Getting to Happy
Terry McMillan, Viking, $27.95 (376p) ISBN 978-0-670-02204-5
Fifteen years after Waiting to Exhale, McMillan brings back Savannah, Gloria, Bernadine, and Robin—now in their 50s—for a disappointing and uninspired outing. As the story opens, Gloria is very happy, Savannah believes she might be happy, Bernadine is fighting addiction and losing ground, and single mother Robin is trying to resign herself to being alone while things at her job begin to unravel. Within the first few chapters, Gloria and Savannah are struck by disaster, and things go rapidly downhill from there for everyone. Most of the misery has to do with men who lie, steal, cheat, or disappear, or with adult children who face similar problems. Unfortunately, the beloved cast isn't given a story worthy of them; instead, this reunion reads like a catalogue of personal catastrophes annotated with very long, rambling discussions, with more emphasis on simple drama than character. (Sept.)
Details
Reviewed on: 07/05/2010
Genre: Fiction
Compact Disc - 978-0-14-242841-2
Compact Disc - 978-0-307-87599-0
Downloadable Audio - 978-0-307-87600-3
Hardcover - 621 pages - 978-1-4104-2924-7
Mass Market Paperbound - 496 pages - 978-0-451-23757-6
Open Ebook - 400 pages - 978-1-101-43894-7
Open Ebook - 400 pages - 978-1-101-44294-4
Paperback - 448 pages - 978-0-451-23334-9
Paperback - 400 pages - 978-0-670-02228-1
Paperback - 619 pages - 978-1-59413-469-2
Pre-Recorded Audio Player - 978-1-61657-083-5