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Summary: Terry is back
Review: I read this a while back around when it first came out. All I have to say is, "Terry is back." Waiting to Exhale and How Stella Got Her Groove Back don't compare. This book reminds me of her good "old" stuff -- Mama and Disappearing Acts.
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Summary: The antithesis of "The Corrections"
Review: I'm going to compare this book to "The Corrections" by Jonathan Franzen, although I shouldn't. Both books were about dysfunctional families. For being "well-written", Franzen wins. He actually uses, oh, a metaphor. Also, McMillan's dialogue does not sound organic. It's not the way people speak. For holding my interest, McMillan gets my vote. So I couldn't relate to the characters of either. I was fascinated by them, and the fact that their were six first-person accounts made it more inviting. The "Corrections" family could have done whatever, and it would not have piqued my interest.
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Summary: Donna
Review: Very good book. She's back on track!
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Summary: A Delightful and touching truth to so many of us...
Review: This book had me in tears and smiling at the same time! This has to be Terry McMillan's BEST book by far! It is a wonderful depiction of so many African American families in today's age. I would give this book 10 stars if I could!
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Summary: Although entertaining, too much drama for my taste
Review: I have read most of Terry McMillans books, and my favorite so far has been Disappearing Acts..This book lacks so much..Way to much drama for my taste, so much of it I hear everyday just commuting by bus to work....No one particular character appealed to me at all. Maybe next time Terry!
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Summary: Entertaining As Always
Review: Terry McMillan has managed to write another great entertaining read for all to enjoy. Terry has the skills! I really enjoyed this novel written from the 6 different viewpoints of Viola - the tell-it-like-it-is mother of the family; Cecil - the distant father of the family, who Viola pushed away a long time ago; Charlotte - the middle child who wants attention so bad, she chooses to act hateful and selfish toward everyone in her family to get it; Paris - the oldest and only child in the family to go to college who has money, but lacks other things in life and longs to be perfect; Janelle - the baby of the family who can be downright loony at times; and Lewis - the only son who is the typical "black sheep" of the family. Although noone in the Price family is perfect, these characters eventually learn to put family first, and put aside their own selfish needs. What I enjoyed most about this story is that these characters grew throughout the story, and by the end, they all were much better people than they were at the beginning. Even though it takes a tragedy to bring this family together, they realized that family is always first. Although there are many characters in this book, I can still see this becoming a movie. I am sure you will enjoy every bit of it as I did. There is quite a bit of blunt vulgarity (and the story would have been just as good without it), but if you manage to make it through that, you will have enjoyed another great read by Ms. Terry Mac.
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Summary: FALLS SHORT
Review: Viola Price sees the threads of her tight knit family slowly but surely unravelling. As a concerned mother over her adult children even though her marriage has gone sour, she attempts to hold the fragile threads together. Will these threads hold under all of the hurts, jealousies, pain and down right stubborness of this family? Only the characters would know and each tells their own side of the story. Terry McMillan's masterful style of easedropping takes the reader into the minds, hearts and ambitions of these six family members. We find out their weaknesses and frailties as some of them attempt to makes excuses about why the other is a jerk. The dialogue is exceptional, the story line and elements are great but McMillan falls short in her presentation of the characters. A Day Late and A Dollar Short is told through the indvidual perspectives of the family members. The problem with them is that they become so transparent and predictable to the point of being a bore. Paris, the oldest, is painted with the typical first born frustrations of being perfect. Lewis, the only son, is the typical can't get-myself-together man who refuses to take responsibility. The middle sibling, a female, goes through her middle-child syndrome problems while the youngest is a space cadet. Yes, they do have problems, serious ones but after dealing with superficial characters you end up saying so what? McMillan's book is certainly entertaining, engages some serious issues and will raise a few chuckles but its characters lack depth. I highly recommend this book for entertaining reading but don't expect an indepth story of a family struggling to become whole.
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Summary: What a Great Book!
Review: 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!
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Summary: Lots of Fun
Review: A Day Late and a Dollar Short is a very fun read. It's the story of an American family, three sisters, one brother and their separated parents. Each family member tells his or her story from his or her opinionated point of view. Each story is both funny and sad and every one is well told. The narrative starts with Viola, the family matriarch, who is recovering from a severe asthma attack and is in the hospital. She goes on about all of her family members, including her estranged husband, alternatively picking out their faults and praising them. One by one, each of them chimes in with their own story, but we eventually learn that Viola pretty much had them all pegged in the opening chapter. We learn about family traumas, family squabbles. Each character is likable and amusing, and each will face down a difficult challenge before this novel ends. I truly enjoyed reading this one. Have fun.
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Summary: A Day Late and A Dollar Short
Review: After 5 years of waiting for Terry McMillan to come out with another witty novel that displays the genius of her creativity, I can exhale! Okay, I know the pun is a bit corny but that's the way I felt after reading A Day Late and A Dollar Short. McMillan gives her readers another masterpiece with strong characters, intriguing plot, and realistic scenes like the ones portrayed in her previosu novels such as Mama, Waiting To Exhale, and Disappearing Acts. A Day Late and A Dollar short is centered on the lives of the Price family and is told through the eyes of its 6 main characters: Viola (the matriach of the clan), Cecil (the patriach), Paris (the oldest sister), Charlotte (the middle sister), Lewis (the only brother), and Janelle (the youngest sister). Each character has their unique voice and situation they encounter trying to make their way into this world. The Prices also deal with the typical problems that occur in every family such as divorce, sibling rivalry, extramarital affairs, and of course, death. But no matter what obstacles the Prices overcome, they are still a family and pardon the cliche, but "blood is thicker than water." Terry McMillan does a fantastic job of testing each characters' strengths and weaknesses in her book. Don't be surprised if you find yourself laughing or shedding a tear here and there. I know I did but I'll let you judge for yourself. The final chapter when the family comes together for Thanksgiving dinner is entertaining, especially the "motherly advice" Mrs. Viola Price dispenses for everyone. You'll enjoy A Day Late and A Dollar Short because it is a good fiction book anyone can relate to regardless of race and gender.
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