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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Missing An Important Link, September 17, 2004
This review is from: Sins of the Father (Paperback)
This book was missing an important link. You did not get to hear the father's point of view because he was a silent character, he was dead when you started the book.
The book was about 4 of his sons and how not being in 3 of their lives affected all of them, but you never get to hear the father, whose name is Street's side of the story. You hear about two the boys who are now men, mother Nadine who held a torch for him for over twenty years even though the deadbeat left her, had another son, married another woman and had a son with her. She had it for him so bad after all those years that she was seeking theraphy, now that is pathetic!!!!!
The story had some twist but nothing that really holds you. If you are interested in novels about deadbeast dads, like I am because my sons have one of their own, you might take an interest in reading this one, but don't think you're going to get a story with a whole lot of drama where the father gets his in the end. I will say that this book does not have its typical happy ending.
Later!!!!
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Have you thought of the consequence?, August 24, 2004
This review is from: Sins of the Father (Paperback)
"Poppa was a rolling stone" best characterizes Samuel "Street" Jamieson, the father portrayed in Sins of the Father. During the course of his lifetime he fathers four sons by three different women and when he and his wife die tragically, those attending his funeral have many different perceptions. Words such as "caring, devoted father" don't ring true for his three oldest children --Terrence, Malik and Bernard. They mourned his passing years before his death, when he unceremoniously walked out of their lives. His youngest son Sammie feels differently since he is the only one to benefit, even for a short time, from a father in his life.Sammie was forced into a different lifestyle when he was orphaned at such a young age. He moves from spacious and comfortable dwellings into the projects with his father's only surviving relative, a crack head sister. Plagued with troubles of her own, she only sees dollar signs when taking in her nephew. Surprisingly, young Sammie continues to thrive and show promise in his new school. The teachers and principal take notice of his achievements and want to assure his continued academic success. He finds refuge in an after-school program where he can seek safety and shelter, talk out issues and nurture his passion - basketball, sometimes even with Bernard Christian, an up and coming NBA draft hopeful. This is the highlight of Sammie's dismal life. Through his interaction at the center everybody comes to love this mild mannered, smart but lonely kid.The plot thickens and the "sins of the father" can no longer be hidden. The emotions of the older sons and the younger son collide dramatically. There is plenty of physical as well as emotional action. Enough passion to keep the reader turning pages to find out which path Sammie's life will take. Character development was paramount in this story. I think each character was sufficiently developed to engage the reader. You felt something for each character mentioned and although there were many, each added successfully to the story. The dialogue flowed to make reading a breeze and you come away from the reading experience with a different perspective on how children develop with and without father figures. I'm not sure the original intent of the writing of Sins of the Father was to walk away with a moral, but one is clearly present, and to me I find its inclusion a bonus.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Sins of the father come full circle, February 21, 2005
This review is from: Sins of the Father (Paperback)
Sins of the Father,
Felicia Madlock
APOOO: 4.0
What can be said of a man that fathers four sons and abandoned three while doting on the fourth. If left up to the three sons who suffered his neglect, not much at all.
The story opens with Malik and Terrance reluctantly standing with their grieving mother at the funeral of their biological father whom for all of their lives left them without emotional support. Not even the fact that his third son, Bernard, was about to go pro could dislodge him from the rock his sons felt he lived beneath. His abandonment was too much to grow beyond, leaving his two eldest sons all too happy to close this chapter of their lives as they watch on bitterly during their father's interment. Believing they had left that part of their lives at the cemetery, they return to their lives only later to realize that their tranquility would soon be intruded upon by the fourth son who was the receiver of all their father's love and adoration. Can they see beyond their own bitterness to accept the circumstances that their younger brother, orphaned is in need of their help?
True to Urban Books, this story possesses drama throughout; the subplots are interesting and carry the story well. But also true to novels in this category; its purpose is solely to entertain, lacking in profoundness and depth which I find important in any read. However, Felicia Madlock writes with the authority of a born storyteller, possessing a warm and lyrical style. Anyone picking up her work will do so without any regrets.
Marian E.
APOOO BookClub
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