyllic years at college, they face graduation and their subsequent separation. Cecile is getting married, Norma is going to teach Latin, and Amanda faces the prospect of returning to the small town where she grew up. But when Norma invites Amanda to come visit her, Amanda sees a chance to escape her impoverished past. Norma's brother, Larry, is infatuated with Amanda, and when he proposes marriage, she has already made up her mind to accept, even though she's not in love with him. At first, Amanda is thrilled to have all of the things she never had growing up, but soon boredom and Larry's grating personality begin to irk her. Amanda gets a job at a posh store, and soon she is buying clothes, books, and dishes in mass quantities. Both Larry and Norma disapprove, causing tension between the three. Meanwhile, Cecile and her husband, Peter, are happily married, and Peter receives an architecture assignment that could launch his career. But when Amanda, miserable in her marriage, takes a step that is far more severe than mere overspending, all of the friends will be affected. Plain's many fans will enjoy this examination of how even the strongest friendships can be shaken and even shattered.
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Kristine Huntley

From Library Journal
College roommates and best friends Cecile, Norma, and Amanda call themselves the Three Musketeers. Upon graduation, though, they plan to go in different directions: Cecile to marry Peter, Norma to teach Latin, and Amanda to return to her hometown in Mississippi. Then Norma takes Amanda home to meet Larry, her brother, a real estate broker working for their father. Larry falls in love with Amanda, and she, seeing an escape from her poverty, agrees to marry him, thus setting into motion a disastrous series of events. Plain, author of numerous best sellers, including Evergreen, Eden Burning, and Fortune's Hand, disappoints this time with a contrived plot and distorted characterizations. Even Kate Forbes's clearly articulated reading fails to breathe life into these characters, whose behavior is so implausible. Though tape quality is excellent, this program is recommended only for comprehensive Plain collections.
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Nancy R. Ives, SUNY at Geneseo

About Author
Belva Plain lives in northern New Jersey. She is the author of the bestselling novels EVERGREEN, RANDOM WINDS, EDEN BURNING, CRESCENT CITY, THE GOLDEN CUP, TAPESTRY, BLESSINGS, HARVEST, TREASURES, WHISPERS, DAYBREAK, THE CAROUSEL, PROMISES, SECRECY, HOMECOMING, LEGACY OF SILENCE, FORTUNE'S HAND, and AFTER THE FIRE.

Book Dimension:
length: (cm)17.5 　　　 　　　　　 　 width:(cm)11.1