Customer Reviews

For the Love of Money : A Novel

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(32)
1 star:		(110)

 

 

I'll keep it simple: HATED IT.

The original title, Flyy Girl, was such an awesome book. But on the cover of For The Love Of Money, it says, "Flyy Girl Returns". To what?

On the inside of this book, the acknowledgements read in part "Well...I'm back And I heard that you missed me." What I missed was.... a good story between the front of the jacket cover and the back. What happened? Why deceive us? One would think that while a reader can appreciate Tracy growing up and becoming a star as the author wants you to believe, what ever happened to real life drama on the way up to stardom? Tracy is still a very young woman, under thirty and as self centered as she was, I could think of many ways to have added at least a plot of some sort to keep my readers interested. The selected few who've read this book, kept reading, not because of the words on the pages, but because they invested a weeks worth of gas money and felt compelled to use it up.

I was going to return this book directly to the publisher with a letter of apology for buying the wrong book or at least a sympathy letter for them having to publish it. But I've since decided to keep it and check it out like libraries do. I wouldn't want anyone else having to waste money like this.

There are some good parts about the publishing of this book. To begin, Omar Tyree knows he's got a seller with this book simply because of the cover and it's an alleged part II. Omar Tyree also did something very unique in that he wrote in the past and present with each chapter and he's obviously a brilliant business person in his ability to create an attraction. The unfortunate part is that he omits realism with what can really happen to a young woman from the east coast coming to the west coast and encoutering true friendship, love, betrayal and deception, in a "full of drama" kind of way.

This book just lacks a story!

Bro' Omar, what were you thinking? That you could throw a bunch of silly mix-matched words on paper just to call it a book? Or maybe you were on a tight dead-line for the publishing company and they had to put something/anything on the market. Whatever the case, you did yourself and your fans a serious disservice in penning For The Love of Money. I don't have to be a playa-hater to call trash exactly what it is. I liked Flyy Girl, but this mess doesn't even deserve to be called a book. If this is all it takes to write a book and get paid, I'm starting mine as soon as I finish typing this message.

I read this book and although I want to support my brothers and sisters I was truly disappointed. The characters were weak, the "you go girl" language tired and the story line a little too self-aggrandizing. There are so many authors out there who do not get any play and people like this continue to hit the bestseller list.

As a college professor I try not to over analyze things but how can you not do so when Mr. Tyree hit's not only the Blackboard but the New York Times list?

A word to the wise. If you would like to see African Americans at their best, I recommend Timmothy B. McCann's Always (A black man running for president no less) or his first novel entitled, Until... I also recommend Colin Chainner's Waiting in Vain (you will never forget Fire), Marcus Majors' Good People and Margaret Johnson Hodges' Butterscotch Blues. I know you may not have heard of these authors because they do not write books that exploit the WORST in us. Their books celebrate the BEST in us and for that reason they may never make the New York Times list. And that my friends is a shame. If you dont belive me, just check out their reviews here on Amazon and compare them to Mr. Tyree's.

A word to the wise. We use to thirst for black books. Any black books. We have been blessed to have them. Now that we do, lets support the books that show the "US" we would like others to see in 50 to 100 years. Do you really want your children's children reading about trifling self-centered Tracy? Do you want them to think that this chacracter "Omar Tyree" was one of the leading authors of this generation?

In closing, a word to the wise . . . . check this one out from the library. . . support the other authors I have mentioned and support words that show us in a different and insightful light.

A.T

What is the point of this awful book? It's not even so bad that it's good, it's just bad. Where is the conflict in the story? What is the point of reading it? Why is it that Tracy just happens to be the all around best person there ever was, and her one flaw and problem is her past (which is brought up ad nauseum)

And then, to remind us that it is Omar the Great penning this fanciful flight into absolute inanity, the reader is presented with lines such as "You should write this book yourself, Tracy" (any self respecting writer WOULD do her own story, no matter what, because, DUH no one can capture what she felt better than she can. There is no way that Omar Tyree [playing the character of the invisible author] could be privy to most of her conversations; because the majority of her babble was just a waste of space. If he WAS a good writer, there's no way he would have included all that unnecessary filler, and he would have gone straight to the conflict had there been one. )

And then there's the self congratulatory tone of Omar. Tracy, ofcourse cannot write her own memoirs (heaven forbid!) because she's too busy. Using another writer is out of the question because Omar is "wonderful with dialogue, and he really knows how to set up the situations well" Insert eye roll here Okay, so he's the great writer, while Tracy, the Masters Degree having (please tell us in what field again, Tracy, we didn't hear it enough!), English Teacher, Screenwriter-turned-Actress is only, well, mediocre in her writing skills when compared to Omar, the epitome of a great writer.

