Disappearing Acts by Terry McMillan

Disappearing Acts Reviews

• 
  Camille

  So basically I've just read 474 pages chronicling the never ending cycle of abuse on behalf of Zora...
  
  If she didn't decide to stay after an exhausting amount of verbal, physical and sexual abuse, I would have praised this book as a work of women's empowerment. In true McMillan fashion the characters are 3 dimensional but the pathetic nature of them makes a reader quite uncomfortable.
  
  I can think of many alternate endings to this story that would have placed it at 5+ stars, however the ending presented a large disappointment.
  
  Edit: Two years after writing the above review, I realized how judgmental I came across. I thoroughly enjoyed the book, I found it to be an accurate depiction of how mental illness can stem from mistreatment by a parent. The idea of a generational curse is explored as well. The ending of the book would give the fallacy of a happy ending, but unfortunately we know all too well how this will turn out. 4 Stars-Updated from 2.
• 
  Roy

  "Waiting to Exhale" received all of the acclaim and is the book that changed the face of publishing to a significant degree as the industry suddenly realized that African Americans read too, and sometimes even like to read about fictional characters who remind them of themselves. But in my opinion this is Ms. McMillan's strongest novel. It's easy to become immersed in her work, forgetting that you're reading and instead envisioning yourself as a fly on the wall easedropping on lives that seem as real as those of your friends and neighbors.
• 
  Linda

  I'm not really a Terry McMillan fan, but I really admired this book. I thought it was a pretty honest portrayal of the progression of a romantic relationship-- first you're enamored; then you're disillusioned, sometimes to the point of being disturbed; then, maybe, you find your way back to each other. It's not an uncommon storyline, but the way she exposes her characters' darker (yet utterly mundane) side is pretty unusual in fiction.
• 
  ac

  I liked that Terry McMillan dived right into the storyline. And the fact that it was a romance pulled me right in. But I won't lie, I spent most of the time trying to figure out when Zora was going to leave Franklin for good. It didn't seem like Zora and Franklin had a lot of good times and he was so insufferable. Throughout most of the book I wondered why they Zora was still dealing with him. I wasn't committed to their relationship or "love" and for must of the book wondered where the romance and love was. Yay to the writing, boo to the storyline.
• 
  Mary

  I was so absorbed by this book. It is the story of a relationship. Love with the perspective of both man and woman which was done in an interesting way. The man's thoughts in one chapter-moving on to the woman's. Back and forth. Love, struggles with betrayal, strength, intelligence, bread winner, etc. At the core was love and I wanted love to win out even when obviously causing one, the other or both grief, depending on the chapter. No ending from me but will recommend to anyone who likes great fiction. You also get a good look at minorities' (this one African American) special struggles.
  I am happy to have come across an author like Terry McMillan and will be looking for more of her books.
• 
  Meave

  It was a pretty book. Yes, I said pretty NOT pretty good or pretty bad.. just pretty. Like you would call a person pretty. I hated the ending by the way.. after all I went through (via the character's lives)... by the end... I wasn't SOO satisfied with the outcome. But the story was nice. Terry McMillan is ON POINT!
• 
  Kris - My Novelesque Life

  1.5 STARS
  
  
  "Franklin's tired of women, tired of trouble. He's young, he's six-feet-four and he likes to pump iron. But his ex-wife's riding him for money to keep their two children, and there's no security in construction work. Not in New York anyway, and especially not if you're black. All Franklin really wants is to stay together, stay in work and, most of all, stay out of love.
  
  And Zora. She's a music teacher, fresh from Ohio, looking for that one big break as a singer-songwriter. She's going to get an apartment, get fit, and get her first songs down on a demo tape. The last thing she wants is to disappear into another relationship, and wind up with another broken heart.
  
  But when Franklin sees Zora and Zora sees Franklin, none of it means a damn. Everything - their pasts, their independence, their plans - evaporates in the electric charge of one of the most passionate, turbulent and memorable affairs in contemporary fiction..." (From Amazon)
  
  It was well-written but I did not like the storyline or Franklin.
• 
  Tuesday

  This book started off pretty good. Kept me interested and coming back for more. I am mid way through the book and I find myself having to motivate myself to continue on. I so want to put this book down and start a new one but I have decide that my New Year's resolution for 2010 is to finish what I start. There is no better time than the present to make a lifestyle change. But this book is making me regret that change.
  
  It is way too mushy for my taste. And Zora is a pathetic fool who is madly in love with Franklin; a man who not only does nothing for her but take her to bed but is demanding, controlling, unemployed, married, a deadbeat father of two, and finds a way to ruin every chance Zora has of having a little fun. Yet, she makes excuses for his childish behavior and caters to his every whim.
  
