Bittersweet
Freddie Lee Johnson, III
One World/ Ballantine
Published: January 2003
ISBN: 034544597X
Reviewed by Marlive, TheGRITS.com
Reviewed on Amazon.com
BITTERSWEET is an entertaining read about the choices that shape the lives and relationships of three African American brothers: Nathan, Victor and Clifford.
Nathan, the oldest, is a married minister, who finds practicing what he preaches a struggle when he's tempted by the affections of a beautiful parishioner. Victor, the middle child, is cynical about life and women in general. His cynicism is simply a mask he wears to protect his manhood while on the streets and his heart when dealing with the fairer sex. The youngest, Clifford, is simply an over-achiever. He soon finds the American dream of having a great home with a wife, two kids, and a dog, is not what it's made out to be when the wife he adores claims she doesn't love him and wants a divorce.
This story told by each brother in alternating chapters is unique and well developed. Johnson's writing is so crisp and fresh that this 372 page novel will go by in a flash. I believe what I enjoyed most about this story is that it depicts black men in times of trouble committed to the women in their lives and to keeping their families together at all cost. Author Freddie Lee Johnson, III tells this story with the kind of humor and thoughtfulness that makes him a welcome new voice to the genre of contemporary African American literature!
