One Woman Short

by Nelson George

Book Overview

A novel for the woman who wants to discover how men view the dating game. With its funny insights into the male psyche the female reader can find out how to be viewed as a potential bride or categorised as just a date.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0743218604
• ISBN13: 9780743218603
• Release Date: August 2001
• Publisher: Touchstone Books
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 4.2" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

Very Witty, Mature, Entertaining and Refreshing...

Move over Eric Jerome Dickey and Omar Tyree...Nelson George's name should be as common to a readers' lips as is a tongue. One Woman Short, paperback, even available at [local retailer] 255 pages with a revised book cover design. Nelson George is an excellent writer. I stumbled upon this book while browsing black authors at [local retailer]. It was a very good read and I highly recommend to book clubs and individual readers alike. Rodney Hampton (main character) whose occupation is in Public Relations, runs Hampton Media in Los Angeles, CA. This single man is a professional when it comes to juggling women. He is single and loving it, or so he thought until his best friend Tim gets married. Rodney goes through the usual symptoms that most brothers do, when their running buddy decides to settle down. Then the story takes an unusual turn. Rodney makes a list that consist of 133 women from his past. He is eager to see if his noncommittal ways etc. caused him to miss out on a good wife. He decides to contact the top three candidates. After his ailing mother tells him he is "one woman short"...that is the fuel to drive him through his search.The reader will be mentally transported (Oprah says that is the key to a good story) to California. Taste buds will desire something from the menu at Roscoe's Chicken & Waffles or Aunt Kizzy's Soul Food. Ears will imagine the sounds of music coming from some fancy entertainment industry party. Rodney's line of work puts him in the midst of whose who in Black Hollywood's Music and Movie Industry. I was even intriqued at the thought of the Blaxican Cafe (a mexican soul food restaurant).I simply could not put this book down. It was a definite page turner. I had to see what would happen as Rodney contacted the three women from his past. It was refreshing to follow Rodney's immature reflection turn into mature introspection. All single readers may want to prepare a list of their own after reading the book. The list says a lot about each persons' journey to the here and now.The reader will feel up close and personal while reading this story. See what happens when someone gives too little in a relationship or gives too much. Will the complex man named Rodney (who deep down wants to write children's books, enjoys Aveda bath gel and candles and feels responsible when taking his neices to the WNBA games) remain one woman short? Will Tim fall victim to temptation? Will the friendship between Rodney and Tim remain strong? Each well developed character has a story of their own that includes betrayal, tragedy, sex, happiness, true love, healing, friendship and jealously...VERY ENTERTAINING!The story is very witty, sexy, funny, intelligent and refreshing. The author has a unique flair for story telling. His use of metaphors and analogies certainly are on the money...the character are well defined and very memorable. I could hardly believe little old Houston, Texas was mentioned in this story.

One chapter short!

Please don't misunderstand . . . this book is da bomb! BUY IT! READ IT! ENJOY IT! But, (and there is aways a but . . .) Nelson George leaves us hanging! How? This is a story about a 33-year-old businessman who has an epithay as best man at his best friend's wedding. The experience is so surreal that our hero begins to take stock of his own life and his loves and decides that maybe it's time to settle down and find a wife. He makes a list of the 133 women he has been with and determines that 3 women from his past(for various reasons) are the ones that he should focus on. Pressure is also brought to bear on our hero by his older sister, elderly mother, one of his nieces and a host of others hell bent on getting our hero to the altar as quickly as possible. We get to the end of the book and we know who the last woman is that our hero is with, but the last chapter doesn't get him (or us) to the altar! We presume that the woman he is last with the THE ONE, but we have no gurantee! (Frankly, I liked our hero single. I'm a woman who has been married for nearly 30 years and have a son and a daugter who both my husband and I encourage to see the world and date often and continuously. Who says everyone has to marry? It wasn't one of the Ten Commandment, was it? ) In any event, ONE WOMAN SHORT is a great read just as Nelson George's other novels, SEDUCED (1997) and URBAN ROMANCE (1999) were. Mr. George is an excellent writer. If you enjoyed WAITING IN VAIN by Colin Channer and/or UNTIL by Timmothy B. McCann, you're going to love ONE WOMAN SHORT (even though Mr. George left out the last chapter! . . . or maybe there's a sequel in the works . . . you think? Be still my heart!)

It was good, but could've been better!

I just finished reading this book yesterday and it was quite intriguing. The characters were well put together and so was the story line. Reading this book made me want to make my own list of past guys I've dated. I think Nelson George is a brilliant writer and I can relate alot to some of the female characters in this box. Also, their is a twist at the end of the book with the woman he ends up with. Hope you enjoy it too.

Really Good and Fun!

Very impressive! The book starts explosive and keeps you reading until the very end. One of the main characters, Rodney is someone who impressed me the most. His search and quest throughout the book has you wondering if he's for real. But with time, you see his growth and mental fine tuning with putting his life in perspective.Rodney also has great supporting characters such as his best friend, Tim, who quickly becomes a leader by example.Anyone looking for a well written story about family, friendships, love.....and a few other things, One Woman Short is this summer's pick of the bunch.