Customer Reviews

Gingersnaps: A Novel

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(34)

 

 

Where's Mother Love? I need to go on "Forgive and Forget" and apologize to Terry McMillan. Just when I demonized her for her rough and hostile treatment of Black men in her novels, along comes an author that makes her look like an absolute angel. Gingersnaps is one of the most blatant attacks on Black-on-Black love relationships that I have ever read! It's clear the author of this book had an agenda besides telling a story, as there were absolutely no positive Black man/Black woman relationships featured in the book. The Black woman character who who expressed in interest in dating only Black men was presented as some sort of hostile, racist, borderline psychotic with lesbian tendancies. Everyone else presented had some serious personal and relationship issues, that, as the author brazenly shows, can only be solved by hooking up with anyone who is not of African descent. Did anyone else notice that the only character in the book presented as intelligent, mature, and grounded was a Black woman psychologist married to a White man (hmmm... I wonder what message is being sent there?). All of the Black on Black relationships in the book were dsyfunctional, and none of the book's characters exhibited any sort of mental and spiritual maturing you would normally like to see in a character as a story progresses. Even the talk show host never showed any signs of growth or maturity, even after a man was killed on the set of her show. Some of the other reviews I have read said this book should open Black women's minds up to as to their dating options (meaning date anything other than Black!) Well, this book doesn't subtly "open your mind up" to dating options, it blantantly blows it apart with a shotgun! If you want to date interracially, that's your biz, but don't dog your brothers and sisters because of it. Hey, if I'm overreacting, I'm sorry, but I'm a Black man and I'm a little sensitive to some to the mess presented in this book. Terry, I apologize! You weren't so bad after all!

Actually, it was atrocious. I don't think I need to say much, because most of the other reviews hit on everything that's bad about the book: too many characters, only two of which are paid enough attention to; making Black women into caricatures to drive home the author's point of finding happiness in a relationship with someone of another race; using outlandish adjectives to describe the most common things, just to name a few. And what was with the author's obsession with Jews? All of the characters were unrealistic. Aletha is the only one I can buy, because she was a celebrity, so I could see her being that self-absorbed and expecting things to always go her way. But Desiree is just so PERFECT! Just because she's a psychologist, and married to a Jewish man? Get real! Marrying outside of your race does not guarantee marital bliss anymore than marrying someone of the same race does. I was pretty interested in Veronica's story, but the author left us hanging. Debra was absolutely ridiculous, and I can't tell if Tyson was implying that her negative experiences with Black men had driven her to lesbianism, or if she was just in such denial that she kept dating men even though she really liked women. Either way, that character looked like a total idiot, and Tyson did a bang-up job of offending lesbians, Black men, and Black women in one fell swoop. Janeen and Louise were both pretty minimal characters, and just plain stupid. Too stupid for me to even waste time writing about.

Here's what I got out of reading Gingersnaps: psychologists, Jewish MEN, and people in interracial relationships have got their stuff together. The rest of us, particularly Black women who want to be in relationships with Black men, are just crazy.

I really, really wish I read the reviews from here before I purchased this book. I couldn't even finish reading it, I thought I was going out of my mind with confusion and boredom. I thought the dialogue was too long,too pointless, with too many vague flashbacks. I felt the novel was more of the writers personal views on matters being voice through her characters than it was actually a "story". The characters were not well developed at all, and they were unrealistic to me. It's sad to think that forty year old women would act as childish and immature as she presented her characters to be. You'd think at that age a woman would be more mature and grounded. I'm sorry, maybe her next efforts will be better.

I don't think so. The woman portrayed here are down right scary. I couldn't believe the stereotype of an angry black woman was perpertrated in this book.This was a sad commentary on what this author thought that successful black woman are. The only character that I liked was Desiree and her husband. And she had issues as well but not to the extinct that her sister Aletha did. Aletha went into her boyfriends home with a key that he did not no that she had and shot him because he was in bed with a white woman. And I quote as she shoots him "Nigger I own you". What kind of mess is that. Granted she had a right to be upset but this was just to much. Then the main characters brother decides that he is gay and leaves his wife for another man. Now if anyone she be upset it should be her. Veronica is mad at her baby's daddy because he runs off to Switzerland but comes back to see his baby to make sure that the child is his. Veronica had a right to be angry. The boyfriend decides he is going to go back to Switzerland and only date the swiss woman because they are so gentle. Bull....This story was just to much junk. The straight black men only wanted white women. There were to many characters to keep the story straight. I read the other reviews so I had to read this story. Just downright SCARY, SCARY, SCARY...

I was recently given a copy of Gingersnaps and stayed up all night reading it. It was hilarious and thought provoking. The story is about a group of powerful women who are all linked together by a talkshow host. The message of the story, as I see it, is that women should try to avoid taking the power of their professions into the bedroom with their mates.

Gingersnaps, by Delorys Welch-Tyson is a novel of six, connected, humorous, short stories linked together, each one called a "Snap". The novel shows the various ways women make mistakes in their quest to find a suitable mate. I enjoyed the portrayals of haughty, fabulous and successful African American New York City women, and how they came to be who they are. There are also many compelling issues discussed in this novel, some which may be disturbing, yet thought provoking. I enjoyed this novel tremendously. It was a usique approach to the popular African-American, 'how to land a brutha' folktales. I'm looking forward to Welch-Tysons other works.

The high drama of the six swaggeringly successful divas kept me laughing throughout the story. The family Christmas party was truly inspired. The men were fully developed characters (I wish I could meet any one of those guys. Who are they? Where are they?) as were the women. New York City seems like a very challeging place to live and find love. I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in trying to learn to communicate better with the opposite sex.

Amazing how a second read can change one's original opinion. The first time I read it I thought the author was insulting and condescending to black women. Just a lot of malarkey. Then I read it again, and realized that it was satire, and had some terrific dialogue and interactions between the characters. I began to wish I knew people myself who I could have those types of constructive dialogues with. The relationship between the two sisters was enlightening and fun.
Gingersnaps is deceptive and I definitely recommend to anyone who has read it, to give it a second read. You might be surprised!

I really enjoyed reading this book. It was fun, very readable, with some great dialogue. The story keeps moving, things keep happening, and every character's thoughts and intentions are clear. It was fun, and I was looking for a sequel from this author. Delorys, where are you?? I hope you didn't let these naysaying reviewers stop you from picking up the story where it left off!

We should remember that this is FICTION and not take it so personally. As an African-American woman, I have known variations on all those characters and their friends. But this is true of just about any fiction -- it's a story.

Enjoyed reading this fun one.

This is one of the worst books I've read recently. The characters are so one dimensional and offensive, I don't see how the author could stand them long enough to write the book. Only Althea and Desiree have some basis in reality, although Althea is little too selfish and Desiree is a little too perfect. Don't waste your money on this book!