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Bliss: A Novel | 
 enlarge | Author: Danyel Smith
Publisher: Crown
Category: Book
List Price: $23.95
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Rating:  8 reviews
Sales Rank: 1361654
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 304
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 9.4 x 5.8 x 1.1
ISBN: 1400046424
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.6
EAN: 9781400046423
ASIN: 1400046424
Publication Date: July 12, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Danyel Smith is one of the most acclaimed music journalists of her generation, a prose stylist who “writes with music in her language” (Quincy Jones). In Bliss, a thrillingly sensual tale drenched with love and music, Smith dives deep into an intriguing set of characters facing life-changing choices in the swirl of the music industry at its decadent peak.
At a glossy gathering on Paradise Island, record exec Eva Glenn—soulful, sexy, powerful, and possibly pregnant—is hosting a comeback showcase for her singing sensation Sunny Addison, a barefoot diva with a poet’s heart and the voice of a lion. At the event’s high-strung peak, however, Eva begins to sink beneath the waves of anxiety washing over her—anxiety about a confusing sexual triangle, a career at a crossroads, and choices to be made about her possible pregnancy—and decides, in a blink, to flee. She leaves Paradise for the petite, pastoral island of Cat, accompanied by her sometime-lover D’Artagnan Addison, an earnestly crazy mystic looking for answers of his own. What begins as an idyllic break quickly turns into an intense sojourn that brings Eva to terms with the crises closing in on her.
Smith casts a wittily skeptical eye on the absurd drama of the music industry, but infuses every page with an infectious, bracing, unashamed passion for the power of pop. Her language matches the spirit of the music she writes about, echoing everything from throaty blues shouts and hip hop menace to the transcendent joy of a perfect R & B love song. This is a novel about the real rhythm and blues of life, about pain and loss and why we hold tight, in the end, to the sex and music and love that offer us a fleeting glimpse of bliss, even when the price is steep.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 3 more reviews...
 Life is Music July 19, 2005
Shelia M Goss (Entertainment Writer and Essence Bestselling Author of My Invisible Husband, Paige's Web & Double Platinum)
6 out of 7 found this review helpful
Danyel Smith's sophomore novel, Bliss, is a tale of a behind the scenes music diva, Eva Glenn. As a record exec, Eva has seen a lot during her career in the music industry.
The novel spins around Eva's quest to find the type of happiness that no amount of money can buy. She escapes to an island in the Bahamas with hopes of finding the joy that's been missing from her life.
The author cleverly inserts music lingo in the story, but don't be confused, it's not your typical hip-hop story. In fact, the music is only the backdrop to a deeper story. How can one have success, but still feel lost?
During her down period, Eva contemplates on whether or not to keep her baby after a number of previous abortions. She also must come to grips with her non-committed relationships with D'artagnan Addison (DART) and Ronald Littlejohn (Ron).
Ms. Smith's novel BLISS is a gripping story from beginning to end. After reading it, you'll feel educated about the music industry and entertained at the same time.
Reviewed by Shelia M Goss, Essence Best Selling Author of My Invisible Husband and Roses are Thorns, Violets are True.
 Life Changing Experiences July 23, 2005
Yasmin Coleman (PENNSYLVANIA, USA)
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
In her second novel titled Bliss, Danyel Smith, explores the decadent world of the hip-hop industry during the late 90s. Smith introduces the reader to a formidable, sometimes sexy, sometimes sultry, sometimes `evil' but always keeping it real character known as Eva Glenn.
Via Eva, a woman's point of view is used to expose the reader to the hip-hop music industry. Eva Glenn is the IT girl--but what price does she have to pay to stay at the top of an industry that is dominated by white men, vicious cutthroat environments, rampant backstabbing and few women or minorities at the executive level, or in the board room, where the power deals are made.
As Bliss opens, we witness Eva doing what she does best--hosting a glitzy showcase in Paradise Islands, Bahamas for one of the shining stars under her Roadshow Records label. As readers' journeys with Eva, we quickly realize that although she exudes a cool, calm and collective outer exterior, internally--Eva is juggling a lot of balls in the air and realizing that all of them might come crashing down at a moments notice. Eva has been in the music industry so long and has put her personal life on eternal hold that she has forgotten that she might just want what many other woman want--a child, husband, and a home with the white picket fence. Her stay in Paradise Islands leads to some serious soul-searching as she looks deep within to make some arduous decisions regarding an unexpected pregnancy, her all-consuming career and a wicked love triangle.
