| Title | : | A Day Late and a Dollar Short |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0451211081 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780451211088 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 496 |
| Publication | : | First published December 29, 2000 |
With her hallmark exuberance and a cast of characters so sassy, resilient, and full of life that they breathe, dream, and shout right off the page, Terry McMillan has given us a tour-de-force novel of family, healing, and redemption. A Day Late and a Dollar Short takes us deep into the hearts, minds, and souls of America—and gives us six more friends we never want to leave.
A Day Late and a Dollar Short Reviews
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Great read! relatable and relevant topics concerning the black families (struggles etc)...well written and recommend to all (paperback!)
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The book is funny in parts and Viola is a great character. All of the characters are well-written and their individual stories are very familiar in today's world. The mother begins telling the story. She then describes her (family) husband, children, and grandchildren in a way that only a mother, wife, and grandmother can. It was downright hilarious. To my surprise,however, the husband and children tell their opinions on the family and themselves. When you see how the family sees a person as opposed to how the person sees themselves you begin to think about some of the attitudes you have towards members of your own family. The beginning of the book will have you cracking up and by the end you will be in tears.
It explored in great details the twist and turns on an African American family through their ups and downs. It was very realistic yet honestly funny. There were times when you laughed and times when you cried, but throughout the entire book you could relate to one if not more of the events happening. -
I normally dont like Terry McMillan's work because she curses too much and she's the only author I know that write books where the movie is better. But, She did the darn thing with this one. I loved this book. I've read it five times. Two times back to back and I very rarely read the same book twice. There is someone in this family that mirrors a person in your own family for each of her characters. This family saga is a must read. You will find yourself not wanting to put it down and work, sleep and yes even your needy hungry kids will be an inconvenience while reading this lol. And you wont put it down until you find yourself holding your pee for way too long and realize how rediculously hooked to this book you are! I absolutely LOVED this book!
Still cant find myself getting into any of her other ones though. -
A provocative look at family relationships....
With this book, I had trouble with the style of writing. Here are 3 sentences:
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- How come don't nobody ever believe me when I tell the truth? I can't hardly ball up my fist, my knuckles is so swollen.
- It ain't no reason why we gotta settle for being middle-class when we can move into a whole 'nother income bracket if we just pick up the pace.
- "Damn" is all I can say, but what's really on my mind is how I'ma get out to their house to put my foot in this MF**** a**.
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Too much bad English and too much unnecessary cursing that doesn't add to the story. So I be closing 'dis here book up quick and giving it two of dim stars just 'cause Terry McMillan name be on da cover. -
Admittedly, I am late to the party. I recently finished Terry McMillan's A Day Late and a Dollar Short (Penguin, 2002) and enjoyed it from cover to cover. There is no question that Ms. McMillan is a gifted storyteller and this work certainly does not disappoint. I am partial to stories which examine family dynamics, confront their inherent dysfunction, and lead the characters along the road to redemption. A Day Late more than delivered on my expectations.
Each chapter is narrated by one of the main characters. Readers will learn something about each family member's self-concept as well as their perceptions regarding the rest of the clan. Viola and Cecil Price, married for 38 years, are parents to their very adult (and very flawed) children: Paris, Lewis, Charlotte, and Janelle. I fell in love with Viola whose life served as a call to action for her family. A self-proclaimed "know-it-all", who believed that it was her duty to meddle in everyone else's business, Viola told the truth--whether anybody wanted to hear it or not. When she came to terms with her own personal missteps, Viola grabbed life by the horns and started anew. She also insisted that her family follow her lead. Trying really hard not to give anything away, just know that the effect that Viola's advice has on everyone else is a game-changer.
The lesson that I learned from A Day Late is to live every single day to the fullest. The next 5 minutes aren't promised, so when you decide to finally "get it together", time may not be on your side. Define who you are as a person. Follow your passions. Never stop learning. Challenge yourself beyond your limits. And if you are not sure of how to get started, pick up a copy of A Day Late and a Dollar Short. When you finish reading it, you will know exactly what you need to do.
Well done, Ms. McMillan. Very well done. -
For a book that's almost 500 pages, I'm excited to have read it in two days!
From start to finish this book was excellent, gave the perfect "fly on the wall" eye view of the entire Price family. I found myself cheering for each character it was impossible to choose one favorite.
