Customer Reviews

A Gangster's Girl

5 star:		(35)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(16)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Today's street fiction typically chronicles the world of men who are pimps, gangsters, hustlers, drug dealers and guys who have become products of their environments. When Sister Souljah wrote The Coldest Winter Ever, who knew the female perspective would be just as interesting, if not more so? With A Gangster's Girl, debut novelist Chunichi has picked up the urban fiction torch and penned a fast-paced tale about a dope dealer's girlfriend.

Meet Ceazia (pronounced C-Asia) Devereaux. She's not your typical around the way girl. In fact, she comes from a middle-upper class family and she's not new when it comes to brand name clothes, shoes and cars or expensive furs and jewelry. But once she moves out of her parents' home and her dad cuts off the money, her "I-gotta-get-mine" attitude surfaces real quick. After all, she has a reputation to uphold. With the help of a guy named Cash, Ceazia and her friend Meikell (Mickie) decide to make some extra money as escorts. Though Ceazia is completely disgusted by her first escort encounter, the female hustle is "on and popping." That is, until she meets Vegas. Much like the popular city, he's attractive, has loads of money and prestige in the streets.

Just as fast as they meet, she becomes his girl and gives up the escort business. The lovebirds soon start living together and make plans to buy a house. While Ceazia has met her prince in shining Versace and Timberlands, her friends are having some issues. Tionna is betrayed by someone close to her and she is forced to take an AIDS test. Carmin shares a secret that may jeopardize their friendship forever. Meanwhile Mickie is doing more than escorting and has lowered her standards severely, all in the name of the almighty dollar.

When Vegas goes to jail, his relationship with Ceazia is truly tested. Will she stand by her man and be that "ride or die" chick? Better yet, will Vegas be down for his girl when all is said and done?

After a dose of deception and a series of discoveries, Ceazia has a decision to make. How she handles it makes for a shocking ending.

A Gangster's Girl is an entertaining story with realistic action from beginning to end. However, it is not without flaws. While the novel moved quickly, almost too fast at times, character development was sacrificed. Some of the characters were one-dimensional and were part of the story simply because of the drama they brought to the plot. Despite this shortcoming, Chunichi has put herself on the street fiction map. I look forward to her sophomore effort.

Urban fiction at its best is how I would characterize A Gangster's Girl. First time Chunichi has captured the life of a gangster's girl with stunning accuracy. There is enough neck rolling, gum popping, latest fashion wearing, and name-dropping to keep the surface reader entertained while devising a nicely written novel for the more in-depth reader. I imagined the balance was difficult to maintain, but Chunichi has pulled it off.

Vegas is an eighteen-year-old street hustler on the cusp of running things in the hood Ceazia (pronounced C-Asia) is into the life of fancy cars, fine clothes, expensive wining and dining and thugs that can afford her the lifestyle to which she feels she is entitled. The two meet and she is immediately captivated by his raw but alluring demeanor. She decides to see what he's about. After spending the night in a hotel with Vegas, discovering a pocket full of money and an ID revealing his true age, Ceazia still decides to pursue a relationship with him. She is living the life of her dreams, which sadly is dictated by money and the ghetto power it brings. Her friends even begin to exhibit jealous behavior toward her because she's come up while they remain hustlers who try to out hustle the game before getting hustled. One friend in particular Meikell, is a worrisome thorn that provides interesting dynamics in the story.

Life couldn't be going any better for Vegas and Ceazia until the tables turn. Living by the code of the streets means always keeping watch on the back door and not becoming complacent with being on top of the heap. While Vegas made sure that his girl wanted for nothing and she likewise hooked him up, comfort bred laziness to the rules of the game. While the relationship remained strong for years, the unfretted arm of the law worked its hand in and snatched Vegas away. This was the beginning of the end. It's interesting to see just how quickly one can ascend and fall.

A Gangster's Girl was too short for my reading taste, however the story was complete with no stone unturned. Although not my usual genre, I thought the writing was well done, and the story wonderfully told. Great job Urban Books. I think this book truly characterizes your focus on the drama and grit of inner city life while featuring edgy and exciting new voices-writers who tell it like it is. I look forward to reading more from Chunichi.

I have to admit. From the beginning of the book it didnt catch my attention as fast as other books have, but once I got into it, i could not put it down. I finished into in 2 days. It is a great read. I cant w8 until Chunichi writes the sequel to it, "Married To The Game". Im sure tha will be just as good.

