Waiting to Exhale

Rating:
Summary: Breathe in...Breathe OUT!
Review: I liked this book. Better than the movie. I felt the movie didn't address the issues each woman had with her mother. Part of the fun of this novel was comparing the characters with somebody you know, or trying to figure out who was the most like you. I really felt for Bernadine. What her husband tried to do was about as low as you can get. The shame is that there are so many men out there like that, who, even though it may be over between them and the ex-wife, no longer give a hoot about providing for their children either. How they can treat a child they helped to create like garbage is beyond me. Savannah and Robin where both a trip. They felt like they had to have a certain type of man to define themselves. The character that I liked the best was Gloria. Maybe because she wasn't a size six, and seemed more real and down to earth to me. Actually, I think a whole book could have been done just about Gloria and what went on in the hair salon! I would absolutely say to read the book, even if you saw the movie. You'll like the read better.

Rating:
Summary: Resurrection
Review: They say that the phoenix rises from its own ashes and is reborn. With much of the action of this book taking place in Phoenix, Arizona, the four leading characters all experience a fall and rebirth.

Without giving away too much, Gloria comes closest to a literal death and rebirth because of her health problems. I love happy endings, and Gloria has one.

Bernadine's fall occurs very early in the story, when her husband abandons her for a younger woman. Her war is fought in the courts, the "bad guy" being her lying, sneaking husband who is trying to keep all his money away from Bernadine and the children.

Savannah and Robin are similar in that they both fall for great looking men, and give away too much of themselves too soon. Their resurrection is one of the spirit, when they learn to stand up for themselves and stop being doormats to handsome men.

All four of these main characters are black women in their late 30s, and the biggest complaint in their lives is that black men are selfish, deceitful, arrogant, etc. Fortunately, Gloria and Bernadine find out that it isn't always that way. There are some gems out there. As for Savannah and Robin, they learn to re-evaluate their priorities. With superficial values like a handsome face and a chiseled body, you are bound to end up in a superficial relationship.

This book is very easy to read. At first I misunderstood the author and disliked her characters because two of them were so annoyingly superficial, craving one pretty-boy or another, defining men in terms of looks only. But I'm glad I stuck with it, because I see that the author felt the same way as I do.

If you want to find a moral here, it is that a woman really shouldn't sell herself cheap. She doesn't need to lay down with every handsome guy she meets, the day she meets him.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent piece of work.
Review: Ms. McMillan has proven to the literary world that she is a talented and gifted writer. I couldn't wait to get my hands on her book when I read and insert of a chapter in Essence magazine. I knew it was going to be a good book. I found it too hard to put down. I read it everywhere I was at immersing into each character's personality and problems with men, family, and work. John was wrong for leaving Bernadine for greener pastures after she helped build his business. Robin was an ultimate dingbat for getting involved with the wrong man. Savannah was headstrong but still looking for Mr. Right and being pressured by her mother to get married. And Gloria was a spiritual and hardworking black woman making ends meet for herself and her son. In the end, the characters triumphed from their adversaries. Some of those critics were quick to put Terry in her place when this book came out but she has proven to be a great writer for the African-American female.

Rating:
Summary: We Aren't Exhaling We are Just Now Inhaling
Review: Ohhhhhhh... that had to be the best book. It touches in all the right places. Anyone and everyone can relate. If you are pretty and can't find a man who can live up to your expectations or your man decides he wants a white woman. Or maybe it just plain ain't no one out there for you. These characters go through the exact same thing!

Rating:
Summary: A highly entertaining read
Review: I really got into Waiting to Exhale. I liked the author's character development and writing style, and I couldn't put the book down. It's a real eye-opener to see how many women look for love in all the wrong places. This is my favorite book by McMillan.

Rating:
Summary: Four friends, four viewpoints
Review: 'Waiting to Exhale' by Terry McMillan is a novel that lets the reader see through the eyes of four friends, and it cultivates four very different viewpoints. Savannah falls for all the wrong guys, but knows when to leave. Robin falls for all the wrong guys too, she just doesn't care, because she has this need for a man in her life. Bernadine is struggling with the news that her husband is leaving her for a young, attractive, white girl, and Gloria is still afraid of the dating game, having never been really in it in the first place. However, they still manage to keep their senses of humour intact, and keep the reader laughing along with them to the end. Can't wait to see the movie.

Rating:
Summary: muy buena aunque sea una lectura para mujeres
Review: y porque digo que es para mujeres, bueno, ciertamente uno como hombre se siente un poco excluido de esta historia aunque es muy buena y lleva un ritmo de bestseller. se deja leer facilmente y no constituye un reto para nadie, la lei en ingles sin tener que detenerme por alguna palabra. eso en estos tiempos es bueno para personas que deseen leer y quieren entretencion rapida y sencilla. pero esta novela no es toda sencillez porque trata de la vida de tres mujeres y sus ajetreos por ser felices, sus amarguras, sus alegrias, sus aciertos, sus errores. este libro ayuda a entender a ese sexo a veces extrano a ese universo llamado mujer, aunque no a todas, a las norteamericanas mas que a otras. leanlo se van a divertir

LUIS MENDEZ [e-mail]

Rating:
Summary: an African American Big Chill
Review: I think MacMillan is a terrifically entertaining writer. Her dialogue is hilarious and her characters, though sometimes a bit clueless, are certainly endearing. I find this book deeper than How Stella got Her Groove back, but don't expect Dickens. She's a sharp writer with a good eye for detail and dialogue who presents a fine portrait of upper middle class black women. As I said in my review of Stella, it's nice to see a positive economic/social representation of black women for a change rather than the cliched drug dealers and basketball players. These women are successful financially and are working on their social lives. She makes me laugh out loud at times thanks to her great sense of humor

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful overall, but writing style is somewhat lacking
Review: These are four great stories about women, but I have trouble believing that this is the same author who wrote the witty, intense, incredibly well-crafted "Disappearing Acts." The language from this book is not memorable at all, it's written in the same way of many dime-a-dozen contemporary authors. If you are looking for beautiful prose, pass it up.

Rating:
Summary: Realistic Even If You Can't Relate To It
Review: I think that many women have at some point been in one of the four main characters shoes. We've all been dumped for another woman. We've all made stupid decisions in relationships and we've all put ourselves in a self-defeating relationship at one point in time. I'd love to meet the woman who was born perfect - born with all the right ideas about love and relationships. Sure, I wanted to tell Robin and Savannah to stop slutting around but it didn't make me angry or annoyed with the book. I noticed that many of the other reviews expressed that they became angry with the book because of the premiscuous behavior that some of the characters were involved in. Those of us who have been lucky enough to realize that sex does not equal love should applaud Terry McMillan for showing this to other women who are behaving like Savannah and Robin. Furthermore, for those of us who have been in Bernadine's shoes I was so glad to see that there was light at the end of the tunnel - that she rediscovered herself and she rediscovered love with the RIGHT man. A worthwhile read for ALL women. No matter what race or lifestyle we lead every one of us faces similar struggles.