Rating: 
Summary: Hair & Men
Review: Hair & Men. To read this book, one would think that hair and men are the two most valuable commodities in a Black woman's life. Nappily Ever After is the story of Venus Johnston, a professional black woman, who starts off the book with a faltering and relationship and a new haircut. Venus and her live-in boyfriend of 4 years, Clint have had a parting of ways. After practically supporting Clint through medical school and his residency, Venus is ready to get married, and Clint will not pop the question. So, she throws him out of her beautiful home and goes and cuts all of her long relaxed hair off. While enjoying a night out with the boys shortly after their break-up, Clint meets Kandi, an attractive teacher with long-flowing hair and flawless good looks. Kandi, is looking to marry a good, black man, and finds that Clint is the answer to her prayers. Kandi poses and preens and does whatever she can to catch and hold onto Clint. From there, the story unravels into an unbelievable mess. There are several plot devices that seem very contrived, as though the author was trying to add drama to boring and predictable book. In the end, the story comes together very neatly, with all the characters getting what they want and living happily ever after. But, you just don't understand or believe how they got there. What could have been a very uplifting and well-told story about a woman finding liberation and joy in her new natural self, is merely another story of how hair, a man, and a little bit of status are the central themes in a Black woman's life. Tameshia
R.E.A.L. Reviewer
Rating: 
Summary: Thought Provoking
Review: Hair & Men. To read this book, one would think that hair and men are the two most valuable commodities in a Black woman's life. Nappily Ever After is the story of Venus Johnston, a professional black woman, who starts off the book with a faltering and relationship and a new haircut. Venus and her live-in boyfriend of 4 years, Clint have had a parting of ways. After practically supporting Clint through medical school and his residency, Venus is ready to get married, and Clint will not pop the question. So, she throws him out of her beautiful home and goes and cuts all of her long relaxed hair off. While enjoying a night out with the boys shortly after their break-up, Clint meets Kandi, an attractive teacher with long-flowing hair and flawless good looks. Kandi, is looking to marry a good, black man, and finds that Clint is the answer to her prayers. Kandi poses and preens and does whatever she can to catch and hold onto Clint. From there, the story unravels into an unbelievable mess. There are several plot devices that seem very contrived, as though the author was trying to add drama to boring and predictable book. In the end, the story comes together very neatly, with all the characters getting what they want and living happily ever after. But, you just don't understand or believe how they got there. What could have been a very uplifting and well-told story about a woman finding liberation and joy in her new natural self, is merely another story of how hair, a man, and a little bit of status are the central themes in a Black woman's life. Tameshia
R.E.A.L. Reviewer
Rating:
Summary: Thought Provoking
Review: I enjoyed reading this novel emmensely. I could relate heavily to both Venus and Clint. The many twists and turns kept the story line interesting and I like the way all of the characters were intertwined in some way. The book, admittedly, was slow in some parts, but the overall intelligent story line well than made up for it!
Rating:
Summary: Definitely a page turner but.......
Review: I finished reading this book almost a month ago but I just wasn't ready to write a review at that time. I needed to think on it for a minute. I had read several reviews and was eager to get into it. This book was a good read but it just wasn't what I expected. From the reviews I really thought it was about a sister who gets tired of her long permed hair and cuts it off and goes natural and finds herself and makes some kind of political statement about black womenhood, self-esteem, self-empowerment, et al. Well, Venus does in a way finds herself but not quite how I envisioned. I thought the storyline would carry us through the various reactions and experiences because she has made a drastic change in her appearance. There were some reactions, I just thought there would be more regarding corporate America and other areas. Instead it seemed it was not about the hair but about the issues and baggage that plagued her. Venus nurtured a relationship with Clint, was there for him through the tough years of medical school and when she presented him with an ultimatum, he couldn't be a man about it and step up to the plate. I won't spoil the rest for those who haven't read the book, but he kicked her in the stomach. I understand his point too, the man always has his ego and pride to protect. But the premice still seemed to be that from all the confidence Venus gained when she cut off her hair (shackles) in the end her happiness was still defined by having a man. That was the way it seemed to me. Again I don't want to say anymore. The book was a indeed a page turner so that is why I rated it f stars. It is always a treat to hear a fresh new voice. I will definitely read the author's future books.