  The movies was so much better....Thank goodness!
• 
  Roxanne

  I’ve enjoyed other books by McMillan, but unfortunately this isn’t one of them...
  
  The characters start off so flawed and downtrodden that it’s hard to like them or find any endearing qualities from the start.
  
  I felt like the story had a pretty good start and then it turned into a bad Tyler Perry movie. Rather than empathy or sympathy, what I felt was frustration and pity for the characters’ peril. Overall, I would give it maybe 1.5 stars, I was just underwhelmed especially since this story was developed into a movie, I had higher expectations.
• 
  Lisa Harris

  This is another typical McMillan novel. I just couldn't get my mind around these characters. At a certain point sympathy turns to pity.
• 
  Tamara

  Excellent!
• 
  Zakiya Jones

  This was probably the most toxic relationship I’ve ever read about 😩😭
  
  tw: physical, verbal and sexual abuse, suicidal thoughts, suicide attempts, substance abuse.
• 
  Christina

  Devoured....still holds up.
• 
  Donna

  I like this author. I like the strength of her MCs. They are richly drawn with all the details that make them so real. Zora, the MC here, had many strong qualities....I just questioned her taste in men. I didn't find Franklin appealing at all. It felt like she settled. I get the draw of a good looking man, but seriously.....!!! Even though this story focused on that particular relationship, I liked that Zora was still an individual with dreams, needs, and flaws.
  
  I also liked the details regarding the setting. The author painted a great picture.
  
  The story line wasn't my favorite because of the Franklin, but I'll add a star for the writing. Terry McMillan knows how to get to the heart of things.
• 
  Melissa

  Too many p@&$!, d@&$, and mf's for my taste. Franklin appeared to be your average 'mad at the white man' black man who put his blame on everyone else. Zora, a successful woman struggling to love him, but at the same time settling for a man that added to her hardships instead of helping her get to where she was trying to go...
• 
  Shanaya Robins

  This book is a really amazing book. I liked it because it was real life, I felt like I was talking to my friends and they were telling me there problems. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone, a great read
• 
  Crystal (Melanatedreader) Forte'

  Man What a timeless classic
  
  Omg Terry has woven the tale of all tales because between Franklin and Zora I’m unnerved. What a toxic ass situation. The story telling is unmatched. So many themes and lessons I am spent!
• 
  Mikayla Oliver

  Part of the reason it took me a while to write this review was because I had really mixed feelings on this book. The writing was great, it felt fast paced, and every time I picked it up I didn’t want to put it down. At the same time though, this book made me feel sick to my stomach at times, and I found that I was not rooting at all for the romance between the two main characters.
  
  This books follows Zora and Franklin, two people who have individually decided they are definitely not looking for a relationship, and are ready to focus on themselves. When they meet though, this all goes out the window. Soon they are spending every free minute together, despite the strain this puts on each of their careers. As the relationship progresses, we watch as it becomes toxic, and Zora deals with the consequences of Franklin’s failed career.
  
  I loved Zora’s character, especially her ambition, and how she always seemed to put others before herself. She was very well fleshed out, and her troubles, both in her relationship and career seemed realistic, and made her a very sympathetic character (at least to me). Because of this, I did think McMillan was successful in her depiction of a relationship that starts out as seemingly picture perfect, but quickly descends into emotional abuse, as the reader does start to feel for Zora.
  
  However, I absolutely hated Franklin, and even in the beginning thought he didn’t deserve Zora. Because of this the more romantic moments of the book were lost on me, as I was usually just rooting for Zora to leave him already. As the book went on he became an even worse person, and treated Zora awfully, to the point where I was reading on simply in hopes that they would break up.
  
  I think I could have forgiven this, if not for the ending which, I think, is too dismissive of Franklin’s abusive and violent behaviour. To me, the ending takes away from the depiction of the different stages of a toxic relationship, and makes the book much less powerful. I think I definitely want to read more from McMillan, but I’m not sure I’d recommend this one, as I feel like it just left me feeling more angry and disappointed than anything.
  
  Rating: 2.5 stars
• 
  Coffee&Books

  Shortie review here, since I am all kinds of late finally reading this book but OH EM GEE IT WAS GOOD!
  
  I don't know why, but I haven't made a big habit out of reading Terry McMillan. My mother enjoyed Waiting to Exhale (the movie too) but I never read it. I read Getting to Happy and didn't think it was all that bad .... but I hadn't read Waiting, so I didn't have the same complaints that everyone else had. I also read Who Asked You and while I didn't truly enjoy it, it also primed my interest in more Terry McMillan, so on the suggestion and encouragement of a few friends, I took it all the way back to Disappearing Acts.
  