A Gangster's Girl had me locked. If you have something to do, don't pick up this book because you will not put it down.

I was taken by Vegas and his way to twist ole girls mind with little to no effort. The story in and of itself was real. It depicted MOST women at some point in their lives; who wanted to deal with a bad boy but didn't have the nerve or wasn't willing to put their lives on the line for a thug lover. Another thing that I liked that Chunichi pointed out is that women who we think are our friends aren't. It's proven everyday that the only woman you can trust is your's truly.

Chunichi did an awesome job at relaying the following message......ain't no vine worth the time, literally!

peace,
Stephanie A. F. Johnson
Author, She's Got Issues

THE BOOK WAS OKAY I REALLY THINK IT COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER JUST WHEN THE STORY WAS STARTING TO GET GOOD IT WAS OVER I DONT LIKE THE END WHAT COULD PART TO BE ABOUT? I'M CONFUSED SHE GOT RID OF HER MAN SO WHAT NOW DONT TELL ME SHE WILL FALL IN LOVE WITH ANOTHER GANGSTER THIS BOOK WAS ALL OVER THE PLACE I MEAN COME ON IT WASNT THAT SERIOUS YOU FIGHT TO GET OUT OF JAIL THEN GOING TO HAVE TO TURN AROUND AND GO RIGHT BACK WHATEVER I WOULDNT RECOMMEND THIS BOOK TO ANYONE BUT I'M NOT GOING TO GIVE UP ON CHUNICHI I WILL READ ANOTHER ONE OF HER BOOKS.

This book was sooo great!. i didnt know what the book was really going to be about but i read this book in three Days and i really loved it. This book was eye catching and very interesting from the first page that i started to read all the way to the last page. It had a lot od drama and action in it. I Really didnt want the book to end the way that it did but the book still was great. Anyone thats going to read this book has got to read the continuation to this book called Married to the Game. I strongly Reccomend both book!!!

Chunichi, this book was so good. Sad to say, but it reminds me of everyday life from where I'm from. But, you did a good job. I couldn't sit this book down. I was at work reading this book at my desk because I was so interested in what would happen next. Then, after I finished the book in a day in a half, I hopped on the train to get Married to the Game and I must say both of these books are a must read. I loved them both...Looking for more books by you. Keep it coming babe!

I RECEIVED THIS BOOK IN THE MAIL, AND I READ THIS BOOK IN ABOUT 5 HOURS, THIS BOOK WAS AWESOME, AND THE MAIN CHARACTER C, HAD THE LIFE THAT SOME OF US FEMALES DREAM OF, AND A MAN THAT CAN PUT I DOWN, AND WINE AND DINE YOU. BUT, MR VEGAS JUST COULD NOT CONTROL THE STICK IN HIS PANTS, SO SOMETIME LIKE HE SAID TO C, YOU HAVE TO KEEP YOUR ENEMIES CLOSE, SO IN THE END REVENGE IS A MUTHA, IF YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN. I CANT WAIT UNTIL THE NEXT BOOK, "MARRIED TO THE GAME", TIME WILL TELL, BECAUSE THE SECOND BOOK STARTS OFF WHERE THIS ONE LEAVES YOU HANGING.

This was a good book with a great plot. Ceazia is a major thug lover. She loves her man, she's down for whatever, and she ain't even messed up about doing the time with him. But, being that "all men are dogs" when circumstances prevents her from feeding Vegas what a man thinks he has to have all the time, here comes trouble. It's a thin line between love and hate, and we all know that a bullet don't have a name on it. 'A Gangster's Girl' captures your attention with the content, but it needs a little more work as far as development of the characters and their stories. It's a pretty good read, and I'm sure she'll do better with the next one.

This book took me waaay back. I am 27 y.o., grew up in a nice neighborhood, and I'm very intelligent, mature and successful. I don't feel that this book was simply suitable for high school, ghetto, simple- minded people, as read in a few of the reviews. The story line was definitely exciting and in many ways very real. Now, there were a few things that seemed to be a bit exaggerated, but hey that's the art of embellishment in literature. I was a little disappointed with the ending, (not that it was bad because I could definitely feel C's pain) but more so because I didn't want it to end. I think she should have kept her composure and done something else so that the story could have continued. I bought it yesterday at 11:30am and finished before 7pm. I just couldn't put it down. My book contained an excerpt of chapters 1 & 2 from Married to the game and I must say that I am now a HUGE Chunichi fan and cannot wait for the sequel to be released so that I can see how Ceazia turns out!!