Rating: 
Summary: Too much over hair
Review: I found the book itself to be a good read. I was eagerly anticipating to read this book because it came highly recommended. I was some what disappointed. I thought this book would be more interesting then what it actually was. I have/am considering going natural myself (not nappy as the author would call it). I found this book made a big deal over nothing. The main character (who got on my nerves) had a serious insecurity problem. She thought her cutting her hair was such a big deal; as if people were constantly judging her because her hair was shorter (not that she let go of the perm). She had some serious issues. I liked Clint, all though I think he made a hasty stupid decision by wanting to be with Kandi. How could he want to be with someone that he didn't even know, and not want to be with someone he's known for the past 4 years. He had some serious issues also. I was hoping that he would just cut both Venus and Kandi lose. Neither deserved him. I don't know why, but for some reason I didn't like any of the women in this book. They all got on my nerves. In all this was a fair read, I just wished the author had dealt more with the issue that the title speaks about and not petty issues.
Rating:
Summary: HairStory
Review: I found this book less than substantial. It seemed to jump around with no real focus. For example, she cut off her hair - so what. I understand the history of black women and hair very well. Yet this is 2003 and this story angle goes nowhere. What a undefined character. I had a hard time figuring out what she was going through. She was convinced she was right about Clint yet that aspect was never fully developed. She harrassed everyone about seeming injustices with no real basis. She meets a man on a plane and a short time later she is in love. What happened in between? I did not enjoy this rambling story.
Rating:
Summary: Different than expected...Not Bad. (3.5 Stars)
Review: I must admit, I didn't expect to enjoy this book as much as I did. As the story progressed so did the intrigue. The action of the book far outweighted the underlining premise; issues surronding Black women and their hair. Don't be mislead. The book is not about the hair issues as much as it is a woman dealing with a relationship while the changes she goes through with her hair are a subplot at best. What's interesting about the hair issue is that most Black women can identify with at least one aspect that Venus has delt with; either as an adult or young girl growing up. Also the backdrop of this nove is DC where there's at least 5 women to every 1 man....an even greater reason why hairstyle would reasonably be a "big deal". What I liked most about the book though, was the action surronding her relationships. With Clint, her boyfriend as well as other men introduced to us in the book. In the end, it's not all about the hair. With Halle Barry taking on this project to play Venus in the movie version of Nappily Ever After, I plan to re-read it again around the time the movie opens. Just as I did for Waiting to Exhale and Disappearing Acts. They always say that the book is usually better than the movie. With Halle playing Venus, this one will probably be a close call....let's see.
Rating:
Summary: Different than expected...Not Bad. (3.5 Stars)
Review: I must admit, I didn't expect to enjoy this book as much as I did. As the story progressed so did the intrigue. The action of the book far outweighted the underlining premise; issues surronding Black women and their hair. Don't be mislead. The book is not about the hair issues as much as it is a woman dealing with a relationship while the changes she goes through with her hair are a subplot at best. What's interesting about the hair issue is that most Black women can identify with at least one aspect that Venus has delt with; either as an adult or young girl growing up. Also the backdrop of this nove is DC where there's at least 5 women to every 1 man....an even greater reason why hairstyle would reasonably be a "big deal". What I liked most about the book though, was the action surronding her relationships. With Clint, her boyfriend as well as other men introduced to us in the book. In the end, it's not all about the hair. With Halle Barry taking on this project to play Venus in the movie version of Nappily Ever After, I plan to re-read it again around the time the movie opens. Just as I did for Waiting to Exhale and Disappearing Acts. They always say that the book is usually better than the movie. With Halle playing Venus, this one will probably be a close call....let's see.