I see this (like most McMillan novels) has been adapted into a movie, I can not wait to watch! -
DYSFUNCTIONAL FAMILY soooooooooooo real life
None of us are flawless and no one wants to read how honky dory life is for someone else. In A DAY LATE AND A DOLLAR SHORT, you find a family boggled down with secrets, infidelity, rape/molestation, drug abuse, teen sex, sexuality and envy. This is everyone's family! Where did this woman emerge from? McMillan has captivated me with every single book! Not one complaint and I am hoping that she continues to write and continues to create characters that people can relate to.
Viola, the mother, is the strength of this entire family; even when in relation to her ex-husband and his new family. Viola sees all and hears all and that's without one word being said, now that's a real mother! Even after death, Viola, is there to help all of them mend the pieces and shows them how special they all are and how to utilize that special gifts they each have.
A DAY LATE AND A DOLLAR SHORT is truly a portrayal of a real family and I read it with a box of Kleenex. -
I really liked the style of storytelling Terry McMillan used in this novel. Getting each character's POV of the other characters was a unique strategy. Good show, Terry. The story was gritty and real in demonstrating how family life often goes. I appreciated that aspect. There was a bit too much foul language in it for my taste although I know people do talk like that. I just felt too many of these characters were spouting curse words unnecessarily but that's my personal objection. Viola spoke on it to one of her children but really all of them were guilty if you ask me. Other than that it was a good story depicting a typical familial dynamic with the strength and wisdom of a black matriarch. A sacrificing mother who gets too little too late. The ending is a two-hanky, tear-jerker and happy one combined. It's a good read, well worth the time.
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First let me start off by saying that when I opened up this book to find an extended family tree on the first two pages, I immediately became a little nervous. No one wants to interrupt their reading experience by constantly referring to the legend at the front of the book.
Luckily for me, I didn’t have to.
In A Day Late and A Dollar Short, Terry McMillan paints the picture of a dysfunctional family just trying to make it day by day. There’s Viola, the matriarch, who starts the book off by suffering a nearly fatal asthma attack. There’s Cecil, her (soon to be ex) husband, who has left Viola and is living with another (younger) woman across town. Then there are their children: Paris, Janelle, Lewis and Charlotte, each with their own set of problems.
This story is told from six perspectives, which initially makes it difficult to enjoy. The chapters are not labeled by name so it takes you a minute to realize who is speaking. Unfortunately, this is consistent throughout the entire book. While each character’s story is engaging, the fact that each one doesn’t have their own distinctive voice makes it a bit bothersome. Added to this is the fact that the chapters are long-winded, trying to cram every detail making certain parts of this story repetitive.
Even with those problems, I still really enjoyed this book. McMillan has created wonderfully complex characters that are constantly challenged, exploring exactly why they have become the way they are. Not only focusing on problems that affect the black community, the seemingly casual way with which she deals with different traumatic events, such as Lewis’s molestation by family members and Paris’s substance abuse, leaves one caught off guard. It’s not that she doesn’t delve into the matter…she does. However, she doesn’t allow the character to use it as an excuse. She hasn’t created a book of victims bemoaning and belaboring. She takes this family that has essentially fallen apart and shown how they each are trying to piece it back together again, gifting us with a group of sassy, strong people struggling to find solutions, which makes this an uplifting, positive story. -
I'm sorry - I can't finish this book. The characters are all basically unlikeable folks who "explain themselves" - which means giving excuses why their lives and their children are so screwed up. Essentially, they make one bad decision after another.
While this type of book might resonate with another audience, I just find it tedious & depressing. -
Great read!
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No family is perfect. We argue. We fight. And even at times we stopped talking to each other. But in the end, family is always family. The love will always be there :)
This is a family saga. The author, introduces the reader to Viola Price and her family and instantly you are part it. You shout, cry and laugh with them and in certain parts you want to shake sense into them and shout 'get over it and move on!' but then you realize that they need to discover things for themselves before they can do that (even if it means changing when it is too late).
A Day Late and a Dollar Short is mature, spiritual and enlightening because it broadens the relationship concept to include parents, siblings, step-families and friends and how this shapes us as people. Viola, the mother, is the strength of this entire family; even when in relation to her ex-husband and his new family.
However, at certain chapters I find the story to be repetitive. Somewhat predictable, but enjoyable to read.
I don't want to give the story away. Just trust me! The book will make you laugh and cry. -
A Day Late and a Dollar Short is an engaging fictional account of a multigenerational family in turmoil. The parents separate, the adult children are at each other, and each one is fighting their own battles. Their personal stories are deep, complex, and have to be worked out for the family to unite and survive.
