Customer Reviews

Bittersweet

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Freddie Lee Johnson's debut novel "Bittersweet" is an excellent read. I could not put it down....a definite page turner.

We meet three brother's Clifford, Victor, & Nathan who are bound together not only by blood but by their need for each other.

Clifford seems to have everything.....2 beautiful children, a great job and a wonderful wife. Little does he know that his wife is about to drop a bombshell on him. This little bit of information definitely throws him for a loop.

Victor on the other hand is a divorced father of one. His ex-wife is determined to keep him from seeing his daughter...stopping at nothing. He is trying to keep his head on straight for the sake of his daughter and the fact that he is falling for a new lady in his life.

Nathan is a minister, but before he became a minister he had a secret that he decided to share with his wife. He is now the pilar of the community and thinks everything is going fine...until a memeber of his church who is thinking of divorce appoaches him.

Each man struggles with the different aspects of their lives all the while remaining true to one another. This is definitely a must read. I give it 4.5. stars and wish continued success & blessings to Freddie Lee Johnson III.

Cliff, Nathan, and Victor are three brothers who are battling their way through marital and/or female problems. Demetria, Cliff's wife of nine years, wants out - but Cliff wants another chance. He questions why Demetria is so hell-bent on divorcing him and breaking up their family structure - one that consists of their two adorable young sons, Braddie and Bear. When Demetria makes Cliff understand that she is hardly kidding, he's forced to seek new methods to handle what life is dealing him, and at times his sorrows cause him to turn to his brothers: Nathan, a pastor and family man who's caught inside his own web of frustrations, and Victor, AKA "Ice", a no-nonsense, tell-it-like-it-is, brother with a heartfelt appreciation for large breasted women.

Bittersweet is filled with much thought-provoking issues as it examines the challenges men face when they want to either (1) stay married, or (2) maintain custody of the children. Although some men may have noble intentions, their desires seem to be secondary to a system that doesn't favor participant dads. And there's plenty of educating going on in Bittersweet as Cliff, a man who wears his heart on his sleeve, tries to maneuver his way back into a relationship with a wife who fights his reconciliatory attempts every step of the way.

The laugh-out-loud, streetwise philosophies of Victor, however, are what make Bittersweet an entertainment smorgasbord. Victor, a fellow who never holds his tongue when it comes to voicing his opinion, is nurturing and protective of his baby brother Cliff and warns him to not continually gripe about his woes to other people because, "...half the suckas don't care about your problems, and the other half is glad you got `em."

Victor's voice is one of the strongest to emerge from fiction in recent years and may remind some of Franklin, the main male character in Terry McMillan's Disappearing Act. But don't despair. Writer Freddie Johnson isn't duplicating what's already been done, instead his success may lie in the fine way he brings a fresh voice to a literary arena that's thirsty for writing that can be streetwise, contemporary, compelling, and lyrical with lessons learned by the time the book comes to a close.

Bittersweet should be one of the most memorable and beloved reads of 2002 and is highly recommended.

BITTERSWEET is an entertaining read about the choices that shape the lives and relationships of three African American brothers. Nathan, the oldest, is a married minister, who finds practicing what he preaches a struggle when he's tempted by the affections of a beautiful parishioner. Victor, the middle child, is cynical about life and women in general. His cynicism is simply a mask he wears to protect his manhood while on the streets and his heart when dealing with the fairer sex. The youngest, Clifford, is simply an over-achiever. He soon finds the American dream of having a great home with a wife, two kids, and a dog, is not what it's made out to be when the wife he adores claims she doesn't love him and wants a divorce.

This story told by each brother in alternating chapters is unique and well developed. Johnson's writing is so crisp and fresh that this 372 page novel will go by in a flash. I believe what I enjoyed most about this story is that it depicted black men in times of trouble committed to the women in their lives and to keeping their families together at all cost. Author Freddie Lee Johnson, III tells this story with the kind of humor and thoughtfulness that makes him a welcome new voice to the genre of contemporary African American literature!

Thank you for crafting a novel that does not insults my intelligence and makes me want to keep turning the pages.

Thank you for taking the time to explore all your characters are about and aren't. Thank you for taking the craft of writing seriously and sharing it with the world. You have breathed new hope into the world of black fiction and that is an important and
powerful thing.

Peace,
Margaret Johnson-Hodge
author of Some Sunday

The Matthews brothers, Victor, Nathan, and Clifford stay on my mind, although I've finished the novel. I am still laughing at Victor, worried about Clifford, and a tad disgusted with Nathan. Bittersweet is a delectable novel that exposes the thoughts, pain, and weariness of a naïve man that lost control of his marriage and heart, an avarice man that battles thoughts of lust, and an angry man that is just fed up with it all, but extinguishes those negative flames by using his experiences to help another. Bittersweet reminds us that appearances are deceiving, family is paramount, life is not fair, and that everyone, even the deity, is human.

This fluid, plot driven novel kept me quickly flipping pages. Something was always occurring and grabbing my interest. I mostly enjoyed the multiple stimulating plots that were extremely exciting and realistic, along with the genuine characters and penchant subject matters.