  Ya'll know i don't do summaries in my reviews, so I won't bore you with details you can look up. I will just say... Zora needed her butt beat. BAD. BAD! Frankie had absolutely zero going for him when she met him, and frankly there was nowhere to go but UP, but... dawg. Chica. Lady. Friend. SHoulda listened to your girls. And I know it's hard, when you think about not having anyone to keep the bed warm at night, and wanting to be a ride or die kinda chick. This novel SURE opened my eyes to the mistakes that we can make when we think we need to be all in. At some point you gotta keep hold of yourself.
  
  We watched Zora give up so much of herself and her dreams (and her MONEY and her PERSONAL SPACE) for Franklin. What did he give her in return? Two babies, some bills and some heartache. Zora had a lot of wonderfully patient people in her life, people who I think saved her behind when she needed it!
  
  I really enjoyed this read so I am off to read more of McMillan's older work!
• 
  Mrs Tupac

  This happens to be my favorite book by Ms.McMillan ***I've read every book by her*** I still remember reading it like it was yesterday the movie was good too. Zora seemed like the perfect ambitious woman who met the wrong man (kind of sorta) don't get me wrong Franklin was a good guy too I just believe he could have done better by Zora and his baby. I fell in love with Zora from the movie & the book I did not find out about the movie until I was done with the book and I believe the casting was done perfectly. Zora was a classy, talented, good woman who just fell in love with the wrong man believing she could change him. I think Dissapearing Acts is the story of many single women I liked reading it and I would not have a problem going back to re-read it. I just wish Zora could have gotten the perfect fairytale & daughter that she deserved . . . I give Franklin a C for effort I do believe he loved Zora but he gave up to quick on changing and grew comfortable in his current situation. He did not know how good he had it until it was gone he was getting on my fucking nerves !!!! I think this was a realistic story about everyday relationships I do believe Zora wanted things to work out and was trying her best but every woman has their breaking point and I am glad she realized that !!! . . .
• 
  Elise-Pinterest+Goodreads=The Perfect Book Boyfriend

  Read this book around 1991-92 after reading an except of it in an Essence magazine. Back then, no one knew Terry McMillan so the book was very hard to find (at least hard to find in Birmingham LOL). I thoroughly enjoyed the book and still consider it one of her best. I think that it would still be a great read, however, there are events, people and places in the book that will date it (Stephanie Mills was still recording and touring). The movie, which I was so excited about, was, like most books to movie, horrible. I don't like Wesly Snipes in anything, and to try to make him out to be anyone's gorgeous chocolate drop.....in what evil alternate universe!!??
• 
  Joel Atella

  I ended feeling a lot of conflict about this book. Terry McMillan's writing is fabulous and she created vivid characters that I empathized with - to a point. It crossed into rape and domestic abuse and that's when (is it just living in 2018?) my (feminist?) sense of right and wrong reached a point of no return for Franklin and Zora became an unsympathetic victim. I'm so pissed at Zora for staying with Franklin in the end. He doesn't deserve her.
• 
  Tracy Elizabeth

  This book, from the moment I picked it up, I was unable to put down. It was GREAT, TERRIFIC, AMAZING, I can barely find words to fit this beautiful book. Filled with betrayal, anger, pride, and love, this book amazed me. I didn't even want to return it to the library. THis book is beautiful, it's really a work of art.
• 
  yole

  My question to Zora does Franklin deserve your love?
  
  The story line resonates with me. Franklin and Zora are untangled in this web of disappointment, deception, abuse, and love. Although they both aware of declining of their relationship, they decided to weather the storm. The final outcome is to do your homework before getting deeply involve in a relationship.
  
  
• 
  Bea

  Franklin is just pathetic and whiny and needy and frustrating and selfish and Zora was just stupid to stick around with him for so long! I flew through this book waiting for Zora to get her act together and was PISSED at the end when she let the loser back into her life!
• 
  Diamond Jones-Cox

  Even though its been years since I read this book. I still can say what a great book it was. Disappearings acts is one of my favorite books that I can say, I read more than once. I wont spoil the book but, believe me when I say......you wont want to put it down.
• 
  Kwoomac

  Zora falls for Franklin, a black man trapped in a cycle of being unable to commit to a healthy relationship. Zora stands by her man through drinking, unemployment,cheating, and physical abuse. A bit of a downer. At least she’s an interesting character.
• 
  Michael

  This is a amazing novel, however if you are not a fan of profanity than you are not going to like it. It told a good story and I related to some of the characters, it is worth reading.
• 
  Marva

  I love this book so much. Easily my favorite by Terry McMillan.