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Summary: Get this Book!!
Review: It's 2:34 am and I just finished reading this book. I had to let ya'll know what a wonderful book this is. 'What You Owe Me' tackles many issues (betrayl, family issues, male-female relationship problems, race, etc.) without being overwhelming. I had the good fortune to meet Mrs. Campbell a few weeks ago in Louisville, KY. She's a very down to earth person. During her talk, she stated that she had reparations for slavery in mind while writing this book. At the end of this book, you will too.
Rating: 
Summary: Great literary effort!
Review: Mz. Campbell has finally found her voice with this novel. Though I enjoyed all of her works, she seemed to struggle to find exactly what she meant to say. In her latest effort, she surely shines. I loved this book because of the complexity of the story. Yes, it was a long read, but it was worth every bit of it. If you what to read a unique story about African Americans, you should read this one. I appreciate the lack of stereotypes and usual black-folk drama. This is a distinctive story that is not often heard. It's refreshing to her a story about our varied culture. Thanks Bebe for this wonderful tale.
Rating: 
Summary: tries to take on too much
Review: Stylistically, this novel suffers from a plot that Ms. Campbell isn't adept enough to adequately develop. Rare moments of enlightmentment are ruined by so many cliches. The focus on money, money, MONEY grows tired after the first hundred pages or so. She tries too hard to hit her audience over the head with the "buppie" mentality. Don't get me wrong, this is not a "trash" read, but it could have been much more. Instead, we get a lot of pop-culture banality and money-worship forced down our throats.
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Summary: Revenge never looked so sweet
Review: "What you owe me" tells a story of two women who faced American racism of black and white races both hidden and very open. Hosanna Clark tries to help newcomer Gilda get over her shattered past and blossom into the creative women she is. But what Hosanna didn't realize that under the shattered body lives a savy businesswoman who badly wants to break free from the controlling men in her life. During my time reading this book, I rooted for Hosanna's family because they have been swindled and robbed twice in their family history. Once by rich land barons in Texas and then Gilda taking Hosanna share of their lotion profits and disappearing. I believe it was Hosanna's wish that her daughter, Matriece to bring back honor to the Clark family name and get payback from Gilda.
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Summary: Kudos for going outside of the box!
Review: WHAT YOU OWE ME is definitely one of those books that causes me to have mixed feelings. On one level, I am floored by Ms. Campbell's continued efforts to challenge herself as an author by exploring new and innovative ways to stretch the limits of a genre that has at times become binding and restrictive. With this book, she has truly gone outside of the box that many African American writers have willing placed themselves in with their sister/friend, my man "done" left me, playa' hater books. We enter into the world of WHAT YOU OWE ME by hearing the words of the deceased who clearly still have as much of a voice as they ever did when they were alive. Of course Hosanna's voice rings out loudest of all, but there are also the voices of Gilda Rosenstein's ancestors pushing and tormenting her as well. Yet, in spite of this very creative way of challenging the reader to acknowledge that we are moved by more than just our own drive and determination but also by the drive and determination of those who lived before us, I found a number of things problematic about this book. As many have stated, the sub-plots, although interesting, were too much. I found myself feeling robbed of the stories of people that I would have liked to have known more about. All of the secondary stories were important, timely stories that demanded attention, and I'm afraid they were unfortunately relegated to the back burner. There were issues of father/daughter relationships, teen drug abuse, race relations, the price of fame, and the list goes on and on. In and of themselves, these issues could constitute a book, but when the writer allows these secondary issues to become just enough of the books storyline to pique the readers interest he/she is almost obligated to bring the reader to a satisfying conclusion on these stories. That did not happen in this book. As a result of all of these mini-plots, the main plot tended to get rushed through. A number of important scenes that needed to be fleshed out more, like the relationship between Gilda and Hosanna or even the childhood of Matriece and her sister, were, at best, given a hasty glossing over that left the reader only somewhat "getting" why various characters behaved and reacted to situations in certain ways. Yet, with all of that aside, Bebe Moore Campbell was still able to hold most of this story together in a book that will at the very least introduce readers and fledgling writer wannabes with an example that writers, particularly African American writers, are quite capable of writing outside of the box.