Rating: 
Summary: The title is a con! It's not about hair just DRAMA.
Review: Nappily Ever after tricks readers into believing it is a story about a sista who finds empowerment through shaving her head. Unfortunately it's just another in the series of successful middle class black women-complaining about how bad their life is dramas churned out by publishers to capitalize on Black women's pain.
The story focuses on Venus Johnston, a successful middle class black woman who shaves her long hair then dumps Clint, her non-commital boyfriend of four years in a statement of "empowerment" Why is the word "empowerment" in quotes? Because the Venus character is just playing a manipulative head game with Clint (he has issues too, I'll get to them next paragraph) to get him to propose to her. When her plan to change Clint backfires, the insecure Venus goes off the deep end, accusing co-worker Ray of stalking her, and blaming everyone for the problems SHE caused.
Clint, the insecure "nice guy" doctor hooks up with Kandi, the first woman to pay attention to him. What's a "nice guy"? A man or woman who REEKS of so much insecurity that they attract the lowest forms of life to them such as Goldiggers, wife beaters, and other abusive types. Kandi the schoolteacher is a goldigger looking to bag a doctor. True to "nice guy" form, Clint falls "in love" with Kandi after a few dates and decides to propose marriage. LOSER!
Kandi the predator is having an affair with Tyson Edwards, the married owner of a cosmetics company whose account Venus is trying to snag. Back to perpetual victim Venus, her bosses at Donnelly Kramer put her on leave for acting like a nut at work. She heads home to California for Christmas vacation where she finds "empowerment" through buying a bunch of sexy designer clothes and a brand new BMW. All of these plot threads build as the plot comes to a very sloppy conclusion with the convoluted revelation of Tyson's wife being the stalker. Where did she come from? Three words: DEUS EX MACHINA! On top of that, Venus finds love with Airic on the flight back. That tells me she isn't cured of the "NICE GUY" syndrome yet, she's still hooking onto the first person that pays attention to her. And in the end I wondered why Venus goes to Clint's wedding? An empowered woman wouldn't even be thinking about attending an ex's wedding. They'd be too busy getting on with their life to waste their valuable time dwelling on the past.
Feminism this isn't. Venus Johnston is an insecure woman who only becomes more insecure after shaving her head. I didn't believe her character learned anything from her experiences. The only thing that grew in this story was the hair on her head. She's still trapped in a vicious cycle unaware that the only way to find real empowerment is to love herself. Shame. At the end of the story Venus only has the veneer of empowerment, not the real thing. (Self-empowerment is a truly emotionally painful and draining process that takes YEARS.) In her shallow world Venus finds a false sense of empowerment through, money, designer clothes and cars. This was a great idea and premise ruined by terrible execution by a writer who didn't understand what she was writing about Perhaps Ms. Thomas should have shaved her own head to get a better understanding of her character's experience before putting pen to paper.
Ms. Thomas' writing style is horrid. In the middle of the story she switches perspectives from first person to third person and writes long rambling passages that have nothing to do with advancing the story. The storyline is disorganized, things happen without reason. I'm scratching my head wondering how editors of a publishing house let something this badly written get published, how the NAACP nominated this title for an Image Award, and how something as incoherent as this story can being adapted into a screenplay. It could be everyone was conned by that "Nappily Ever After" title. Take a trip to the library because this one isn't worth the purchase price.
Rating:
Summary: NItty Gritty-This book gets to it...
Review: Nappy... this book gets down to the nitty gritty. Venus and Kandi are so real. I could see myself in both characters. I think many black women are like Venus, independent, take charge, and wish or have tried (as I have) cutting their hair off. Kandi, on the other hand, is what we have to at least appear to be to black men so that we are considered attractive- long hair, sexy, somewhat dependent, emotionally needy, and not intimidating. If you want to read a book that is not only pleasurable to read, but infused with a realistic look at the lives of young black women then I think you will enjoy this one.
| 
