Customer Reviews

If This World Were Mine

5 star:		(57)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Years after graduation from Hampton University, this circle of friends keeps in touch through periodic meetings and journal writing. This is E. Lynn Harris' fourth novel so you know that at least one of the main characters is a gay man with a good heart. The infamous Basil Henderson appears in this story as well and adds twists to the lives of many. This time, though, E. Lynn sheds a little more light on Basil's background and you can, at least try, to understand why he behaves the way he does.

I liked this book because it is real about the friendships it portrays. Nearly 20 years after college, these characters are still fighting, loving and learning from each other. The familiarity of the families, college life and professional pursuits make this book very easy to read and relate to. For those who love his stories, this is a good one.

If This World Were Mine is crying for a sequel to tie up lots of loose threads.

Really a good book. It was a page turner, it's got dramma, love, friendship, all that stuff that makes a good book. I recomend it if you want a relaxed read.

I've read all of Mr. Harris' novels and I anxiously await his next release. I never thought that I would enjoy reading about the gay underworld and how it relates to the heterosexual community. Mr. Harris' novels have helped me to keep an open mind when dealing with and accepting differences.

I also enjoy how the character Basil slowly but surely creeps into Mr. Harris' novels. With this book I was able to finally realize what issues Basil was dealing with. I hope the character, Basil and his healing is explored in furture novels. A great, great book.

First and formost let me warn you that if you pick this book up, be prepared to call in late the next morning. It is that good. The book focuses on the lives of four individuals from very different backgrounds and perspectives and how their lives come together to form a bond that violance, feelings of being deceived or even bad siniging can not break. It is a book that as a man I can assure you it will make you laugh, think, cry (not that I did mind you), and simply smile. There are stong male charaters in the book as well as women who don't lose their minds while they are waiting to exhale. So buy it. . . and think of a good excuse for your boss tomorrow.

You would be hard-pressed to find an unlikelier cast of characters or a thinner premise within the annals of literature than what you find here in Mr. Harris' latest offering. Getting together monthly to read your journal entries, and, which is worse, listening to the entries of others? Come on. I'd have a hard time with such an assignment if it were part of the curriculum of a required college course much less voluntarily submit to the ordeal. Harris should have come up with a more believable pretext for getting these disparate people together. As usual, the prose advancing Harris' storyline is flat and uninteresting, peppered with Creative Writing 101 descriptive phrases which render the whole exercise hackneyed and trite. Fans of E. Lynn Harris must not get out much, nor read much other fiction if they truly believe "This is the best book I ever read!". Among black authors, Toni Morrison is a vastly superior writer; among gay black authors, James Baldwin is without peer. Come on, people, broaden your literary horizons!

I READ THIS BOOK IN ABOUT ONE QUICK WEEKEND AND I FOUND IT TO BE ONE OF MR. HARRIS BEST WORK SINCE "INVISIBLE LIFE" IT'S WONDERFUL TO KNOW THAT SOME PEOPLE STILL MAINTAIN COLLEGE FRIENDSHIPS INSTEAD OF GOING THEIR SEPARATE WAYS. I CHEERED FOR EACH OF THE CHARACTERS BECAUSE THEY EACH TAUGHT ME SOMETHING. RILEY IS LIVING PROOF THAT MONEY DOESN'T ALWAYS BUY YOU HAPPINESS, LELAND IS STILL A STRONG PROUD GAY MAN WHO DIDN'T GIVE UP ON LOVE, DWIGHT CAME TO TERMS WITH THE FACT THAT HIS HATRED FOR WHITES CAME FROM A PAIN FUL EXPERIENCE FROM CHILDHOOD AND YOLANDA STILL MANAGED TO HAVE FAITH IN HER FRIENDS AND STILL GO ON DESPITE THE MOST CRUEL BETRAYAL THAT ANY PERSON COULD IMAGINE. I ALSO FAMILIARIZED MYSELF WITH BASIL HENDERSON AND ALTHOUGH HE GOT HIS PAYBACK BIGTIME THE WAY HE DESERVED IT, WE DO UNDERSTAND THAT BEHIND THE FACADE OF BEING SUPERSTUD, THERE LIES A VERY LONELY AND EMBITTERED MAN WHO WILL NEVER FIND LOVE WITH ANOTHER MAN OR WOMAN BECAUSE DEEP DOWN HE DOESN'T LOVE HIMSELF AND HE STILL WRESTLES WITH THE HORROR OF HIS CHILDHOOD. IT'S ALSO REFRESHING TO KNOW THAT MR. HARRIS'S BOOKS ARE ENJOYING A CROSSOVER AUDIENCE AND THAT STRAIGHT PEOPLE NOW REALIZE THAT GAY PEOPLE ARE ALSO HUMAN AS WELL.

He just can't stop, he's off the hook this book is a must read it wont give it away I just want to tell you te read it wll have you cying and laughing.

I just finished this book and thought it was wonderful! If you are E. Lynn Harris fan and liked Just As I Am, you'll love this book. It was written in a similar manner. This book seemed to be a little more humorous than his past books are. Added bonuses are characters from past books show up in this one. My only critiques of the book are that it started out a little slow and has journal entries written by the characters that tend to drag on a little.

After reading books mostly for educational purposes - to dive into a E Lynn Harris book is truly a pleasure. I read this book while on a 2 day business trip. Then made my way to the nearest bookstore to purchase his previous novel, "And This Too Shall Past" and finish that book on the flight back home. Mr. Harris has a unique style of writing that, apart from the sexual issues, whether you agree or disagree, his characters create a lasting impression upon his readers. March 16th (the release date of his next novel) can not come soon enough! Hat's Off!!

Wouldn't it be great if more folks who DID NOT like certain books took the time to reveiw them on Amazon? Well, here I am. And let me tell you E. Lynn Harris is not worth your time. He is, unfortuantely, a marginal writer with little to say. The only redeeming factor of this book, which I read while on vacation in St. Maarten, is that it gives a human face and voice to black gay men. But that was not enough. The characters and plot are superficial, trite, predictable and soap opera-esque. I felt my mind was turning to mush while I read this; eerily similar to the feeling of watching too much TV or eating too many potato chips. If you like Terry McMillan, you'll love this drivel. If not, read authors that challenge, teach and inspire. Harris does not fit the bill.