I enjoyed the layers built into each character. The story switches effortlessly in between dramatic plots, breathtaking crises, and tear-jerking moments. Another aspect that intrigued me was how we saw some characters fighting poverty. In contrast, others had plenty, alcoholism and addiction issues, marriage problems, classism between the siblings, several health crises, teenagers thriving, and others in trouble.
All-in-all, An interesting and relatable read told from various points of view. In the end, life works out, and we learn what drives each character's behavior and choices. -
This isn't a book I would have picked up on my own, but it was the book club selection for February. I was told that it was a fabulous book, and to be honest, at first I just wasn't feeling it. It wasn't a bad book by any means, but I guess I just wasn't really in the right frame of mind to read it or something. I didn't understand what the point even was. By the end though, I totally got it, and completely understand why this is such a fabulous book. If you've been putting it off, read it. If your family is struggling and you feel like it's fractured, READ THIS Book! That's all.
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This book was 2 long.
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Onvan : A Day Late and a Dollar Short - Nevisande : Terry McMillan - ISBN : 451211081 - ISBN13 : 9780451211088 - Dar 496 Safhe - Saal e Chap : 2000
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There was so much craziness in this book that I don't think it would ever be traditionally published in 2023, nor would it be adapted for the small screen and air on Lifetime. Pages and pages of dysfunction and a lot of it made my stomach turn. Terry, what was going on here?
But, surprisingly, the ending was a tearjerker. Three stars for wrapping it up nicely with a bow at the end. I'm not big on sappy saccharine endings, but this one needed it. BADLY.
Sidenote: I watched the movie immediately after and so much was changed, they might as well not even say it was based on this book. That said, they would have HAD to change nearly all of it because no way in hell Lifetime, or any channel other than HBO or Cinemax, would've aired it. -
This book is full of lessons, but the biggest one is to live your life to the fullest. Say the things you want to say and don’t wait for tomorrow to tell someone you love them or to make them proud. Do it today. The story and characters are relatable, so much so I felt joy when they felt joy, and pain when they were feeling pain. I was brought to tears on more than one occasion.
At first I didn’t think I was going to like how the story was told. Each chapter coming from a different characters perspective, but in the end it felt right. I am a little surprised by who recommended this book to me. I will need to thank him and find out what other treasures he has tucked away. -
The story of Viola Price and her family will stay with me for a long time. It's a brilliantly written novel and there were several passages that brought tears to my eyes. I feel that I truly got to know each and every one of the characters. Terry McMillan is one of those authors whose work always leaves me satisfied.
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Umm.....it was ok
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A Day Late and A Dollar Short
Viola Price has suffered an asthma attack and is in the hospital. She starts thinking about her children and her husband and the changes she’ll make when she gets out. Then it splits into the stories of her four kids and husband. When Viola gets out she’s paid a visit by her kids (Janelle, Paris, and Lewis). She notices that something is off with her granddaughter Shanice (whose dressing hot, has a smart mouth, and is sneaking liquor). Eventually, she finds out what’s going on with her step-dad George and takes Shanice in temporarily. Things start looking up for Viola. She confides all the things she’d like to do to her eldest daughter Paris and because of this, she gets her a new condo, a new car, and new dentures. She also makes plans to go on a cruise with her neighbor Loretta. But shortly after celebrating her 55th birthday, Viola suffers another bad asthma attack (brought on by the paint fumes in her new condo, and gas fumes at the service station) and dies on the way to the hospital. She leaves behind with Loretta letters for her kids to read on Thanksgiving (but they can’t read their own letters).
Cecil is her husband. He and Vy meet at 14 when he was a crossing guard. They got married, had the kids, and eventually ended up in Vegas. They opened up a string of bbq joints called The Shack. But because they were in bad areas they started to get robbed. Viola started to change and become bitchy. On New Year's Eve, they got into an argument because Cecil came home late (Viola thought he was cheating but actually he was with a friend (male) at the casino. Cecil left and has been staying with a woman named Brenda and her three kids. Brenda’s younger but she makes Cecil feel attractive and appreciated. (Something Viola hasn’t in a long time). Brenda later in the story surprises him and tells him she’s pregnant and Cecil is elated that he can still make a baby. Later even though she tells him it might not be his, he decides he doesn’t care and will raise it like it is. The baby turns out to be a girl. Cecil is the first (and only one) to visit Viola when she’s in the hospital. He also visits her when she gets out and his kids are there (Janelle, Lewis, and Paris). Hearing that he moved out is a bad shock to the youngest (Janelle) because all the others knew. But Janelle is the first one he tells that he’s going to be a father again. (This doesn’t go over well with her). Cecil is told by Loretta of Viola’s passing and takes it hard because the previous day he served her with divorce papers. But in the end, she asks for his forgiveness in a letter before she passed, tells him to be good to Brenda and her kids, open the Shacks back up, and spend time with his biological kids before it’s too late. Cecil spends Thanksgiving at Paris’s house with his kids and his new family.
