Disappearing Acts

Rating:
Summary: All Hail
Review: Disapearing Acts was a dramatic love story. Zora Banks, an aaspiring singer and teacher, has been searching for the right man for a long time. Franklin Swift, a construction worker, has been looking for the right woman after his marriage (not divorced) with Pam Swift. These two souls meet ech other at an apartment building in New York. The two become infactuated with each other that they begin to develop an exciting relationship. Soon the two completely fall for one another. Franklin moves in with Zora. During their time together they experience intamacy, trust, and friendship. However with Franklin's job, money is neever promised. Zora, being a school teacher becomes the breadwinner of the household type situation. There are times when the two go out to restaurants, clubs, and movies. There are also times when each chooses to be with their friends or associates. However, when Franklin's work comes in jeapordy his temper flares and he becomes a different person. Franklin's temper flares in the summer when the two were planning a weekend getaway at Saratoga, NY. Zora was left spellbound at the change of character from Franklin. Now pregnant, Zora has to plan a better financial strategy due to the new mouth arriving. With Franklin not working, and other problems in his family, tesnsions ariste to the pint that Franklin ends up leaving and Zora is left by herself with a young baby son, Jeremiah. Zora able to support herself and the baby, moves on with her life. She orders a restraining order on Franklin and notifies him on the phone. Zora comes home to find her duplex trashed by Franklin. In the time of Franklin's abscence things change. Zora now writes music instead of trying ot sing it. Frankling has gotten the divorce from his wife and is going to college. He comes back to face Zora as a changed man. She, still loving him lets him in and the two conversate. Zora tells Franklin about her plans to move to Toledo where their son can grow in a more natural environment. Franklin decides to wait to tell Zora about the divorce and plans to rejoin her later in the future. These two people just fell in love before they accomplished their life goals.

Rating:
Summary: In Touch With Reality!
Review: Terry McMillan really touches base with reality through this book. A lot of black women today are independent women, taking care of business, with goals, but are lacking one important thing in their life...male companionship. In Disappearing Acts, Zora is that independent woman who is successful as a music teacher, but still reaches to another goal as a singer. With the time and place being right, Franklin Swift fills that void in her life. What she came to find out later is that his handsome-ness on the outside only covered his flaws, but she is infacutated anyway. McMillan indepthly goes through their trails and triumphs of thier relationship. It is an excellent book and I recommend it to any lover of good writing.

Rating:
Summary: This is a book you will not put down!!
Review: This is a book where you could read and forget about everyting around you because it is so good!!! It shows you how we everyday people can fall in love. It also tells us how their could be so much diffence between to people, but then again be so much a like. These two lovers wanted so much out of life. It was something I could relate to in my own personal life. If you need something good to read, then don't pass Disappearing Acts or you will missed passion, love, excitement, and tears.

Rating:
Summary: Great book!
Review: I remember when I bought this book years ago. I opened it in the car and couldn't stop! This book really pulls you into the story. I recently saw the movie and felt that they did a credable job of capturing the essence of the novel. Zora and Franklin really went through and put themselves through a lot of changes. Some of it was necessary, but some was not. As I've said in another review, if you've only seen the movie, do yourself a favor and read the book. This is the one that put Terry's name on the map. It's also the one that opened a WHOLE LOTTA doors for other AA writers. For that, I say to Terry: thanks girl, for not just opening the door, but kicking that sucker in! Next to A Day Late and A Dollar Short, I think this is one of her BEST!

Rating:
Summary: This Has Got To Be One Of The Best Books I've Ever Read
Review: Lonely, confused, and hardworking man meets lonely, hardworking, dreamer of a woman and they fall in love and live happily ever after is what we are all used to either reading about or seeing on TV, right? Well...wake up and smell the DAMN coffee because we are living in the 21st century and and we are no longer living in "la-la" land. I realized this when I picked up the novel "Disappearing Acts", written by Terry McMillan. She uses humor and realistic topics we all can relate to, such as love, hate, betryal, trust, and friendship to gain and reach out to her captive audiance."Disappearing Acts" is a delightsful story about the union of two very different people, Franklin and Zora. They are like the African-American version of "Frankie and Johnnie". Franklin is a sometimes employed construction worker, high school drop-out but surprisingly educated and well-mannered. He's separated with two sons that barely know who their father is. He seeks meaning in life without women. But he unexpectedly meets a woman who is somehow the answer to all of his problems, Zora. Zora is a young, beautiful, dreamy, and sometimes insecure middle school music teacher who yearns to be the next Whitney Houston Nina Simone. She swears that the only goal she plans to reach is her singing career. When these two beatiful people meet...the chemistry is undeniable. But they both have skeletons in the closet that they are afraid to reveal. This is a story that anyone of any race, ethnicity, or backround can relate to. Terry McMillan is definetly speaking the truth through her words. I suggest that anyone in search of a good book to read..this is definetly the one to pick up.

Rating:
Summary: Abiola's Take on Disappearing Acts
Review: Disappearing Acts, written by Terry McMillian, was an awesome book. It is the story of Zora, a music teacher, and Franklin, a construction worker (or whatever job he can get during his many episodes of unemployment). The book is absolutely fascinating because it sheds light on the many virtues and vices of falling in love. Zora nor Franklin were looking for a relationship. But they happened upon one another, and that was it. In the beginning they enjoyed one anothers company and appreciated each for who they were. But then, societal pressures set it, and all of a sudden they must learn how to continue to maintain and nurture their love while trying to cope while dancing the "I'm a part of this society" kind of dance. While the story is told from the first-person point-of-view by both Zora and Franklin, both men and women get to hear from the horses mouth how the opposite sex feels about issues with dating and life in general. The book is an absolute treat.

Rating:
Summary: Disappearing Acts
Review: I THOUGHT THE BOOK WAS GREAT. IT WAS THE BEST BOOK I HAVE EVER READ!!! IF YOU CAN GET THE BOOK- DO SO BECAUSE IT IS GREAT. I READ THE ENTIRE BOOK IN ONE NIGHT!!

Rating:
Summary: Highly recommended
Review: This was an EXCELLENT book, and I'd actually recommend any and ALL of Terry McMillan's books. When I got this one, I read it two and a half times in just three weeks. I couldn't get it off my mind. She addresses many real issues!

Rating:
Summary: Hard To Put Down!
Review: There's a rule I have about books that are made into movies: be sure to read the book first. Unfortunately I broke this rule and watched Disappearing Acts first. The movie was great but it had a lot missing in it and did not come across well on screen as it did in print. The book however, left nothing hanging. This book had a lot of real life situations that many of us today are caught up in. I also thought the ending was adequate.

Rating:
Summary: Insipid and superficial
Review: This book unfairly represents women (and men) as shallow, weak, and souless characters. An overwhelming emphasis on the appearances of everything and every person didn't do much to disguise that the book is weak. I really wanted to like it, but the writing was poor and the priorities of the characters which were less than realistic. Let the black writers who are really good writers get published instead of these who fill the troughs of romance novel readers.