Getting to Happy

Terry McMillan

Sep 2010 · Penguin Random House Audio · Narrated by S. Epatha Merkerson, Gloria Reuben, and LaChanze

About this audiobook

 

 

 

An exuberant return to the four unforgettable heroines of Waiting to Exhale—the novel that changed African American fiction forever.

Terry McMillan's Waiting to Exhale was more than just a bestselling novel—its publication was a watershed moment in literary history. McMillan's sassy and vibrant story about four African American women struggling to find love and their place in the world touched a cultural nerve, inspired a blockbuster film, and generated a devoted audience.

Now, McMillan revisits Savannah, Gloria, Bernadine, and Robin fifteen years later. Each is at her own midlife crossroads: Savannah has awakened to the fact that she's made too many concessions in her marriage, and decides to face life single again—at fifty-one. Bernadine has watched her megadivorce settlement dwindle, been swindled by her husband number two, and conned herself into thinking that a few pills will help distract her from her pain. Robin has an all-American case of shopaholism, while the big dream of her life—to wear a wedding dress—has gone unrealized. And for years, Gloria has taken happiness and security for granted. But being at the wrong place at the wrong time can change everything. All four are learning to heal past hurts and to reclaim their joy and their dreams; but they return to us full of spirit, sass, and faith in one another. They've exhaled: now they are learning to breathe.

Ratings and reviews

Double Jeopardy

About the author

Terry McMillan is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Waiting to Exhale, A Day Late and a Dollar Short, and The Interruption of Everything, and the editor of Breaking Ice: An Anthology of Contemporary African-American Fiction.

S. Epatha Merkerson is an American actress best known for her work on Law & Order (1993–2010). She has garnered a Golden Globe, an Emmy, a Screen Actors Guild Award, an Obie, and four NAACP Image Awards. She also works as a narrator whose credits include Getting to Happy by Terry McMillan and Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli.

Gloria Reuben is a Canadian singer and actress. She has appeared on ER, Falling Skies, Mr. Robot, and Saints & Sinners, as well as in the film Lincoln.

LaChanze is an American actress, singer, and dancer. She won the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical in 2006 for her role as Celie in The Color Purple and has appeared on-screen in The Cosby Show, Sex and the City, and Law & Order: SVU, as well as in the Disney animated film Hercules.