Lewis is Viola’s son. He’s been in some trouble on and off (in and out of jail). He’s genius-level smart and has lots of ideas for inventions but he drinks because 1) he has severe arthritis and it makes it hard to work and 2) he’s still not over his ex-Donetta whose moved on and married a white man (Todd). Donetta and Lewis have a son Jamil. Lewis is seeing a girl named Luisa, who lends him money to go see Viola when she gets out the hospital. But while he’s there he gets thrown in jail for driving drunk and getting Viola’s car impounded. He leaves shortly after to go back home (even though he has a trial coming up). While he’s home he’s paid a visit by his son Jamil who has a black eye given to him by Todd for smoking weed. Jamil pleads with Lewis to let him but he can’t because Donetta has custody. Lewis then takes him back and gets into an altercation with Todd and is thrown back in jail. He’s allowed to come home for Viola’s funeral. Afterward, he gets beaten up by some Mexicans and finds out that’s he’s been in the hospital unconscious for 4 days and almost died from the high levels of alcohol in his system. After this, he straightens up, starts going to AA, and starts to use the money Viola left him to get some of his inventions patented. Viola’s letter to Lewis tells him to get some help for his drinking, and some better medicine for his arthritis, she tells him to look after his son before it’s too late, get to know his own father, and take care of his sisters.
Janelle- Janelle is the youngest daughter. She hasn’t quite found her fit in the world so she’s been going to college for years. Early in the book, she’s studying real estate. She’s married to a man named George whose a cop. But before this, she was previously married to a man that she had a daughter by. Viola starts noticing her daughter (Shanice) is pulling out her hair. She has George hit her. Janelle confronts George and he says this isn’t true. Janelle finds out that she’s pregnant by George (who isn’t quite thrilled by this). She then walks in to find Shanice giving George a hand job. She kicks George out and later learns he’s been doing this since Shanice was about 5. Janelle decides to let Shanice stay with Viola temporarily. Later she finds out that he also did this to his other daughters (who really turned out to be his stepdaughters). Shanice won’t testify to have him arrested but one of his other daughters will. Janelle finds a shop called Elegant Clutter that sells unique odds and ends. The lady over the shop needs a partner (Orange Blossom). So with the money Viola leaves and her settlement, Janelle is now able to pursue something she’s passionate about. Viola’s letter to Janelle tells her that even though she doesn’t quite understand her interest of tarot, pychics, and obsession with holidays, she admires her for being her own person. She tells her to make sure she gets some help for Shanice and encourage her to be strong, and that what she’s looking for is she’s already found in some of the odd things she makes because they’re beautiful.
