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Summary: The never ending termoil of four middle age women's lives.
Review: This book was awesome, for it revealed the truth about black women dealing with everyday life. Being a single parent in most of the characters cases really is hard, and Terry McMillan did a wornderful job in protraying how it actually is to be a black women raising a family by herself. And a black woman being single in the 90's can be very difficult, because that individual knows what she wants, finding that man is an adverture in it's self. I recommend this book to anyone that wants to see how a black women deals with typical life situation concerning the male gender.
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Summary: Well, written, but....
Review: I really only finished it because I was curious as to whether or not these women would grow up. Here are these women in their mid-30's and they STILL haven't got it together about what a RELATIONSHIP is! I know this is just a fiction, but I kept wanted to SCREAM at the women, (especially Savannah and Robin) "Keep your legs closed for JUST a little longer so you can see what the guy is really made of!" I also hated all the derrogatory references to overweight people. The ONE overweight person in the book who has a SHRED of self-esteem ends up having something happen to her that is stereotypical of ONLY happening to fat people. I had a hard time REALLY believing that these were well-educated women in their thirties. I did things that stupid when I was in my twenties, so I had a very difficult time relating to the pubescent immaturity of these girls. The only woman I found myself liking a LOT was Gloria. She was the good friend, and an excellent and devoted parent who basically had an idea of what was important in her life.
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Summary: A seriously dishy read....JUICY!!!
Review: I bought this book when the hype started, and I wanted to see what the big fuss was all about. Believe me, it was--and is---the bomb!!! Everyone knows sisters like the ones portrayed here, and had the movie ended like the book, it would've been given it the poetic justice it deserved (Whitney, as Savannah..?? PUL-EEZE!!!). It basically goes through all if the issues that Black women have today: kids, divorce, employment hassles, and looking for a good brother. Savannah ultimately got what she wanted (to be alone), Bernadine got her redemption ($ka-CHING!!$), Gloria was finally forced to prioritize (as well getting a new chance @ some booty) and Robyn finally stopped being dumber than a box of rocks. And brothers, if the truth hurts, say ouch and GET OVER IT, SHEESH!!! A great romp and fun to read!!!
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Summary: TALK ABOUT BEING REAL!
Review: This is the first book that I've ever read that contained REAL characters, REAL feelings, no fantasy, the REAL McCOY!I picked this one up for the second time to read--that's how much I liked it. I saw the movie and I liked it, too, but not as much as the book. Terry McMillan did a great job with this book and I hope to read more just like them from other novelists. Great job!
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Summary: Gives women a bad name.
Review: I did not like this book. The women in it are stupid fools at the beginning and stupid fools at the end.
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Summary: For those waiting, exhale now
Review: In Terry McMillan's breakout novel Waiting To Exhale, we are introduced to four black women who have experienced nothing but failure in their love lives...Although the book may be fictious, the truth is devastating for both sexes in African-America...Waiting To Exhale not only showcases the critical shortage of solid, upstanding black males in this country, but it also brings front-and-center the inability of black females to recognize the bad ones...Being a black male, I am constantly exposed to this sort of behavior in college and the workaday world...It is truly frustrating to see intelligent sisters waste time, money, and love on men who simply don't deserve it... Waiting To Exhale is a poignant, powerful commentary on the state of love in Black America...Brothers and sisters need to sit up and take notice of the message McMillian is conveying...
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Summary: Captivating from beginning to end!!!
Review: I had the priviledge of reading the book before the movie was talked about and for you non-reading movie-goers, the movie didn't do the book justice. Pick it up and you want put it down even if you've already seen the movie!
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Summary: Riveting!!!!!
Review: This book was one of those books you can't and won't put down until it's done.Bernadine, Savannah, Robin, and Gloria were so lovable you couldn't wait to read the next line. The movie does no justice to the book!! This one is a winner!!!!!
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Summary: The book is very realistic.
Review: I enjoyed the book as well as the movie. However, some of the parts are very true. Even though some Black women are very successful - Loneliness has a tremendous impact.
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Summary: Meeting Mr. Right
Review: Terry McMillan has crafted a novel that's very enjoyable to read. Her characters and their snappy dialogue will give you the feeling that you are there, in the middle of this "hen party", listening to the gals dish the dirt on men, marriage, families, careers and life in general. Each character is unique in her own way, with her own "man" problems. Savannah is a 36-year-old PR rep who's gotten a job in Arizona and moves down there, hoping the job and men prospects are good. However, her high expectations for a marriage partner are likely to deem her a single woman forever. Her mother and sister constantly nag her about getting married, because "a woman ain't nothing without a man". Savannah knows better, but doesn't believe it in her heart, since she ends up getting involved with the exact same kind of men that she openly scorned at the beginning of the book. She even goes so far to assert that "it doesn't take me long to figure ou! ! t if there's any chemistry at work". In other words, she puts an undue amount of importance on "instant" sexual attraction. Bernadine is Savannah's best friend and has the most interesting storyline, since she gets to go through all kinds of emotional changes. Her husband John, the original Oreo, has spent 11 years of marriage attempting to transform Bernadine into the docile young white wife a la First Wives Club. Bernadine, in a repressed rage at the inertia her life has taken, is thrown for a loop when John leaves her for the genuine article: the 24-year-old white blonde bookkeeper at his company. Bernadine's struggle to make ends meet, since John has attempted to hide his marital assets, makes for riveting reading. Bernadine's daily routine of trying to balance her 2 young children, her career, and a love life eventually takes its toll, and Bernadine is forced to re-evaluate her priorities. Robin is very much like Savannah in her hopes to meet "th! ! e perfect man". However, Robin doesn't believe in play! ing coy and lets every man she meets, even momentarily, know of her deepest desire: to get married and have children. Needless to say, she scares off a lot of men who might possibly be good catches. The one good man in her life is short, plain and more "soft" than muscular, which is unforgivable to Robin's junior high mentality. In her world, a man's desirability is measured by how many women are attracted to him. Her most amusing trait is her naive faith in New Age books; she's convinced that she'll capture her ideal partner if she only follows the guidelines. Gloria is a single unwed mother of a 16-year-old son, Tarik. She owns a beauty parlor and uses her job, her son and food as a substitute for a sex life. Attempted diets were unsuccessful, and Gloria has lost her motivation to appear attractive to any men except Tarik's father David, whom she secretly still pines for. In spite of this, Gloria emerges as the strongest of the characters. Her parents are both d! ! ead, she has no husband, but she still manages to be a loving mother and stern disciplinarian to Tarik. She gives him sensible advice about everything from bad report cards to safe sex to gangs in her stubborn, practical way. What I enjoyed most about the novel was not the relationships these women had with men; I liked the depiction of the families. I was disappointed that the movie virtually left out Bernadine's relationship with her kids, especially her touching attempts to explain divorce to them. I also missed the kids' comical backseat arguments and hollering for McDonald's, which made the scene very real, as if you were overhearing a neighbor's conversation. Another classic character who's left out of the movie is Bernadine's mother, an outspoken, crusty old woman who loves her deep down in spite of her criticisms. Savannah's mother is of the same mold, but she's clearly a lot more delusional about male-female relationships than Bernadine's cynical mother--she even g! ! ives out Savannah's address to a married man, simply becaus! e he's a successful doctor. Robin's care for her senile father and exhausted mother added another dimension to her seemingly frivolous character in the book; there was nothing sensitive about the movie's version of Robin. Anyone who has seen the movie first should know that the book is a million times better.
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