Today we are going to talk about August’s book of the month, I Almost Forgot About You by Terry McMillian
Synopsis
The #1 New York Times bestselling author of How Stella Got Her Groove Back and Waiting To Exhale is back with the inspiring story of a woman who shakes things up in her life to find greater meaning
In I Almost Forgot About You, Dr. Georgia Young’s wonderful life–great friends, family, and successful career–aren’t enough to keep her from feeling stuck and restless. When she decides to make some major changes in her life, including quitting her job as an optometrist and moving house, she finds herself on a wild journey that may or may not include a second chance at love. Georgia’s bravery reminds us that it’s never too late to become the person you want to be, and that taking chances, with your life and your heart, are always worthwhile.
Big-hearted, genuine, and universal, I Almost Forgot About You shows what can happen when you face your fears, take a chance, and open yourself up to life, love, and the possibility of a new direction. It’s everything you’ve always loved about Terry McMillan.
Questions to think about and/or answer:
- Have you ever imagined kickstarting your life like Georgia does in I Almost Forgot About You? What would you do? Where would you go on your train trip?
- Discuss the roles that the other women play in Georgia’s life—her mother, daughters, granddaughters, friends, neighbors—and how they orbit around her.
- Georgia goes in search of all of her old loves; were you surprised by the ending and the love she eventually finds? Would you ever want to look up all your own past relationships?
(Question from Read It Forward)
Reviews
“The novel is immensely companionable, and Georgia is as alive, complex, inquiring, motivated and sexy as any 25-year-old. Maybe more so.”
– New York Times Book Review
“McMillan paints relationships in joyous primary colors; her novel brims with sexy repartee, caustic humor, and a fluent, assured prose that shines a bright light on her memorable characters. Her very best since Waiting to Exhale.”
– O Magazine
“After almost three decades of success and celebrity, McMillan still knows how to please… Self-discovery, second chances and the importance of family are thematic hallmarks of McMillan’s novels, as is the rich and colorful dialogue that make her books so much fun to read. I Almost Forgot About You checks all the boxes… By novel’s end, you’ll realize what a clever title McMillan has chosen. Georgia’s choices will have readers of a certain age looking at their own lives and agreeing with her that ‘sometimes you know in your heart it’s time for a change.’”
– Washington Post
Mocha Girls Speak
Mocha Girl Arlena: This was one of those reads that you will not want to put down this engaging and entertaining read until the end. The author offers her readers so much in her read from relationships between best friends. ex-spouses, ex-lovers, parents, children, grandchildren, friendship, humorous, with some very interesting characters, love of family, second chance with a past lover, gay, lesbian, self-discovery, to commitment and even more you may find when you pick up the read.
I loved reading about Dr. Georgia Young[African-American] who was an Optometrist in her mid 50’s, twice divorced, two daughter and now she thought it would be a wonderful idea to contact her old lovers and let them know just how much they had meant to her in her life. Just why would she want to do this? To find out you will have to pick up this well written read to see how and why this author brings it out so well to her readers. What will Ms. Georgia who was a ‘home owner, attractive and independent’ find out about her life as she looks back on what has gone on the first half of her life?
Be ready for a little bit of it all as the readers are lead on a journey…..from “love, regrets, romance, love inspiration” with a wonderful protagonist that will keep it so real to the readers from page one to the end.
What I especially liked about “I Almost Forgot About You” showed that just because you are in your mid 50’s [or whatever] doesn’t mean you are at the end of your life…for many it may be time to start a brand new chapter.
Mocha Girl D.L.: So. I really wanted to enjoy this book more than I actually did. I never disliked it enough to stop reading but it didn’t draw me in like some of her past books have.
What I loved- I have always loved McMillan’s laid back style. It’s more like having drinks with a girlfriend than reading a novel. You’re friends with the main character practically before you meet her and get the inside scoop on her life. She’s a single woman in her 50’s with two grown children, an Optometry practice and a line of men in her wake that she may or may not want to get in touch with again.
I also feel like McMillan’s characters are full and three dimensional, very realistic on the page, from Georgia Young’s neighbors to her best friends to her children and the men in (and out of) her life.
The pacing is great as is the writing– Terri can WRITE a darn book and I felt like the casual flow of the words matched the pacing. She always seems to write books where you’re just sitting in the corner watching someone live their life.
What I didn’t like? Eh. The men. I feel as if the black men that Georgia reconnected with were of the ‘ain’t worth a darn’ variety. I guess one could say that if the book were a slice of life, that that’s what you’d find but some of us read books to escape reality.
The ending. I won’t spoil it but major MAJOR MEH. The ending felt rushed and very much a dive into fairy tale land to me, though she often tried to dispel that by saying ‘life isn’t a fairytale, this kind of thing doesn’t happen in real life…’ and yet she wrote it and left it that way. Wasn’t a fan of the ending at all.
This book was an interesting but not life changing read… but it’s Terry McMillan, so… of course Ima read the next one!
Mocha Girl Pretty Brown Eye Reader
Book Details
Hardcover, 368 pages
Published June 7th 2016
Other Books by This Author
Mocha Girl Alysia
