Customer Reviews

The Harris Family : A Novel

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

R.M. Johnson has written a sequel that will keep readers riveted to their seats wondering what will happen next. Beginning five years from where the first book left off, we are reintroduced to Julius Harris and the sons he abandoned during their childhood: Austin, Marcus, and Caleb.

Julius' cancer has gone into remission and he feels like he has a new lease on life; especially since his youngest son Caleb is being released from prison and coming to stay with him. The only problem is that Julius promised to look after Caleb's woman and child. Unfortunately, the woman had other plans and moved on with her life. Caleb is heartbroken and determined to find them. Ultimately, he finds them shacking up with a violent drug dealer.

Marcus is now married and expecting his first child. He has decided to cut his brothers out of his life: Caleb for refusing his attempted prison visits and Austin for seemingly neglecting his children. However, Marcus' wife is not having it and insists that he does the right thing.

Austin is separated from his wife and in the middle of ugly games involving his visitation with the children. He is mad because his wife allows them to spend more quality time with his brother Marcus than with him. Accusations and fists start flying and one wonders if there will ever be a resolution.

Well, the book finally does bring closure to the family issues when Julius' cancer returns tenfold and the three sons must decide whether to forgive him or not. The scenes in this book between father and son, brother and brother, and husband and wife are so overwhelming that it brought me to tears. This is definitely one of my favorites of the year and I highly recommend it.

With The Harris Family, R.M. Johnson has become one of my favorite authors. I enjoyed The Harris Men and now with its sequel, it's better than the first. R.M. does an excellent job on character development which allows you to get into the psyche of each brother to a certain extent. For me, the writing was very heartfelt with each trial that was faced within The Harris Family. Talk about what an ending; I was so happy for Marcus at the end. Forgiveness is key. This is an OUTSTANDING novel-nuff said.

The Harris Family is a satisfying conclusion to the excellent story that began in The Harris Men. Five years have passed since the first book ended and all of the family members are back with a new set of issues to deal with. I think RM Johnson's story telling is absolutely amazing and this is sure to be a hit with all of the people who loved The Harris Men. I found that I could not put this book down once I started it because I just enjoyed this book so much. I also appreciated how RM Johnson was clever enough to give you flashbacks from the first story because that helped me to remember some of the details that I had forgotten about. A lot of the scenes were really touching, especially some of the scenes involving Marcus. Buy this book and enjoy!

R M Johnson's novel The Harris Men left you wanting to know what happened to the family in the end. The Harris Family answers those questions. The novel is great!! It picks up from where his previous novel ended and was a real page turner. I found it was very deep and felt it contained a lot of emotion as well as surprises. It brought closure to the Harris Men and is highly recommended. If you have not read the Harris Men be sure to check that one out and then endulge in this fine sequel!

After reading "The Harris Men", I loved it soooo much that I had my girlfriends read it. They too fell in love with it. Then, R.M. Johnson went and did it again. If you don't read "The Harris Men" first, (although you should), this author is so creative with his writing, that you will still understand what is going on in this book, because he takes you back and refreshes your memory, without actually going over the first book all over again. One could tell that this sequel was well thought out. Although Mr. Johnson gave you an ending to "The Harris Men", if you felt you still had questions, trust me on this one, this book will definitely answer them for you! Mr. Johnson keeps you on edge and wanting to know more until you just won't be able to put this book down. This book was off the hook!!!

I bought one RM Johnson book, and I've been hooked ever since. Every single one of his stories has great characterization, a smooth plot, and adult scenes without being vulgar and drawn out. I wish every fiction writer would master this craft! Anyway, this book is about three brothers, one an ex-con with a big heart and a hard head, one who would make a mule jealous because he is so stubborn about EVERYTHING including accepting his not-so-dead-beat-anymore Dad, and the third just can't make up his mind what he wants his future to be like--he wants a relationship, then he doesn't, he wants to have his kids around, then he doesn't want kids anymore. They're all trying to reach growing up goals but have a habit of being SUPER immature at times. Marcus reminds me a lot of me so it was funny watching him cause he was dead wrong most of the time.

This is one of the best books that I have read. I enjoyed each one of the Harris men.

This is one of the best sequel's that I have ever read.

The book picks up five years later with the lives of Julius, Austin, Marcus, and Caleb. All of Julius' sons are angry that he had deserted the family 25 years earlier. Mr. Johnson allows us to get a glimpse of what can happen if you do not forgive those that have done you wrong.

This is one of the best books that I have read.

The women characters in this book got on my nerves. The step mother was alright. But the middle brother's wife was so nosey, I just wanted to yell into the book, "Get A Life". The oldest brother's wife, Tracy, well, she was just a plain 'ol B. Some of the sub-plots were cliched and predictable. How did I know ahead of time that the little girl was going to get hit by a car and bring the parents back together? How did I know that when the youngest son stopped that kid from robbing the store, not only was he going to get the job working at the store, but he was going to "adopt" the kid as well. Conviniently, the same kid works for and is murdered by the estranged wife's new man. You could see the tired story lines from a mile away. The first book, the Harris Brothers, (or maybe it was called Harris Men) was much better.

Then you've found it!! Where "The Harris Men" was also a good book, this sequel definitely surpassed it. I really felt that this novel gave me a better "feel" for the characters. And the drama...at every turn. There was really never a dull moment in this book. Austin, the oldest brother who I really disliked in "The Harris Men," even redeemed himself in this book. In the first book, he comes across as selfish, pompous and self-centered. This novel humanizes him to a degree where the reader can, if not forgive, then at least understand his transgressions.

Caleb really develops in this novel also. He becomes more than the younger brother who constantly makes bad decisions and stays in trouble. He becomes more human also, as he sees himself in another troubled youngster whom he befriends; and he has discovered that there is more to fatherhood than putting food on the table.

Marcus, who was the one likeable character in the earlier novel, develops some qualities that are less than redeeming. He has chosen to disown his family--estranged father Julius for abandoning them in the first place; Austin, who in Marcus's eyes is the mirror image of their father; and Caleb, who despite all of Marcus's best efforts, managed to get himself jailed for 5 years anyway. It is up to Reecie, now Marcus's new wife who is pregnant with their first child, to restore Marcus to the caring and family-oriented man that he once was.

Julius is still the father who wants nothing more than forgiveness from his sons...so that he may die knowing that they love and forgive him.

Ultimately, this novel is about love, family, and forgiveness....all wrapped up in a package filled with drama that will keep you turning until the very last page. It doesn't get much better than this!!

i would like to say that the harris family was a good sequel to the harris men. i just love the diverse lives of caleb, marcus and austin. they each have interesting lives but maintain the true value of family, something that america finds hard to do. austin is the brother that is a lawyer,has a family and suppose to be the perfect somebody until he and his wife divorce and all things go downhill for him, marcus is the brother that has issues how he sees things in life and is the one that tries to keep the family together until he finally marries and start a family and caleb is the younger brother that is the troubled one, in a out of jail but wants to finally do right until he runs in some trouble with his baby mamas boyfriend who is a drug dealer and a thug. this book has major twists and turns and will keep you on your toes. i really enjoyed this book and cant wait until the next novel by r.m johnson