Customer Reviews

I Say a Little Prayer: A Novel

5 star:		(36)
4 star:		(27)
3 star:		(22)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Chauncey Greer is the successful owner of Cute Boy Card Company in Atlanta. He was a member of a popular teen boy band Reunion but was kicked out after the manager found out the real reason for he and his bandmate D's late night hotel room visits. It is now twenty years later and Chauncey has put the past behind him and is still searching for true love. He turns his focus to his church where through his minister's message he finds a renewed interest in a musical career. After a soul stirring solo at church, Chauncey is invited to be the guest soloist at the church revival. He hits a sour note when he finds out anti-gay fundamentalist preacher Bishop Upchurch is planning to use the church revival as his conservative platform. The gay members of Chauncey's church are planning to boycott the revival and now he is at a crossroads. He has to decide weather to sing at the revival or stand up for what he thinks is right. To make matters worse, D shows up causing Chauncey to face his very painful past.


I Say A Little Prayer is an ambitious novel by E.Lynn Harris. Harris focused on a very explosive topic that no one in the black church wants to talk about: gays and lesbians in the church. I thought this topic was presented delicately and honestly in this story. I felt the emotion and conviction of Chauncey as he was trying to live his life and trying to do what God wants him to do. Readers will be moved by this story. Fans of this author's previous novels will be pleasantly surprised when two other characters Basil and Yancey make a brief appearance in this novel. But make no mistake, this is not another chapter into the lives of Basil and Raymond. This story is about Chauncey Greer. After reading this novel, I felt like E. Lynn Harris may be taking his writing into a delightful new direction. I Say A Little Prayer is a satisfying, heart wrenching story that doesn't disappoint.

Here was yet another grand reading written by E. Lynn Harris. When I began to read it, I was immediately hooked to the point that I seriously did not put it down until I had completed the entire book in one sitting. Of course I took small respites to eat, etc. but I did not, and could not, fall asleep until I had finished reading it to the end. I cannot wait for the next release.

Interesting subject... But the story had way too much going on, with half-developed characters. Really who cared who Chauncey slept with? I was more interested in the Skylar scenes, he was very funny and engaging, and more importantly he knew who he was. Seeing how E Lynn Harris, had such a big break, this was a not worth the wait. He alluded that some of the past characters (Basil and Yancey B) were still alive and thriving, why not focus a little more on them???

One thing in the book really pissed me off- The main character was puzzled that his co-worker, a highly educated woman was unable to tell the difference in a straight man and a [...] man. NEWSFLASH- men make it very difficult to find out this little tidbit, it is called being on the down low, and if you notice the majority of Chauncey's and Skylar's partners had women on the side, meaning that they were on the down low, yet women are supposed to be able to spot a down low man.. OH PLEASE

Why E Lynn Harris is an excellent writer, this was not one of his best works.

I have been a fan of E Lynn's book since the very first one. I was really excited to hear that he had a new one and rushed to get it after reading an excerpt online. I must say that I was extremely disappointed. As some others have said I not only found the book boring, but was irritated to see his old characters Basil and Yancy appear. I was really hoping that this book would introduce all new characters and would stay far away from the old characters. E Lynn's constant inclusion of the old characters makes me question his ability to come up with fresh characters. He has written 6 or 7 books and EVERY one of them has recurring characters. It got old after book 3, so to see them in book 7 was just ridiculous IMO.

The story overall lacked pizzazz IMO. It didn't stand out, nothing explosive happened and there was nothing making me want to continue reading it. I only did so because I didn't want to leave the book unfinished and I kept hoping that the exciting part was yet to come. Sadly, it wasn't.

I own every book E. Lynn has written but if his next one is no better, I think I'll stop my collection right where it is.

I have a confession to make: this is my first E. Lynn Harris book. My friend Willie has been nagging me for years to read Harris, but for one reason or another I'd resisted. Well, the good news is that "I Say a Little Prayer" is the perfect book for summer - easy to read, interesting characters and a compelling plot. Why ask for more?

