Hold You Down: A Novel
Written by Tracy Brown
Narrated by Patryce Williams
4.5/5
()
About this audiobook
Hold You Down is an edgy novel from rising star Tracy Brown about the perils of love and the ties that bind…
New York City. Late 1980s to early 1990s.
Mercy and Lenox Howard have always only had each other. Growing up on the mean streets of Harlem with an absentee mother meant that they had to have each other's backs. Now young, smart mothers they are determined to survive in New York City while raising their two sons, who have bright futures ahead of them.
Mercy is the quiet, straight laced hospital administrator, struggling to make ends meet. At night and on weekends, she pours her heart into her cooking and her dream of owning her own restaurant. Lenox is the diva, the wild child, looking for excitement and her big come up in life and love. Their boys, Deon and Judah, have been raised more like brothers than cousins, forging a bond that is unbreakable.
When Lenox heads down a path that she believes will bring success and power, it changes the entire course of her life and her family’s life forever. As a result of their mother’s choices, cousins Deon and Judah soon find themselves in uncharted territory.
A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin’s Press.
Tracy Brown
Tracy Brown is the Essence bestselling author of Boss; White Lines, White Lines II: Sunny, White Lines III: All Falls Down, Aftermath, Snapped, Twisted, Criminal Minded, Black and Dime Piece. She passed away two days after turning in Brooklyn—her final, and arguably best, book. The African Americans on the Move Book Club bestowed their Urban Classic Honor Award on Tracy's White Lines series in celebration of her legacy and impact on the literary world.
More audiobooks from Tracy Brown
Brooklyn Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Snapped: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Boss Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Aftermath: A Snapped Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Related to Hold You Down
Related audiobooks
Tumbling Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Miss Pearly's Girls Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Single Black Female Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mrs. Wiggins Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Perfect Peace: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Thick of Love Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Thing About Home Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Empty Vows Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Behind Her Lives Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Our Gen: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Somebody's Wife Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Where Wild Peaches Grow: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Love, Honor, Betray Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Black Hamptons Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Marriage Pass Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hurricane Summer: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5White Lines Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5No Reservations: A Novel of Friendship Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5White Lines II: Sunny A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5War Of The Heart: An Achim Jeffers Novel Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBlues Dancing Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Million Dollar Divorce Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Double Lives Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Loving Donovan Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Blackwoods Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Every Black Girl Dances Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Upper Room Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The After Party Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Tryin' To Sleep In the Bed You Made Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
African American Fiction For You
Sing, Unburied, Sing: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5When No One Is Watching: A Thriller Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Other Black Girl: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Kindred Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Weird Black Girls: Stories Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Queenie Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Honey and Spice: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The World Wasn't Ready for You: Stories Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Flipping Boxcars: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Queen of Exiles: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Not So Perfect Strangers Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5You Were Always Mine: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5We Are Not Like Them: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Black Candle Women: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Bad Witches Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Must Love Books Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Someday, Maybe Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5All Her Little Secrets: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Orgy: A Short Story About Desire Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Where Wild Peaches Grow: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5On Rotation: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Black Girls Must Be Magic: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Wife Before Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5As the Wicked Watch: The First Jordan Manning Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Black Imagination: Black Voices on Black Futures Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hitting a Straight Lick with a Crooked Stick: Stories from the Harlem Renaissance Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Glory Be: A Glory Broussard Mystery, Book 1 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Awkward Black Man: Stories Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5People Person Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Summer on the Bluffs: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for Hold You Down
128 ratings19 reviews
What our readers think
Readers find this title to be a mix of positive and negative reviews. Some readers enjoyed the story and found it well-written, while others had issues with the narrator's voice and the overall tone of the book. Despite the negative feedback on the narrator, the storyline kept readers interested and invested in the characters. The book evoked strong emotions and was described as a page-turner. Overall, it is a good read with a tragic hood tale and valuable lessons, although the narration may be a drawback for some.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5This book left me feeling sad and empty. A tragic hood tale!
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This was a great book! I hated the narrator, but the storyline was amazing.
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Fantastic writing! Such a good job with character build up and deep diving into their lives. I felt like I knew them so well, and that made me feel connected to everything they went through. Some parts had me weeping!! The narrator did a GREAT job with each character, especially the younger ones. It may be tough to get through at some points but so worth the listen.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Wow!!! I am speechless honestly, what a story?!!! Life has a way of shaping things, sometimes good and sometimes bad. 5 stars to the author.! Amazing writing.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I love it.. So many emotions I felt but it was really good
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This book was so true for so many black boys and men. It touches on the everyday struggle and the hopes and deeams of doing better, getting out, and the crabs in the barrel concept.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The reader made this book very difficult to finish. She sounded as though she was stuffy or had a cold and the voices for the characters were not great at all. The book was ok. There was just one bad thing after the next and after a while it just got to be over the top. I had a hard time pressing toward the end. I hope they can find another reader for any other books she writes.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5The narrator was horrible and I felt like a child being read a children’s book. Only kept listening because of all the twists happening in the book but then the end sucked.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Literally had me at work, ugly crying ??♀️.. Great book
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5It’s not the book that’s the problem… it’s the narrator on the audio version. She made it VERY hard to get into the book. After the first few minutes, I knew I was going to regret getting the audio version. Good story. Good lessons. Horrible narration.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5This book took me through the emotional trenches!! BUT it is brilliantly written and makes you invested in every character!! I loved the narrator!!
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This book was wild! Nothing how I excited. It reminded me of The Coldest Winter ever and Moth to Flame. Def a hood/urban book with some great writing. The narrator voice was funny at times, but it did not bother me. Great job, Tracy Brown!
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I loved it! Wasn’t expecting the ending, but still a good read
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A great story…sad but true as to family dynamics. Recommend
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This story was out of the norm for me. But I'm glad I stuck with it. I agree with another reviewer about the narration. The reader's style was a bit distracting for me but the story line kept my interest. Bravo to the author for a well written story.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Great read but tough! They couldn’t catch a break. After the first big thing I had to take a break for a few.. I… was… Sobbing throughout!
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Wonderful story! I couldn’t put the book down omgoodness great!!!
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Whew!! This book was like real life unfolding…I almost stopped reading sooo many times. Like in the movies when you’re telling the characters not to open the basement door ?. Can’t say if I’d read it again. Too close to my own life/family stories and drama but overall pretty good read.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This book had my emotions up down and sideways. All parties in this book seem just one decision shy of living the life they wanted to live vs. how they were actually living. Excellent book, a definite page turner!
1 person found this helpful