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Summary: What We Owe Her
Review: Bebe Moore Campbell has a gift for writing to the heart: the heart of the times, the heart of racism and human relationships and economics, and the heart of the reader. When I read YOUR BLUES AIN'T LIKE MINE, I felt that she was writing about my life. In BROTHERS AND SISTERS, I was embarrassed to learn much about my own racism, privately and in my own home thank goodness; the feelings evoked were almost shocking to me. In WHAT YOU OWE ME, she has painted a portrait of post-WWII LA which is fascinating in and of itself. She has peopled it with characters of talent, grief, determination, greed, disappointment, betrayal, success, love, passion, and redemption. Through three generations of African-American, Latino, Jewish, and Anglo families, she makes us face the issues which confront this diverse town and this nation today. Here's the good news: she does all of this in an appealing page-turner that is difficult to put down. Her handling of the issues between generations and the resolution of conflicts between parents and adult children is haunting. Fatherlessness is the #1 problem facing this country today. Hear me: all fathers need to read this book. And one more thing, she is a genius in talking about money issues in a way that we can all understand. It's one of those books that you curse for making you stay up to finish it. READ THIS BOOK. GIVE IT TO YOUR FAMILY TO READ.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent! Excellent! Excellent!
Review: Bebe Moore Campbell has never been a disapointment and with this new book, she still isn't. I read this book in 3 days because I just couldn't put it down. Campbell draws you into the world of her characters and all of them seem so personal and close. This is a definite must buy. Must read!
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Summary: It's About Time!
Review: I have been waiting for the next engrossing novel of Ms. Campbell! This one was well worth the wait. I am not one for revenge, but in this case Hosanna deserved it and I was glad that it turned out positive for everyone. Hosanna seemed to enrich all the lives she touched and she ws able to do that from her resting place.
There were a lot of parallels between Asia and Matriece and it was nice to see their similarities come together full circle. I thought Ms. Campbell envolved each character and we got a chance to meet and learn each one. I thought the most interesting characters were Sam and Mooney. They just seemed to be my favorites. Why? They both had redeeming spirits and had achieved more than just monetary wealth. I think Hosanna was there to help them in her own little way.
Matriece didn't really redeem her mother but healed herself by her own actions. She and Vonette has healing to do and they both seemed to have done it on their own, Hosanna was just their guiding lights.
I felt sorry for most of the caucasian people in this novel because none of them seem to have much luck, but they all seemed to have gotten what they deserved. They all had tragedy in their lives, but they survived, just like everyone else. Overall, this was a very well written novel that had some turns and twists that made the story more interesting. There wasn't a lot of scandal, but some genuine emotions. It was touching and real. This was well worth the wait, thanks Ms. Campbell.
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Summary: A very interesting read
Review: Please, don't let the size of this book stop you from picking up a truly good story. A story with several messages. This is not a fast read, but a quick read, because once you get into the book, you are gonna want to know what happens next, so you just keep on reading and before you know it, you are finished. Even from the grave, Matriece Clark hears her mother telling her to "right the wrong". The wrong is the preception that Hosanna has that Gilda her ex-partner cheated her years ago. Matriece has heard this from her mother for so long that she believes it to be her duty and spends her career following her mother's command. Following it so closely she does not have a life of her own. Hosanna and Gilda meet while working as maids at the Braddock Hotel. Gilda from a concentration camp and Hosanna displaced from Texas. They embark on a cosmetic company. One day, Gilda and the money are missing. Then revenge becomes Hosanna mission. She tries to continue on without Gilda, but for a black woman in the 1940's, this is almost impossible. On the other hand, Gilda has become very sucessful. So the story goes on of how Matriece gets into Gilda's company with the intention of taking over the new Brown Sugar line. What Matriece did not count on was actually liking Gilda, and forming a relationship with her. Much of the theme with the many characters had to do with seeking resititutions and revenge. From the children to the adults, they all had debts or precieved debts to pay. There were many interesting characters that made the reading of this novel enjoyable. Vonetta, Matriece sister who had no interest in her mother's company, but sought happiness with her family. Uncle Tooney who became the first black fire chief and had a life long dream of getting the family land back. Sam and his daughter Asia, Blair and her family, Gilda and her family, and Kent and his family. All these characters and they all came together at the end. If you are looking for a good family saga, that expands the generations. I would recommend this one to you.
Rating:
Summary: Good read
Review: I have been anticipating this novel for a while now, and I had exptectations of it turned out different than I thought.For one thing, the reader is lead to believe that Gilda ran off with the money when in essence, that was not entirely the case. I had major beef with that. Other than that, I really enjoyed reading this. It is really sad that two ladies who were so compatible and so good were torn apart solely by prejudice. I can only imagine what those two would have done for the world together. I also applaud Uncle Tuney for not giving up on the fight for his land in Texas. Despite the discouragement, despite the times, he never gave up. Hosanna didn't either, but she let grudges hold her back. What a smart woman. Only thing, I had a problem with is that she let Gilda be the only one to sign on any financial transactions, which caused her own undoing. Also, if I had gotten that check, i would have taken it to the bank and tried to cash it. then also, why didn't she approach Gilda later on?? Oh, the possibilities! This is one book that I would recommend to others. Even though a wrong happened here, it still gets right. Way to go Bebe!
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