Customer Reviews

All I Need to Get By

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

3.5 stars. :) This booked looked interesting and didn't seem like another typical "chicklet" book (a la bridget jones's diary). It took me a while to get into the story though. Although I can identify with Crita's (main character) background, there was something about her speech and attitude that wasn't jibing for me. The book picked up for me when the main character moved back home and interacted with her family. Still, there were many times when I didn't LIKE Crita. I think it was just frustrating to see how she had enabled her brother for sooooo many years. It was like, "alright already!" I loved the sister Hazel and might have enjoyed the story more from her perspective. All in all, I think Sophronia Scott's book was well done. What did it for me was the careful weaving of each family member's personality -- showing how they grew from childhood to adults and all the influences that made them who they are. It was very insightful. Looking forward to the next book.

How much do we owe our families -- and how much do we owe ourselves? These are the central questions at the core of the beautifully written All I Need To Get By. And after reading the book, it truly is striking to realize just how few contemporary novels recognize that most of us do feel that our families are more than merely a sum of its parts. These intangible links, so hard to break, form our characters and mould the way we interact with the world.

To discuss the premise is to be drawn into revealing the plot, so let me keep it simple: this is a book that will stay with you long after you close the book. The characters feel so real, it is as though they are friends of friends. Their struggles are not easily-solved, movie-of-the-week difficulties, but honest-to-goodness real-world Gordian knots: drug use, co-dependency, mortality, learned helplessness, deep-down rage, and fear. And yet, out of this morass of human struggle, Crita's dogged determination to make her little corner of the world better transforms this novel ultimately into an uplifting story.

In short, this is a novel well worth reading, on a topic that has long deserved serious consideration. Sophfronia Scott is an author well worth watching in the future.

All I Need To Get By follows Crita Carter and her struggles to overcome decisions she made in the past to enable her brother's drug addiction. Sophronia Scott handles issues such as addiction, family loyalty, and health crisis with sensitivity and compassion, but I thought the story was about one hundred pages too long and the main character, Crita was so imature that I wanted to back hand her. Most of the character portrayals were realistic (except Talane), but I didn't think they were hard enough on Linc. I loved Chandra and wished she had been more aggressive. As strong as the three sisters were, they shrank like little whimp girls when dealing with their brother, reverting to children at the mere mention of his name.
Scott is a talented writer and I look forward to future works. I'll probably check them out on audio though. The story took too long to make its point about Crita and Linc's situation. I was relieved when I turned the last page.

A great read. The author joined our book club to discuss the book and brought even further insight into her inspirations and how they influence her writing. She is an extraordinary woman whose warmth comes through in her writing and her storytelling. We had lively discussion concerning the characters she created and how they came into being as well as the themes of family throughout the novel.

If you can, invite Sophronia to your book club and share this book with its creator.

I was ready to read yet another African-American novel with the same formula - I need a man, I have a gay best friend. Thankfully 'All I need to get by' followed it's own formula. Yes we have a little bit of New York in this novel but the majority of it takes place in Ohio. Many authors forget that there is a whole population that doesn't reside in New York and L.A. Sophfronia Scott makes the Carter family a family we want to know. The conversations between mother daughter, sister brother, sister sister, father daughter, father son make you understand this family in a way that makes put off reading that last page. The flashbacks were well placed throughout the book. I absolutely loved this book and the way the author gave the story to us straight....no fluff here.

Mwabi
Mahogany Book Club
Lexington, KY

Many people consider "going home" to be looked forward to. For Crystal "Crita" Carter, it is something to be dreaded. Crita had left Lorain, Ohio, to become a successful tax accountant in Manhattan. She thought her past was behind her and to be ignored. Yet when news came of her father's illness, Crita felt duty-bound to return. Once home, Crita feels as though her life has been thrown into chaos.

Lincoln "Linc" is the brother Crita has always looked up to. (They share a bad secret.) But Linc's charms no longer sooth everything down as they once did. His behavior has worsened.

Demetrius "Tree" Templeton is a school teacher. He is also Crita's former lover. Tree has always been sturdy for her. Crita will need to lean on him again as she faces down her dark history.

**** Author Sophfronia Scott does a masterful job of bringing to life the characters in her novel "All I Need To Get By". I could easily care for and understand the characters that seemed so real to me. Here is a book that shows how strongly blood binds families together, even at the worst of times. Recommended. ****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

The story line is nice, but the book is too long. The main character dragged on about past events which made the book kinda boring. I found myself skipping paragraphs toward to end just to get to the end.

I really liked this book. It holds Love, and it has a good mystery to find out. This story really makes you think about your love life, and lets you know why you should not take drugs.

(...)

Within the first few pages of this read, you sense the authors geniune approach to weaving her story about real family STUFF... The journey was intentional aimed at maintaining the readers attention, however, it took toooooooooo long to get to where she was going. It's like that first Greyhound Bus ride, you're Xcited about the trip and can't wait to reach your destination! Yet after numerous stops and detours, you're too tired to Njoy once YOUR stop is finally announced... Such is the case once you turn the final page of this novel. I was drained...

Sometimes the cover of a book can make or break its entrance into the literary world. But Ms. Scott's first novel certainly catches the eye with its cover design. The lady in red looks as if there are many mysteries hidden behind her eyes.


Crita Carter is the consummate businesswoman living in Manhattan. Her independence is put at a standstill when she gets a phone call from her Mama saying that her daddy has taken ill. With Crita's encouragement, her mother can finally convince him to seek medical help. Unfortunately, instead of the recovery the family expected his situation worsens. After he develops pneumonia, Crita decides it time to go back home.

Awaiting Crita back home are two of the men from her past,
her brother Linc and her ex-boyfriend, Tree. How can she cope with all this-- her father's illness, and memories of betrayal. Linc, a drug abuser, has been estranged from the family for years.

All I Need to Get By is full of real family situations, laughter, and stories we can all identify with as we try to "get by" in our day to day activities. Sophfronia Scott is truly a gifted writer The story is definitely a page-turner. Get the box of tissues handy; this was really a heartwarming story

Readincolor Reviewers
Rosie