Charlotte is the middle daughter. She doesn’t have a good relationship with Viola (and tends to hang up the phone a lot in her face) because she thinks her mother favors Paris because she’s the one that has the most success (She has her own catering business and does the most for Viola). She also thinks Viola likes her son (Dingus) better than her three kids (Monique, Tiffany, and Trevor) because Dingus is a great athlete and has schools chasing him left and right. Charlotte works at the post office (and HATES it) and has two laundromats (which aren’t doing well) with her husband (Al). Basically, Charlotte wants more. Charlotte’s daughters are fast but one of em (Monique) can play the flute and is smart but she’s on medication that’s dulling it. Trevor can also sew like nobody’s business, but he’s gay. Charlotte denies this at first but finds out the truth later when she finds some male porn magazines in his room. Then later he calls himself a fag. Charlotte is also dealing with the fact that she found out that Al had an affair while she was pregnant ten years ago, and then because their income tax is cut finding out that he had a baby by this same woman. She kicks Al out and plans to divorce him. She find out she’s won the lottery and wants to start her own business but isn’t quite sure what kind of mail-order business to start. Before Viola passes, Charlotte has hung up on Viola a time to many and she decides she’s over Charlotte. But Charlotte calls Viola to make good of her promise to split the lottery money. When Charlotte finds out Viola passed she and Paris get into it because not only was Charlotte the only one that didn’t come when Viola got out the hospital, she also didn’t come to help sort Viola’s things. She then tries to get the dining room set Viola put on layaway that Paris paid for. At the funeral, Paris, and Charlotte get into it again over Nathan (Paris’s ex-husband) showing up. The fight ends in her throwing cake in Paris’s face. Charlotte afterward decides to seek therapy. She does show up on Thanksgiving with Al and the kdis. Viola’s letter to Charlotte apologizes for not giving her the attention she needed because she realizes she was just crying out. But she tells her don’t take it out on Paris (and the rest). She encourages Charlotte to find out what makes her happy and what she can be proud of because Viola is already proud of her. (And to forgive Al)
Last but not least is Paris the oldest. Paris is the only Price kid that’s really made it. She has her own catering company, she’s been offered a cooking show, and she has plans to do a recipe book. Her son has colleges out the wazoo trying to recruit him to play football for him and he’s going to go to medical school. So the rest of them see her as Miss Perfect. But Paris has a pain pill addiction. It gets so bad she steals from her client's medicine cabinets and lies to her doctors. Her son gets a pregnancy scare from one girl (Megan) and then actually does end up getting another girl pregnant (Jade). In the end he has to pay for her to get an abortion because her father is a preacher and doesn’t want his daughter’s future messed up just as much as Paris doesn’t want Dingus’s future thrown away. Paris by the end up the book goes to rehab and is by Thanksgiving dating her landscaper Randall. Viola’s letter to Paris is an apology of putting too high of expectations on her and telling her it’s ok to just do something half-ass.
My Thoughts: This was really good. I liked Viola’s “tone”. She was written in such a “keep it 100” way that she was easy to relate to and like. I just couldn’t help but thinking tho. MAN this book makes me SO happy I didn’t have kids! Although I did start seeing the people in my family in the characters. For example, there’s a Charlotte in my family and she can be bossy. She also gets jealous and tends to think that she’s not as liked by her own kids as much as my other aunt. Just like this Charlotte felt like she wasn’t liked by Viola as much as Paris. Charlotte in my family also is a fighter. She has been known to throw a punch. Just like this Charlotte throw a cake at Paris as well as slapped the mess out of her after they read their letters. But my Charlotte wouldn’t have done it and laughed afterward. Just like this Charlotte could get into situations that didn’t concern her and think she was right so does the Charlotte in my family. There’s also a Brenda in my family that was the woman that was turned to when things went bad that eventually ended up being the wife. I think the ones I could relate to most tho were Janelle and Lewis. Janelle because sometimes like her I feel like the odd one in the family. The one that believes in tarot and kind of walks my own separate path from the rest of them and doesn’t bow down to what they want even if they tease me about it. Lewis because no one ever took Lewis’s medical issues seriously until really the end of the book. I related to the fact that it wasn’t *just* an excuse that he couldn’t work like they expected him to and I know how that is when sometimes you try to work and you just can’t because of a health reason. Then here comes the pressure from family. “Well why aren’t you working?” and “When are you gonna get a job?” And it made me wonder if Lewis's arthritis is “THAT* bad where he’s practically deformed, why he’s not receiving any kind of disability monthly. I could also relate to Lewis because to me it just seemed like Lewis just didn’t know where to go with what he had. Like Lewis’s idea’s I’ve also had a big idea that I’ve felt could make me enough money to take care of me the rest of my life. But it’s one thing to have an idea. Sometimes you just don’t know how or where to go with the ideas you have. Sometimes they take money. But I was glad to see in the end that he *did* receive the money to put his ideas out there. Some just never get that kinda financial help so some of the best ideas probably just sit because there’s no direction. Another reason I related to Lewis (and felt a little bad for him) is that I’ve also seen how alcoholism is destroying some of the men in my family and unlike Lewis, they have NOT gotten to the point of realizing how close to killing them. I can also relate to Paris and Viola. Paris because Viola kept telling Paris she was sad and lonely. Paris said she wasn't. Sometimes as a single person people do *tend* to think your sad and lonely no matter how many times you may tell them your really not. But I do understand what it's like to stuff it down so far you make yourself not care about dating by burying it. Paris used a dangerous addiction. My drug of choice tends to be books. In Viola's case, I have loved someone and had to sit by and struggle with watching them daily in situations that aren't for their good and are and they don't seem to realize it and continue to go down a path that in the end will only cause them hurt. But what can you do if they choose to stay in that situation? It's the most frustrating thing you can ever imagine. Even though the book lead us to believe the cause of Viola's death was the paint and gas fumes, it could easily be said the stress her children caused probably contributed in some way or the other. Other than some spelling errors here and there I couldn’t find not one thing to criticize about A Day Late and a Dollar Short.