The only thing that bothered me about the novel was that because it was plot driven, the characterization suffered slightly. I had a problem with most of the blue-collar characters speaking slang, and jagged English namely one of the brothers. It was very questionable. I was puzzled because Victor, Nathan, and Clifford, were born to the same parents, grew up in the same house, and their mother was an educator...yet, one of these boys chronically punctured the English language, like substituting "fambly" for family. Then I noticed that all the characters leading less than desirable lives or having blue-collar jobs spoke incorrect grammar and over exhausted slang. Nevertheless, Johnson redeemed himself because this least plausible brother was the most knowledgeable, insightful, and compassionate.

Bittersweet is engaging and intense. The intermingling perils will entertain you, and elicit fluctuating emotions. I'm looking forward to a sequel, to check up on the Matthews brothers. These fellows are something else. Don't miss out....you want to check these brothers out.

This is the breath of fresh air I've been searching for. !!!Thank You Freddie Lee !!! This author has found what's been missing in recent litarature,that is, DECENCY. Freddie basically shows that a GOOD BOOK does not necessarily have to obtain PROFANITY for every other word or two to get a message across. This is a very WARM book. The relationship between the mother and her sons is touching. Each character lead there own life but are there for each other when needed. For those that like humor in their reading you would love the older brother who is truly HILARIOUS!! For every ADAMANT reader of all races this is a book that most definitely has to be apart of your collection. SKIP the library you have to purchase this one.

I have to be honest and say that I wasn't very interested in reading this book to begin with. I thought that it was going to be another "Waiting to Exhale," for men, while I was waiting to inhale some good literature. Then it was coming recommended from someone who I didn't think would really know and understand my tastes. But what can I say, this book was pretty darn good. I really felt that Johnson gave a shimmering view of the male perspective. He showed that they, like sistahs, hurt and can feel things that people may or may not recognize. He showed their ambivalence at times as well. For example, my favorite character was Victor. I thought that Victor was funny, caring, and loved even when he wasn't thinking that he was loving. Nathan- well I did get tired of some of his rhetoric and he is the reason that I have the book a four, because I thought that Brenda was portrayed a little inaccurately- a little stupid to be candid. But Johnson did well showing Nathan's "humanness" and his struggle. Then there was Clifford, who I wanted to smack and hug all a the same time. The Mom-well she was okay, but I really think she could have been omitted and the story would have worked minus all the sentimentality. The ending-sappy but okay. Overall, the book gave me new hope for contemporary African American fiction.

I really did enjoy this book. The brothers were close, and in the end I believe the brothers really understood the true meaning of "I am my brothers keeper". Why did I enjoy it?
Because it is so real to life, and you never know what curve balls life may throw your way, so it's best to be prepared if at all possible. Nathan is lucky he got his family back, Victor realized that ALL woman aren't meant to be toyed with and poor Clifford, out of all 3 brothers, he suffered to most because he had a problem of letting go and that is his marriage... My heart really went out to him when he went back to his house and beat up the ex-wife boyfriend because he attatcked Cliffords' children. Now, he could have killed that man, thank god his mother and brothers were there help him. Divorce is not funny, it is very serious, especially when children are involved. All in all, this was a GREAT book with characters so real it is a bit frightening...

I felt that Mr Johnson did an excellent job with this book! I really enjoyed it! The characters were very well developed. He also explained the feelings of each brother in a way that made them very real. The interactions between them and the women in their lives were written so well that I felt I was actually
there with them! One could really relate to the situations and understand what was going on.
By the end of the book I felt as though I really knew all the folks in it!

"Bittersweet" dealt with issues that can help or break a marriage. Mostly divorce was done more than once in this book to each of the brothers. You have three completely different brothers. One was street smart(Victor),one was book smart(Clifford), and one was religious(Nathan). Now, I don't know about you, but that Demetria was a skeezer from the word GO. How could Nathan and his mother not see that from Day One?? Victor had her number from day one, yet he let things be for the sake of peace. Then, when ol' girl wants to leave, she wants to take ol'Clifford to the cleaners. Now, that wasn't fair at all. She wanted to leave, handle your own business. This foolishness about "love,excitement, and all that" was a bunch of crock, But thank God for Victor and Al to help him on the road. Now Nathan had real good intentions, but he wasn't prepared for Beverly, and she just wanted someone to make her feel good, and at a great expense. Brenda was the salt of the earth, and I am glad she asserted herself though I wondered if she went too far with her demands on Nathan. Then you have Victor. I understood bro' from the get go. No, I am not down for playas', but I understood why he got there. At first I was not feeling him, but as time went on, he redeemed himself with me. I can say that he was a true family man, and he loved his child, and it was pure cruelty what Lynette did(and what's with "Your Judge-ness"? Girl must had slept her way through school) But this was a good one. It kept you laughing, on your toes, and I heartily give it the stars it gets. Look forward to your other work Mr.Johnson.