A Love of My Own [Large Print] [Hardcover]

E. Lynn Harris (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2003

Friendship. Love. Family.

Bestselling author E. Lynn Harris is back with another new tale that embraces his signature themes.

Zola Denise Norwood is a young hot editor in chief of Bling Bling, (the magazine “for people who want everything!) who’s at the top of her game, ruling the roost in business as well as the bedroom. Having discovered “the power of three” (not tying herself down to just one guy) Zola surrounds herself with a coterie of men : her best male friend, the gay Hayden; her Monday night man, Jabar, and enjoys stolen nights with married Bling Bling owner and media mogul Davis Vincent McClinton, a man who chases power at all costs…Still, Zola dreams of finding true love.

Raymond Tyler, Jr., a favorite and classic Harris character has suffered a personal loss and picks up and moves to New York to re-build his life. As CEO of Bling Bling,Raymond struggles to enjoy his newfound success in business as he searches for love and meaning in his personal life. John Basil Henderson returns with a new lady in his life, and Raymond and Basil renew a friendship that is fraught with sexual tension. As Raymond examines his life and strains to move forward, tragedy strikes, and Raymond faces his biggest challenge ever.

As Zola and Raymond search for a love of their own, several characters from the past make cameo appearances and round out another E. Lynn Harris classic tale. A LOVE OF MY OWN is filled with all the marvelous ingredients the author’s fans the globe over have come to love. Sit back and get ready as E. Lynn Harris takes you on another satisfying and rip-roaring ride.

--This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

E. Lynne Harris's A Love of My Own is the story of Zola Norwood, the attractive, ambitious editor-in-chief of Bling, Bling, a hot new magazine for young and hip African Americans. Having achieved success in her professional life, Zola embarks on a quest for true love. She makes clean breaks from her clandestine affairs with Davis McClinton, Bling, Bling's powerful owner, and Jabar, the seemingly simple yet undeniably sexy personal trainer at her club. Adding to the intrigue is Raymond Tyler Jr., whose relationship with his longtime partner, Trent, has just ended badly. In a search for refuge and rebirth, Raymond moves to New York and begins work as the CEO of Bling, Bling. As Zora and Raymond chart their own courses to love and personal fulfillment, Harris grapples with familiar themes like love, deception, family, and power. In a tale woven together by up-to-the-minute current events (the characters watch Denzel Washington and Halle Berry take home awards on Oscar night; Zora awakes to the news of pop star Aaliyah's tragic death), E. Lynne Harris has yet again taken his formula for success and created another winner. --Gisele Toueg --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

From Publishers Weekly

All of the elements commonly found in a Harris novel intrigue, scandal and soap-opera gorgeous protagonists are on display in this flashy urban melodrama, a salacious, dialogue-heavy follow-up to Harris's Any Way the Wind Blows. Bling Bling is the up-and-coming hip-hop magazine "for those who want everything," so it's appropriate that Zola Norwood, a motivated and manipulative "sistah" who thinks she has it all, serves as its editor-in-chief. Zola landed the position by sleeping with married media mogul Davis McClinton, but her on-demand sexual relationship with the African-American icon doesn't stop her from keeping a lover on the side. The narrative alternates between Zola's adventures and the efforts of Raymond Tyler, the new CEO of McClinton's publishing division, to get settled in the Big Apple. A recurring character in Harris's books, Raymond arrives on the scene having just ended a long-term relationship with his boyfriend. Ray finds solace with new friends, such as Zola, but his love life becomes complicated when Basil Henderson, an old friend and lover, enters his life once again. Harris's book starts at the end with Raymond's parents learning he's in the ICU which adds an element of suspense, but the real story here is how Ray and Zola grow and change after the World Trade Center is attacked. Inevitably, the tragedy propels Ray, Zola and their friends to reevaluate their priorities and, in so doing, become better people. A more serious effort than Harris's previous works, this book is loaded with sensational goings-on and characters, both old and new, who will keep readers returning for more of the same.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 581 pages
• Publisher: Thorndike Press (January 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786249994
• ISBN-13: 978-0786249992
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (138 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,348,923 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

E. Lynn Harris (1955-2009) is the author of ten previous novels and the memoir What Becomes of the Brokenhearted. His recent novels Just Too Good to be True, I Say a Little Prayer, A Love of My Own, and Any Way the Wind Blows hit the bestseller lists in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, and other publications. He founded the E. Lynn Harris Better Days Foundation, a nonprofit company that provides support to aspiring writers and artists.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Staying true to yourself, July 30, 2002

By 

The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers (RAWSISTAZ.com and BlackBookReviews.net) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Love of My Own: A Novel (Hardcover)

Raymond Tyler Jr., has returned. After having lived in Seattle, Washington with his lover Trent, Raymond has come back to the place where his heart lies, New York City. New York is a place that holds good and bad memories for him and has always been his favorite place to live. Raymond has recently gone through a pretty rough period in his life and hopes that moving to a new place will help to rejuvenate his mind and spirit. He has accepted the CEO position at a hot, up and coming urban magazine called Bling, Bling.

