What They Want: A Novel (Paperback)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: Terrance Mitchell, San Francisco, San Diego (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Successful 33-year-old black model Terrance Mitchell humps his way around the world, staying in exotic locales only long enough to attend a photo shoot and nail a few attractive locals in NAACP Image Award–winner Tyree's latest (after Boss Lady). Lately, though, Terrance has been thinking it might be time to give up his "bad-ass" life of banging strangers and ex-girlfriends, and having threesomes with, say, a teenager and her 22-year-old pal, or with an ex and her lesbian lover. There is some background noise behind all the diddling and pleasured moaning: Terrance's unwed sister gets pregnant and must decide whether to have the baby; a model Terrance used to work with has adopted a celibate lifestyle; one of the modeling agency execs who works with him is contemplating having a baby on her own and asks Terrance if he wants to be the sperm donor. Terrance, though, only begins to genuinely consider a change in lifestyle when a woman from his past calls with the news that he has—wait for it—unknowingly fathered her child. This book is all about the sex, and Tyree's attempts to hang a plot on the carnal gymnastics only muck up the works. 11-city author tour. (July)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

Terrance Mitchell is a highly successful heterosexual male model from Gary, Indiana, who lives in a world of beautiful women, fashionable clothes, and exotic places. Although he knows what women want, he maintains his selfish and self-indulgent lifestyle. He casually ends a relationship with fellow-model Andrea and spirals out of control, with increasingly more frequent and kinky sexual escapades. When Terrance and Andrea catch up with each other several years later, he learns that she is no longer modeling but living a very different life. While working with Marcus Vissel, the man who gave him his break in the fashion industry, he discovers tantalizing details about Andrea's life and Marcus' new business venture. Terrance declines to profit from Marcus' business invitation but pursues Andrea. Andrea's lifestyle destroys his peace of mind and forces him to reassess his choices. It isn't until he finds out that he is the father of a three-year-old daughter that he finally puts an end to his scandalous lifestyle and gives a woman what she truly wants and deserves. Lillian Lewis
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster (June 5, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743228731
• ISBN-13: 978-0743228732
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #590,763 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A waste of your time and money, August 6, 2006

By	K. Hinton "avid reader" (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

This review is from: What They Want: A Novel (Hardcover)

Terrance Mitchell is a successful male model based out of Atlanta, GA. His body, sex appeal, and bedroom skills have more women after him than he knows what to do with. Ever the player, Terrance makes a vow to himself never to get locked down by one woman after losing an old girlfriend when he refused to submit to her wishes for commitment. Accordingly, he's with a different woman every day of the week and flies around the country flaunting his conquests.

Terrance is a pretentious, self-involved player with no concern for anyone but himself. The very second you think he might start to care about someone, he turns around and acts like a selfish, stubborn child. For a man who is supposed to be 33 years old and successful, he has all the maturity of a sixteen year old high school student. It was all I could do not the throw the book across the room when he sleeps with seven different women over the course of five days, and sometimes without using a condom. Tyree attempts to use the numerous sex scenes--and there's one about every ten pages or so--to make up for his lack of plot, but fails miserably.

This book was nearly unreadable, but I kept going because I assumed there had to be some saving graces. I was wrong. Tyree's thoughts jumble together and the story is too convoluted for you to understand what kind of point he's trying to make--if there is any at all. There is no lesson to be learned from this story and the way Tyree ties up the loose ends is too easy and downright unbelievable.

I'd suggest you look to African-American authors who actually have something to say and the technique to say it well, like Eric Jerome Dickey or E. Lynn Harris, and leave this one to the people who think that hip hop videos actually depict the lifestyle of a typical African-American.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars This book is clearly a "Man's Fantasy Novel.", July 14, 2006

By	Jenny J.J.I. "A New Yorker" (That Lives in Northern Nevada) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This review is from: What They Want: A Novel (Hardcover)

I wasn't quite feeling this book. The main character was way too full of himself to give any real depth to the issues he is meant to deal with, but his story will be in demand at any rate. The cover of this book was more appealing to me then the story itself.

Terrance Mitchell is a type of person that like to think with his head instead of the other way around. Being that this story is about a successful 30ish model whom really loves his job and stays in exotic locales only long enough to attend a photo shoot and nail a number of locals. Annoyingly, most of them seem to want him to commit, but Terrance, who thinks commitment are non-beneficial tends to brush it off and accelerate more on "freaky" sex with various women. Beside his story there a lot of drama regarding the sub-stories in this book first dealing with Terrance's unwed sister, and then one on Terrance former male model; and then a proposition offer to him from one of his modeling agency execs.

Eventually, this lifestyle and positions get too busy (or kinky) for him and contemplates on settling down with one woman who might not be so bad after all as long she's like what he likes. And while Terrance considers changing his ways an unexpected phone call from a past lover seem to hit him across the head and veered him towards another direction.

This book has enough sex scenes to keep you awake but Terrance rambling conversation might make you fall asleep. Tyree's 14th book seems to try to do a lot in this book and all the eroticism he adds in this story only leads to a mess. I don't know what he's attentions are but it seems to me he's heading more towards the popular author Zane, and if he is, he clearly needs to shape up on that area before he decides to attempt on another book.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Why did I buy this book?, January 10, 2007

By	Sharon R. Blaney "stuknaz" (phoenix, az United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: What They Want: A Novel (Hardcover)

I put this book down on page 50 and came to Amazon.com to read the reviews. Doesn't matter though I can't read this anymore. I'm so disappointed, all I can say is you can't judge a book by its cover!