Gotham Diaries : A novel

Rating:
Summary: Pretty Good
Review: Gothan Diaries was a pretty good read considering it came from celebrity status lawyer and wife (Spike Lee's wife), Tonya Lewis Lee. I mean it didn't knock me off my feet like the awesome novel, LUST OF THE FLESH by Beverly Royal. Now that book will have your behind glued to the seat until its finished.

Rating:
Summary: GOTHAM DIARIES A+
Review: Great book, I read it in two days and have passed it to girlfriends who love it just as well.

Rating:
Summary: $ex in the City...with an interesting twist
Review: I bought this book on a whim in a bookstore, giving it a quick glance and thinking, "Ooo, another $ex in the City" type book. Only after I got it home did I realize that one of the author's was Spike Lee's wife. This, in all honesty, led me to believe that it would be shallow and it's publication purchased by lots of money. I was wrong.

Although the book starts a little slow as we slide into the lives of the protagonists, you absolutely MUST read it until the end, which will leave you beaming with gleeful delight. `Nuff said about the ending.

The Gotham Diaries is a character driven story of upper crust African American NY Society, and the skeletons buried in the designer closets. You will find yourself entering the inner circle of friends comprised of Manny Marks, a real estate agent who will stop at nothing to climb the social ladder, Tandy Brooks, a widowed socialite who finds herself suddenly without the outrageous income she has become accustomed to, and Ed and Lauren Thomas, a billionaire businessman and his young trophy wife.

The plot is simply friendships forged and lost, betrayal, greed, unfaithfulness, power, and above all the burning need to either climb the ladder or fend off your position at the top. Money is power and image is everything, but what will be the final price for your soul? Again, I must stress that you don't miss the ending, it is a stunning climax that will leave you laughing, cheering, and crying.

What I really liked was the dimension given to the characters, as long as you keep reading. Just when one side of a character is revealed, Lee and Anthony will turn the mirror over and show you what the other side looks like. Once faced with these fully rounded characters, you begin to understand more of their motivations, and will either love or hate them. The writing style is formatted as if you were just introduced to these people, and the more you hang out with them, the more you find out about them.

A very nice, smooth read, Gotham Diaries is still rather short, only 262 pages, which makes it the perfect beach or vacation book, even though you may find yourself drooling for more. Enjoy!


Rating:
Summary: If at first you don't succeed.....
Review: I found this book very difficult to finnish. It started out pretty interesting however by the second/third chapter it became very hard to finnish. The characters were given great introductions however they were not fully developed until the very end. I would say the beginning and the ending of the book was great.If you can get to the ending you will be quite pleased. I am sure readers would like to know what Manny and Tandy are doing since their betrayal to Lauren. I understand that this book could be made into a series somewhat like Soul Food. If so it would be a mega hit!!!

Rating:
Summary: Not the best...will probably make a better movie
Review: I have to say that I expected a little more from this novel. I guess I thought Spike Lee's wife's writing would be on the level of her husband's filmmaking. I was wrong. This novel is a quick read and is at times very fun. I also love to see novel where black people have a little power and some money. All that aside, I would have liked a little more depth in this book. The characters do seem very surface and many of the plots seem unrealistic. While reading I did however put together the perfect cast for a movie, which I feel would be the best use of a book like this. Thandie Newton or Gabrielle Union could play Lauren, the president on 24 (forgive me, I don't know his name) would make a wonderful Ed, and Vanessa Bell Calloway would make a great Tandy. For Manny perhaps Boris Kodjoe, however I would hate to see him in a role where he would be unattainable to women! So if you're looking for a very light page-turner, read this book, but I think a movie of this story would be better.

Rating:
Summary: Pretty Decent Read
Review: I must admit that I picked up this book several times and put it down. Partly because of schoolwork, but mostly because it was slow in the beginning. I think the authors developed the characters fairly well, but you didn't get to see them do a lot of stuff (if that makes sense). Most of the action took place in the last 50 pages of the book. Those pages were the page-turners for me. Otherwise, I was not overly impressed with the book. It is a good read if you don't have much else to read, but I found my attention being distracted too easily. I had to make myself sit down and get through the first 150 pages. The last 75-100 pages were the best and that's why I gave it three stars.

Rating:
Summary: A decent read, but I was unable to feel the characters
Review: I read this book in about three days. It was definitely a page turner and I didn't have trouble finishing it. However, I really must agree with the other readers regarding the depth of each of the main characters. For Manny, we do not get enough background information of his life in "the country" before he came to Gotham. Also, I felt like his relationship with his cousin was not fully developed at all and it ended abruptly and without any real feeling on Manny's part. Throughout the book you get an occasional mention of Manny's mother and how she tried so hard to be associated with the African-American elite only to be shut out.
As for Lauren, she was a likeable character, but again she lacked depth as well. The way she came across to the reader at the beginning of the book, and the way she ended up behaving at the end was like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. She didn't have any friends aside from Manny throughout the whole book and then at the very end she had a ton. Why wasn't it always like that anyway?
Tandy was a slime bucket but how did she get that way? The book starts off with her being a widow to a husband she couldn't stomach. And for a person that was involved in so many charitable contributions, she lacked soul, feelings and morals. Also, I wanted to know more about her relationship with her daughter and her deceased husband Phil.
Lastly, the character Ed was portrayed as this powerful black billionaire but then when his infidelities were exposed he was a sad, powerless puppy dog. Furthermore, I don't understand how he just completely left the relationship with Alyssia so easily when he was willing to buy her a 3 million dollar co-op in Manhattan. I don't know, I expected more because the book was co-authored. I figured two heads would be better than one. I was wrong. I do agree that it would probably make a better movie or series.

Rating:
Summary: Fabulous!
Review: Mc Crary Anthony and Jackson Lee have done well in this first joint attempt at writing a novel. Without a doubt the two women have entree into the elite world about which they write and their authenticity shines through on the pages. The story grabs you from beginning to end and spins an intricate web of deception that is like no other. My only problem with the book was that the ending was just a little too neat. As far as my own pesonal vision for a cast...Lauren could be plyed by Essence Atkins or even Halle Berry; Manny could be played by Taye Diggs; Tandy could be played by Lynn Whitfield, and Ed Thomas could be played by the man who was Shelby's father in The Wedding ( I can't remember his name right off). I would definitely recommend this book to everyone. The biggest plus is that, as another reader pointed out, the book is not about African-Americans who are on drugs, or living in the hood, or making their money in the entertainment business.

Rating:
Summary: By Golly It's Great
Review: This book did what it was supposed to do, entertain. As far as vocabulary choice, it would be foolish of them to create characters with ivy league educations and sub-standard vocabulary would've landed them in more trouble with these "critics". I just wanted to go on record as saying that i enjoyed the book and would recommend it and pass along in our book club as a must read. =)

Rating:
Summary: Talk to the hand
Review: This book is really bad! The book is laden with stereotypical characters who are shallow and predictable. The writing is painful. I am halfway through, and will not finish the book. It is so bad it had the opposite effect of lulling me to sleep...it kept me up instead. Tandy, Manny, Trenton and all other characters you deserved better authors.