Harris has created a novel which manages to combine questions of personal and religious ethics with elements of a mystery. Chauncey Greer is a single successful gay man living in Atlanta, the owner of a greeting card company. However, he is also a man with a past. As a young man Greer was betrayed and expelled from a chart-topping singing group when his homosexuality was discovered. In the present our hero is confronted by an ethical dilemma: his church is set to host a revival meeting headlined by a gay-bashing fundamentalist preacher, should he accept an invitation to perform as a guest soloist or boycott the event altogther?

Alright, this isn't great "literature." No one should hold their breath waiting for Masterpiece Theatre to film this anytime soon and, unfortunately, Harris fumbles the resolution, which seemed over the top and implausible with one twist too many. However, how the past and present collide, and a cast of well drawn and colorful characters, keep us turning the pages of this swiftly paced and wholly entertaining novel.

NOT one of his best novels! Now don't get me wrong, I like E. Lynn Harris books, but this is not one of my favorites. I waited a long time for this book to come out and had my mind on some drama from either Ava, Yancy, or Basil. No real drama here! Maybe next time............

Compared to his previous novels I expected a lot more from this one. This book was just okay and the plot really wasn't believable. I've noticed a definite change in his writing style with this novel. I hope he does better with his next novel

Chauncey Greer is a successful entrepeneur with an Atlanta-based greeting card company on the brink of really making it big. Handsome and well-established, Chauncey lacks lasting love in his life; on some level, he is still pining after the "one who got away." That "one" was a love from decades ago, when both were members of a fairly successful singing group. Chauncey has managed to keep that traumatic portion of his life separate from his present...until an impromptu solo at his church revives his love for singing. At his pastor's request and because of his love for his church, Chauncey is prepared to sing at a big church-led event....until he discovers that the guest of honor is a well-respected religious man full of rhetoric about the evils of homosexuality. Shockingly, the same man is that lost love of Chauncey's life, from decades ago. Now Chauncey finds himself being stalked by the man's wife, who fears that exposure of his checkered past will end his career. In addition, Chauncey fears for the future of his little church, if Pastor allows and encourages such a divisive human force to preach his message of hate......
In true E. Lynn fashion, this is a pageturner, and a story of love lost. It is the tale of a man who is seeking closure...and a story exposing the intolerance that exists in many of our modern-day African-American houses of worship. Sad to find that these places of refuge do not appear to be thus for many of our brothers and sisters.....a fabulous read.


DYB

Although a long time in coming, I Say a Little Prayer is another great novel by E. Lynn Harris. He definitely still has the magic touch when it comes to writing. This book explores the hot topic of gay acceptance and rights within the black church. I Say a Little Prayer will grab the reader with as much intensity as Harris' other stories. The main character, Chauncey Greer, is a multi-dimensional man with multi-dimensional problems. The conflict within him is just as strong, if not stronger, than the conflict within the church regarding the church's upcoming revival. Chauncey has some tough decisions to make and as the reader, you will be conflicted as to whether or not he is making the right choices. We even get cameo appearances from some of our beloved and not so beloved characters. I Say a Little Prayer is a great read. It will leave you wanting more of E. Lynn Harris.

After taking a couple of years off to work as a teacher at the University of Arkansas, E. Lynn Harris is back with I Say A Little Prayer. Harris is notorious for bringing back characters from his earlier works who have some vague connection to the main character in the corrent work and this novel is no different. We see appearances from Harris' earlier work Any Way the Wind Blows in the form of Yancey Braxton and John Basil Henderson. I know that this is something Harris usually does, because I've been a fan of his books for years, but I just can't get past how superfluous it is in this book. Yancey is in the book for a fleeting 2-3 pages and her appearance has no practical significance other than to leave us open for yet another sequel. Furthermore, the plot and narrator of this book are pious to the point of being preachy and the story is so flat it was really just a big yawn. I hope Harris can redeem himself in the future, but in this reader's opinion you should just pick up Invisible Life or Any Way the Wind Blows and wish Harris better luck next time.