How Stella Got Her Groove Back - Inspirational Novel About Self-Discovery & Second Chances | Perfect for Book Clubs, Women's Empowerment Reading & Personal Growth Journeys

Who would ever read a novel about an older, white, rich man who "gets their groove (or grapes) back" by marring a young trophy wife? Why would it be interesting? Wouldn't you be saying to yourself - "this is not a good idea"? This very question is why I find this novel a little bit interesting. It is a novel about an older, black, rich woman who marries a young trophy husband.And it does not go well for the author.I stumbled-upon this book after Terry McMillan's 2013 interview on NPR, which was to promote her latest novel. During this NPR interview, it was revealed to me that Terry had an acrimonious divorce in the mid-2000's, from a marriage that was the source material for this very novel.In this novel, based upon the author's own life, you can see all of the foreshadowing towards Terry's eventual divorce from her trophy husband. I find the novel interesting for this very reason - it is exceedingly clear that her "boyfriend / husband" is never going to work out.It is very clear that her "boyfriend" is at least bi-sexual. When Terry meets him in Jamaica he is living with a man, a man who makes it clear to Terry that they are more than just "friends" - the character throws a hissy-fit at Terry saying -"you know he lives with me, right"? Terry just glosses this over.Her boyfriend / future husband is "mature for a twenty year old", yet he has no solid career plans or way to support himself - he is thinking about being a chef, but has no practical experience besides a few weeks of training. Terry glosses this over, because he wears nice cologne and makes her feel good. Would we be sympathetic to an older, rich white guy in the same position? If you say yes, why do you say that? For sexist reasons?It is abundantly clear by the end of the novel that Terry and her man really don't have much in common. She is a well read, very strong willed career woman. He is a flighty, non-career person who can't even wash his own clothes. About all he can do is driver her fancy cars, and kick back in her palatial house.How is this going to work out?Only good thing: Terry had a great prenuptial agreement, so when the eventual divorce came, she did not get taken for too much of her money. I guess she is very like an older, rich, white man this way - but why should we be sympathetic?I'm not sure as to why basic punctuation marks were ignored, but sheesh. The run on sentences were extreme. I understand the author trying to give this character an 'overworked-analytical-brain never turns off" type of vibe, but it was difficult to read because of the huge string of words without breaks.As others have mentioned, the long, run-on sentences are headache-inducing. Someone needs to introduce this author to the comma!!! It drives me batty when published authors abuse basic punctuation rules, which are taught in grade school!!Ok, maybe those sentences are meant to show how thoughts can ramble on inside our heads from time to time. I did find it cute & charming on the 1st few pages, but after that, I was annoyed. I couldn't even keep reading the book after the 2nd chapter, and even reading that much was a challenge. Needless to say, this was a HUGE disappointment.I have never said this before, but do yourself a huge favor & watch the movie to see how Stella gets her groove back. This is one of those extremely rare times when the movie is far, far better than the book.For some reason I continue to re-read Stella, Waiting to Exhale, and Happy. I used to love them, but now the annoying writing flaws just take over my reader experience. Stella: stream of consciousness is an accepted form of novel writing, but this...was it even edited? It's one thing for the main character to string her thoughts together with long sentences, every thought hooked together with "and," but when every single character SPEAKS that way...? Oh it's irritating. The point of this book is Stella mentally struggling with herself about whether it's ok to see a 21 year old. Someone made the comment that Stella acted like a spoiled teenager when she didn't hear from Winston. Perhaps that's true -- but for anyone who has ever been desperately in love and terrifyingly exposed...that is exactly how you feel. You swing from rage to rapture and it makes no sense. I'm fine with that part. My issue is with the elementary dialogue -- pretty bad. Also I notice in all of her books she exclusively uses the word "this" instead of "that" and THAT is starting to bug. Unless THIS is a "black thang" as she points out so many other things are -- in which case I am just not familiar with that usage.Using a very down-to-earth writing style that's easy to read, McMillan tells the story of a 42 year-old buppie (black urban professional) who develops a new look on life after falling for a handsome 21-year old Jamaican "boy". I enjoyed the introspective love story, but there were a few details that, if omitted, would have made the novel more enjoyable. For example, I'm not interested in Stella's douche schedule or her unsavory feminine odors. Also, the constant reaffirmation of how much money she has, the BMW, the name brands mentioned over and over is kind of cheesy. What kept me reading this, however, is the love story that grew out of an island fling and Stella's ability to let go of her inhibitions. A fun, quick, and easy read. I'm looking forward to renting the movie.I love that they wrapped up my book in holiday-themed wrapping paper for this holiday season. I thought that was a sweet and festive touch!