Set against the backdrop of love and music, Smith's latest novel is sometimes quirky, sometimes eccentric and sometimes brutally honest about the music business. At times, the novel's hip-hop emphasis was lost on me (my musical preference is R&B, Jazz), however, I enjoyed reading about the behind the scenes business view of the industry as well as hanging out with Eva and her flaky sidekicks. This contemporary literary read is great for passing the time on a lazy summer day.
Reviewed by Yasmin
APOOO BookClub
Literary Bliss November 17, 2005
The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers (RAWSISTAZ.com and BlackBookReviews.net)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Danyel Smith's BLISS is a novel of self-discovery and love. Eva is a sexy, independent, strong-willed executive in the music business that is dominated by men who have labeled her Evil Eva. During the late 1990s, with hip-hop and the music trade as the background, Eva has worked hard to garner her position in the music world where the battle for respect is a never-ending fight. While at an industry function on Paradise Island in the Bahamas, she must confront a turning point in her career, her love for two men and the possibility of being pregnant. With the help of one of her lovers, she flees Paradise Island in search of some answers and truths.
Eva's escape is really a time for her to think about the decisions she has made in her personal and professional life. She also must examine the truths she has tried so hard to hide from when thinking about her mother, her personal relationships and who she really is. While on Cat Island in the Bahamas, Eva finds herself in the midst of all the denials and lies and makes a critical decision that will alter not only her life, but also the lives of others. With acknowledgment of her past and acceptance of her future, she begins to embrace her truths that she has denied for so long. This means being honest about her mother, a possible change in her career and just maybe becoming a mother.
Danyel Smith has written a novel with prose that is deliberate, sensual and witty. She gives the reader a strong heroine who is complicated and flawed. When anxiety over her life becomes frantic, Eva escapes in search of her truth and herself. Danyel Smith paints a gorgeous picture with words and phrases to take readers on Eva's journey of self-discovery. One would be remiss to not mention this novel is laden with information on the music industry, through which the author gives an up-close and personal view of the behind-the-scenes workings of the business. Additionally, Ms. Smith gives us a musical history of hip-hop, R & B and pop music. I found myself reminiscing about the songs mentioned throughout the story, not to mention trying to sing them. The characters are well-developed and realistic. The writing style is uniquely Ms. Smith's. She eloquently puts words to paper in a manner that gives you time to digest and feel what she is trying to convey. Her pacing tends to be deliberately slow, but in a thoughtful way. The beauty of the words, the path of the main character's discovery and the music are what readers will take from Ms. Smith's newest offering. BLISS, with everything it is offering, will resonate long after the final page is read.
Reviewed by Cashana Seals
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers
 BLISS-fully boring September 14, 2005
Sheyelise (Hou, TX)
When I saw the four star rating here on Amazon I was open to giving this book a try and the rating is what kept me reading to page 50. But seeing the reviews she recieved from Black Expressions readers confirmed for me that I was not alone and this book is a total flop.(And I now believe the author herself or her family and friends posted these stellar reviews). Smith jumps from present to past and the past has no relevance to the story (as far as I can see). And she plugs in lyrics and titles of so many songs, old school and new school alike. I was like 'okay, we get it. You have an up on music.' But she revealed hardly nothing new under the sun (pardon the pun) about the industry. Perhaps More Like Wrestling will be better since I have that on hold at my local library. Though now I'm hesitant to give Smith another chance. Definetly don't spend your money on this book nor go through the hassle of checking it out at the library. I don't recommend borrowing it from a friend either. That's just how boring it is.
Confusing, boring, soulless heroine September 20, 2005
Sula (NJ)
0 out of 4 found this review helpful
I agree with a previous reviewer whose gotten to page 50, but reluctantly so. I am reading until I get the next book I've ordered. Thus far, I've found the book hard to keep reading because none of the characters are people that I have any interest in. The repeated references to the "death of hip hop," are a bit much. I liked her other book, More Like Wrestling, which is why I picked up this book. But thus far, Bliss is not holding my attention. Eva, the main character, is insipid. Nothing more to write because I probably won't finish reading this book.
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