A Day Late and a Dollar Short

From Publishers Weekly her four adult kids, all of whom have their own children, and their various circumstances, relationships and dilemmas. Not about to give Viola the last word, the other family members take turns talking in each of the remaining chapters. At first it is a bit confusing trying to keep track of who's who (the audio book doesn't come with family charts, the hardcover does), but it all eventually becomes clear as this complex and entertaining story of family dynamics or as daughter Paris calls it, "As the World F***ing Turns, again and again and again" gets fleshed out. McMillan is in her element, and readers Coleman and Willis do an excellent job of capturing the personalities of all the characters, be they surly, sassy, depressed or comic. Their talents guide the listener expertly through this captivating and ultimately optimistic tale of the ties that bind and the things that really matter. Simultaneous release with the Viking hardcover (Forecasts, Dec. 11, 2000). Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc. From Library Journal Populating her latest novel with her typically enjoyable characters, McMillan (Disappearing Acts) explores the heartaches and loving bonds of the Price family. Viola and Cecil and their four adult children face troubles and secrets that pull them apart as well as together. Viola's illness forces them to deal with one another, and this matriarch is classic McMillanAwise, witty, and insightful. The other characters meet pain with humor as they deal with divorce, alcoholism, and incestAas well as sibling rivalry and the need for acceptance. Desiree Coleman handles the women's chapters well, creating very distinct moods for the voices of Viola, Janelle, Paris, and Charlotte, while M.E. Willis inhabits Cecil's and Lewis's inner and outer thoughts masterfully. Highly recommended.AJoyce Kessel, Villa Maria Coll., Buffalo NY Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. ...the world's finest chronicler of modern life among African American men and women. -- San Francisco Chronicle Arguably the best chronicler of Black life today. -- Philadelphia Tribune McMillan is carving a formidable niche in fiction.... -- Boston Globe McMillan...a gifted fiction writer but a social critic as clear-eyed as Mark Twain, Zora Neale Hurston or Edith Wharton. -- New York Newsday Terry McMillan is the critically acclaimed and award-winning author of four novels: Mama , Disappearing Acts , Waiting to Exhale , and How Stella Got Her Groove Back , and the editor of Breaking Ice: An Anthology of Contemporary African-American Fiction . From AudioFile The Price family may be fragmented, but they also depend on one another and care enough to meddle in each other's lives. Viola and Cecil are separated, but each is still involved with all four adult kids. McMillan tells all their stories in their own voices in alternating chapters, skillfully weaving the threads of memory, love, and family. Remarkably, two narrators make these people fully individual and differentiated. M. E. Willis moves from the older, weary, yet hopeful voice of Cecil to that of his son Louis, and there is never a doubt about who's who. Desiree Coleman's sisters are well crafted, with voices that express the circumstances of their lives in a subtly powerful way. Both narrators create characters the listener comes to know and recognize throughout the novel. McMillan understands her characters, and so do the narrators; the result is outstanding. M.A.M. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award. © AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine Read more