Rating: 10 Ironically even though Viola says men are always a day late and a dollar short, she was also a day late and a dollar short in waiting until she died to give her children the hard truths they needed to hear. But I guess the message was it's better to be a day late and a dollar short in tightening up than not at all. -
One of my favorite books
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Me gusta que la autora se centre en todos/as los componentes de la familia y sus historial de forma individual. Aborda temas muy duros y crudos pero a la vez lo hace de una forma en la que empatizas con la situación y comprendes muy bien como se sienten los personajes en ese momento. No obstante, en algunas ocasiones se me hacía pesada la lectura y muy lenta. Me sobraban páginas.
El final me ha emocionado bastante pero todo encajaba demasiado bien, el típico final de todos felices para siempre poco realista pero ideal para una novela. -
OK -- I'll admit I didn't like the vast majority of the book. However, once I got to the end, I was much happier :) Every chapter is written in the first person by the Mom, the Dad, or one of their 4 children. Obviously this makes it a little difficult to figure out who is talking, especially at the beginning when you're trying to sort them all out. It's an interesting study on families, and how they get along or don't get along, but all love each other. I love how the mother is truly the traditional, wise matriarch that all families need. One of her classic lines is a description of her husband's new girlfriend: ". . .that mushroom-looking wench he was sitting next to, who look young enough to be his grand-daughter, and who need to make up her mind which hairstyle she really interested in and settle on one instead of the three or four I saw." For some reason, this just really tickled me.
Brief, unprofessional synopsis: Written by the author of "Waiting to Exhale" and "How Stella Got Her Groove Back", this book covers a short period of time in the life of a a black family that began in Chicago (Viola and Cecil) and moved to Las Vegas. The 4 grown kids are Paris, Charlotte, Janelle and Lewis. The book covers a variety of societal, familial, educational and financial issues. From substance abuse to incest to divorce to abortion to rheumatoid arthritis and lottery tickets, this family experiences what all families experience in that whether they like each other or not, they can choose whether or not they still love each other and want to support each other. Contains lots of f words. . . -
In a nutshell, I liked it. It wasn't the best read ever, but certainly not the worst. This is the first book I've read by McMillan. I usually don't read books like this; by this, I mean these more contemporary type black novels. By not being the best, I mean that it wasn't some deep story with a dynamic plot filled with twists and turns. It doesn't contain any surprising outcomes that I didn't expect. However, it was just a plain ol' good story about a very relatable, ordinary, black family experiencing the different type of things that life can throw at you. The characters were very real and are likely to remind you of people you know (at least in my case, they did). I enjoyed the format in which the book is written; you get to see the story unfold from the different perspectives of the main characters. I enjoyed that aspect because not only do you get to see how each character sees and relates to one another, but you also get to see how they see themselves based on their own thoughts and perspectives. The ending was good but rather cliche' and predictable. I guess the underlying theme here is maintaining your relationships with family, even through the family drama. It's never too late to fix your issues, even if you are "a day late and a dollar short."
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A Day Late and A Dollar Short is the type of book that makes you feel so many different things: proud, because you're happy that Terry McMillan is so adept at 'telling it like it is', telling 'our' stories, and making our story everyone else's too; sad, because when you're reading about the problems of these characters, you realize they are so much like your own; and warm, because a book like this helps steer our busy lives back to what's most important in life, such as family.
While reading this novel, I laughed, shook my head, and said 'amen' quite a few times. The writing is simple, very detailed but in a good kind of way, and it feels so 'right now' even though the setting of the story takes place in the mid-90's. Everything about it is appealing, from the wide range of characters (lots of kids, adults, and some seniors), to the moving way the writer takes you inside the lives of these people. By the time you finish reading, you may feel like these people actually exist, and in a way I guess they really do. Overall, a pretty good book. -
This is one of those books you just simply do not want to end--the characters in this family were so alive--sometimes you just wanted to jump in an help them. Mama was a colorful personality, not warm and fuzzy, but very loving nonetheless. It was a family which had grown apart with the pressures of every day life--but never stopped loving each other--and even though they didn't realize it until the end--their need for each other only increased. Highly recommend reading this book!