Zola Denise Norwood has it going on. She is the innovative editor of Bling, Bling, she is beautiful and is blessed to have a family and friends that love her. Zola is only missing one thing, a man to call her own. Of course she has men but she doesn't have that man that takes her breath away or that she can call a soulmate.

In A Love Of My Own, E. Lynn Harris's eighth novel, he brings us into the lives of Raymond and Zola. Also, he beautifully intertwines the September 11 tragedy and the death of R & B singer Aaliyah into the storyline and portrays them with compassion and accuracy. As a reader it was very interesting to see how these two tragic events affected Raymond, Zola and the people around them.

A Love Of My Own was a wonderful book. Raymond Tyler Jr., is my favorite character and I was very pleased to see him back. I have just one complaint about this book, and that is that I finished it and now I have to wait for E. Lynn Harris's next literary offering.

Reviewed by Simone A. Hawks

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Love Of My Own Is Off The Chain!!!, August 6, 2002

By 

Cheryl F. Smith "Cheryl Faye, Author of 'Be C... (Jersey City, NJ) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Love of My Own: A Novel (Hardcover)

I have read every one of E. Lynn Harris' books and have enjoyed each one of them, but A Love Of My Own is by far my favorite. Not only does E. Lynn bring back one of my favorite characters, Raymond Tyler, but he introduces his readers to a new one, the young, ambitious, and indomitable Zola Denise Norwood. Although Zola is a bit disillusioned when it comes to her faith in love (due to a devastating event in her past), you can't help but admire her drive with regard to her career. She is a strong Black woman who reeks of pure feminine finesse. Raymond, too, is as lovable as he always was. Having moved back to New York after a painful event in his life, he is reunited with his friend, John Basil Henderson (my all-time favorite E. Lynn character) and the sparks fly once more. Raymond is CEO of the magazine where Zola is Editor-in-Chief, and they gain a mutual respect and admiration for one another that turns into a genuine friendship. I think A Love Of My Own is some of E. Lynn's best writing. He beautifully weaves real life events into his story with taste and classs (the death of the beautiful Aaliyah and the WTC bombing) and takes his readers back to those sad events in our history and shows us how they also affect his characters. Returning in smaller roles are Yancy B, and her unforgettable mother, Madame Ava. Any of E. Lynn's devoted followers knows that he has a knack for creating characters his readers love to hate. In A Love of My Own he has done that again with Davis McClinton, Zola and Raymond's billionaire boss. But true to form, he also intersperses his books with smart, likeable folks of various ages, races and backgrounds. I can't say enough good things about this book. Really, I could go on for days. I loved it; read in it a few hours (as I have many of E. Lynn's other titles). Keep up the good work, E. Lynn Harris. You have a forever fan in me.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Sooner You Give, the Sooner You Get to Have....., August 15, 2002

By 

Dera R Williams (Oakland, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Love of My Own: A Novel (Hardcover)

Yes, he's back, the invincible Basil, who has made nine appearances in E. Lynn Harris' books and like a black cat, he has nine lives. Raymond, the tall sensual brother who has made peace with his sexuality, is also back. But this is not just their story. It is smoothly interwoven in a web of other tales revolving around scenes of New York City, which include power and corruption at a high profile magazine, the making and breaking of relationships, and the tragedy of 9/11.

Raymond leaves Seattle to take the position of CEO of Bling Bling magazine and to make a new start in life after a major disappointment in his love life. Davis McClinton is a wealthy high-powered brother and Raymond's ruthless boss. He has several financial holdings reminiscent of a combination of Donald Trump/Robert Johnson type. What are the secrets he is hiding? Zola Norwood, an intelligent brown sugar beauty, is the editor-in-chief of Bling Bling on her way to realizing her dream of starting her own publication. But she has paid heavy prices, juggling three men among them the very much married McClinton. And then there is Basil, a wiser, more mature Basil--- but for how long?--- who is now a father.

As always with Harris' writing, he gives compelling characterizations, a page turning storyline, and settings that puts you there. We see New York in its finest, Broadway shows, parties of the rich and famous, high-powered corporate stakes, and on its worst day, the tragedy of September 11, 2001. Because of the horror of that day, values are re-evaluated, life-altering decisions are made and relationships of all kinds are tested. With impressive secondary characters, some old ones-- need I mention Yancey and Ava make their appearances-along with the new ones-- the wild, wacky buddies of Zola, this story will have readers laughing and crying.

This one, while not his best--Invisible Life and Just As I Am cannot be duplicated-- is an improvement over his last two novels. Much has been said about the recycling of Basil, who has been ever present in all novels, and his shenanigans. Hopefully this story will satisfy some of his detractors and we won't need to hear from him anymore. But I am a die-hard fan and if Harris writes another book and puts Basil is in it, I will still be at my favorite book store on release day wrangling for the last copy.