Sweet St. Louis

October 4, 1999
"Hey, miss?... You wanna make a trade with me?... A piece of me for a piece of you." Anthony "Ant" Poole, a young African-American auto mechanic, believes he has a flair for pick-up lines in this overblown but lively romance by Tyree (Fly Girl). Against the hectic contemporary urban backdrop of St. Louis, Ant competes with his best friend, small-time criminal Anthony "Tone" Wallace, for dates. His days as a carefree Romeo are numbered, however, when he meets old-fashioned girl Sharron Francis, an airline caterer, who is trying to end an affair with a married man. Even Celena, Sharron's man-eating best friend, is jealous of Sharron's budding romance. Though Tyree relies on stereotypes and his prose is studded with distracting italics, his charting of his characters' inner motives is on target when he gets past surface description. The novel works best when the characters are one-on-one, deep in the lengthy conversations that fuel the narrative. Much as Ant bemoans the difficulties of dating a "thinking woman," he soon finds himself turning into a thinking man. Or as he says to Sharron's father: "Your daughter made me express myself." Still, even after Sharron rejects an old flame in favor of her new love, the commitment-phobic Ant can't quite give up his hunt for new conquests. It is finally a chastisement from one of his victims and a sobering night in jail that cause him to see the error of his ways. Tyree's checkered but entertaining street romance is a raucous cautionary tale steeped in the impulsiveness, verve and arrogance of youth.

October 15, 1999
Handsome Anthony "Ant" Poole is a "player." He's heavy into the life of "love 'em and leave 'em" when he collides with Sharron Francis on a night out with his longtime best friend, Tone. Ant, reaccessing his life as a player, and Sharron, fed up with the single female's position in the African American culture of the 1990s, think of getting serious about love and life but just don't know how to begin. Dropping the first-person narrative, which hindered the plotting of his A Do Right Man, Tyree is back in form with crisp, realistic dialog. Unfortunately, his explicit language is back, too. His characters' conversations seldom venture beyond sex and whether to "do it" or not. Still, Tyree's novel will have broad appeal to twentysomething singles. For large fiction collections.--Shirley Gibson Coleman, Ann Arbor Dist. Lib., MI

Copyright 1999 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 1999
Masterful African American storyteller Tyree sets his latest novel in St. Louis, Missouri. Anthony "Ant" Poole tries out his latest pickup line, "a piece of me for a piece of you," on Sharron Francis, and she is intrigued by his come-on and finds him attractive. So when they encounter each other again, she is eager to learn more about him. On the other hand, Ant is only interested in a frivolous encounter. Still, Sharron's honest approach is enough to keep him interested. Meanwhile, Ant's best friend, Tone, continually promotes situations that are dangerous for a man considering a monogamous relationship; and Sharron's roommate, Celena, has a cynical view of relationships and is a bit jealous of Sharron's newfound happiness. Over several months, Ant and Sharron's relationship develops from dating to meeting one another's parents to discussions of marriage and children. The four characters deal with the realities of love and the consequences of romantic choices. This is sure to be another hot seller on the long list of Tyree publications. ((Reviewed September 15, 1999))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1999, American Library Association.)