C. G. Gardiner Books

A Woman's Lot by C.G. Gardiner, author of Melting Pot Blues and A Matter of Perspective, examines the relationships among three generations of the women of the Pinder family. When Vanessa Musgrove, the youngest of the women returns to Washington, DC for the inauguration of Barak Obama and announces to her family that she intends to leave her husband and children, old tensions and hurts are unearthed. Inez, the matriarch of the family is adamantly opposed to Vanessa's plans, as is her mother, Delores, and her older sister, Maria. As the women grapple with issues of marriage, children, relationships and responsibilities, they confront their own history as a family. A Woman's Lot is a thoughtful and insightful look at marriage, motherhood and the underlying issue of race in America.

The play is set in Washington, DC. Thomas "Tom" Crossdale and his wife, Mavis, are immigrants from the fi ctional Caribbean country of St. Sabastian. They have two children; Faith and Winston. The father, Tom, is unhappy and wants to return to St. Sabastian. This is a source of tension within the family. Matters come to a head when Mavis confronts Tom about his long history of infidelity. She demands that he change his ways or leave their home. He leaves. Over the next year, the family dynamics change dramatically. With Tom out of the house, and practically out of their lives, Mavis becomes the bedrock of the family. And it becomes clear that the family can survive without Tom; but without the family Tom is adrift and alone. As the family prospers without him, Tom is overtaken by homelessness and illness. And as events unfold, shocking family secrets are revealed.

C. G. Gardiner, author of Melting Pot Blues, returns to the literary world with another provocative play, A Matter of Perspective. In this work of fi ction, the pervasive issue of racism will be examined in the light of eight seemingly different people's experiences and convictions. In the bustling metropolis of Washington D.C., Margaret Taylor, Ruth Orenstein, Gerri Anderson, John Miller, Willard Johnson, Leslie Perkins, David Powell and Alvida Hepburn are called together to serve jury duty. The case involves a young black man who was arrested by two white policemen a year earlier. The circumstances surrounding the arrest seem dubious and as the jurors deliberate, old fears and deeply-rooted prejudices are gradually brought to light. The searing dialogs of the intensely characterized men and women add fuel to the tension-ridden plot and help move it to the shocking finale. Insightful and at times controversial, A Matter of Perspectiveb dares its readers to confront their own biases while delving into the moral dilemma at the crux of the book.

Saul Metzger's return to St. Sabastian after four decades is fraught with challenges as he seeks to reconnect with his former fiancée, Cora Williams. The idyllic Caribbean setting has transformed, mirroring the changes in Cora, who has matured beyond the naive girl he left behind. Their journey toward reconciliation is complicated by lingering emotions and new realities, forcing them to confront their past and navigate the complexities of their current lives, including personal expectations and unresolved pain.

Forty years after leaving his fiancée Cora, Saul Metzger returns to St. Sabastian, only to find the island and Cora transformed. As they navigate their complicated past and present, they confront their expectations and unresolved emotions on the path to reconciliation.