This book makes very little sense, and frankly, I'm heated that I spent so much time reading it. The only redeeming feature is probably the little insight it gives into "making it" in Hollywood. The rest of it is pure fantasy, complete trash, and an embarrassment to the written word.

If OT happens to have a Masters Degree, shame on him. He should know better! This book reads as his aspirations for his own career, self promoter that he is. Where Tracy is described insert Omar. Perhaps he’s the one that wants to make Flyy girl into the movie, he just needs to convince his audience that it ought to be done. He’s the one who’d like to pen the script. And perhaps he’s the one who’d like to star in the movie—possibly in drag, or perhaps as Victor…

The nerve of him to repeat that Flyy girl should be a movie. No it shouldn't. So please stop telling us that it should. Instead of interjecting praises about his dubious talent he ought to have revised that ne'er first draft that he passed off to the public as a completed novel.

Anyone and I mean, ANYONE who thought that this book was the least bit interesting ought to be sent back to school where they need to learn that just because a person is black and could string a few sentences together doesn't mean that that writer is automatically great--nor does it make the work an example of great black writing. Sheesh. It's great when us black folks stick together, but this is ridiculous...

I purchased this book with such high hopes only to be dissapponted. I've read two other book by Omar Tyree, "Flyy Girl"( which I loved) and "Sweet St Louis" (that I also enjoyed.) But to my dismay this was such a let down. This book didn't seemed to have a focus or plot. It just flowed from one uninteresting chapter to another. Tracy, the focus of both "Flyy Girl" and "For the Love of Money," charactor was well developed on a personnal level in the book but other than her thoughts there wasn't anything else to hold your attention other than the hope that you just haven't got to the good part yet. But by page 200 I finally realized there wasn't a good part.

this book is a complete disappointment. The first was a coming of age tale that even hit close to home with someone as young as me. I hated the Omar Tyree references and the boring life of Tracy. He should of left the uncompleted life of Tracy alone. My imagination would of came up with a better ending.

Considering the fact that Flyy Girl had absolutely NO plot whatsoever (I bought the first book, hated it, gave it to my 14-yr. old sister and an hour later, she came back agitated and gave it back), and the fact that the author is full of 100% hot air, surely it should come as no surprise that this latest bomb is precisely that. I passed by the book the other day at the bookstore and stopped in surprise because I hadn't realized this author was still trying. I picked it up ANYWAY, just out of curiosity. Luckily, I kept my receipt.

This has to be a joke, I thought, until I heard the radio commercial promoting this book this morning. The book is absolutely horrid, and that's an understatement. Why in the world would somebody devote presumably valuable time, money and energy to create this mess, not to mention the money he must have paid on advertising. Why not just write a GOOD BOOK and let the book promote itself mostly by word of mouth! Hel-lo-o-o-o-, PLEASE take a lesson from SOMEBODY. You don't see anybody else doing radio commercials to sell books. Have some class, man! I half expected this one to be better than Flyy Girl simply because I like to be optimistic. This book was a major letdown and I actually feel sorry for the author. I'd be ashamed to have my name on an imitation book like this. Unfortunately, this flop is a major blow to aspiring AfAm authors. Because publishers are allowing authors like this to publish junk, they will be less inclined to sign new authors and take them seriously. Is this Simon & Schuster's idea of GOOD FICTION?? Are they lowering the standards for quality Black fiction or what?! I think yes, and find it extremely insulting. If anyone other than a Black author had written this mess, it would have been rejected at the mailroom. What a crock. If you agree, write the PUBLISHER and let them know this is not what we want to read.

I hope the author will take some classes in plot development and characterization. Personally, I'd be tempted to do an ostrich and bury my head in the sand.

I bought this book with high expectations... because even though I didn't necessarily like "Fly Girl".. I was anxious to see how Tracy grew up. This book... is perposterous at best. I thought that the storyline would be much better than it was!! Tracy's character wasn't ever really defined... and though this book was a sequel... I never got the sense that she ever really grew up. This book is a definite no-brainer... and best left on the shelf... unless you are going through a stressful time in your life... and need to read about someone even more silly that you are...

THIS WOULD BE TWO RUNGS BELOW...I DON'T THINK THERE'S EVER BEEN A MOVIE BAD ENOUGH TO COMPARE THIS TO. THE NEXT BOOK SHOULD BE CALLED "FLYY GIRL: THE APOLOGY." HATED IT LIKE I DO THE CRAMPS... BUT AT LEAST THE CRAMPS KEEP MY ATTENTION. LIKE SOMEBODY ELSE SAID, I'M ON THE WAY OUT THE DOOR, THIS BOOK IN ONE HAND, MY RECEIPT IN THE OTHER. IF ANYBODY ELSE FEELS THE SAME WAY, WE CAN CARPOOL BACK TO THE SHRINE OF THE BLACK MADONNA.