A Day Late not a dollar short read
by Tiffany Davis, reporter

    Terry McMillan, the author best known for her novel Waiting to Exhale, titled her latest novel A Day Late and a Dollar Short.

    A cliché, the title can be a bit misleading for potential buyers; however, the work definitely reinforces another cliché: never judge a book by its cover.

    The hardback is dressed in a plain yellow jacket accessorized with a red purse displaying simplicity at its finest, a smooth contrast to the complex lives of the characters who live within its pages.

    The novel concerns a middle-class African-American family, but is not limited to readers from that culture.

    This all-American book tugs on the hearts and souls of its readers as the characters come to life and jump off the pages.

    The story is introduced through the eyes of tell-it-like-it-is Viola Price.

    She is characterized as a mother, wife, grandmother, friend, unsolicited advisor, own self-woman and many more roles that virtually every woman can identify with.

    The family is packed with personality, and every character is a member of anyone’s family or the family of a friend.

    Whatever the case may be, McMillan invites readers to journey in the lives of Cecil, Viola’s husband, the man who went too far with his midlife crisis. Or did he?

    Their grown children still act like children, according to Viola.

Paris, the oldest of two sisters and a brother, is the one who has it all together except for two things. She doesn’t have a husband, or a man for that matter, and she can rescue everybody but herself.

    Lewis, next to the oldest, acts the youngest and is too smart for his own good. He has bad habits—the worst one being a compulsive thinker. Lewis lives inside of his brain. If he gets those thoughts into action, he’ll be all right.

    Janelle is the mystical one. She depends on tarot cards and, of course, men to guide her through life. Her character keeps the readers waiting on the edge or wishing it possible to just pick up the telephone, call her and tell her exactly what her next step should be.

    She should have been called Miss Charlotte instead of just Charlotte because she has more attitude than all the others put together. She presents a strong nature and a mean spirit, but what lies behind all of this bravado is the question.

    McMillan has exceeded her skills of excellence in creative fiction writing. She has captured a family so full of life that they practically live with the reader for a couple of days or however long it takes to finish this novel. Readers will surely miss the family when they finish reading the novel.

    This is a great book, especially for those who want to get away but can’t. Curling up with this book is a vacation in an affordable package.