The interruption of everything: a novel

Forty-four-year-old Marilyn feels as if her life is spiraling out of control. She has a husband who is adrift in his career and is showing all the signs of having an affair. Marilyn is also juggling a troublesome live-in mother-in-law, a mother who may be developing Alzheimer's, and a foster sister who is battling drug addiction and neglecting her two children. Meanwhile, she must struggle with her own personal decisions: should she continue working part time at the craft store or heed her long-neglected dreams of a career in art? Should she stay married to boring Leon, the engineer, or take up again with her first husband, who is suddenly back on the scene and available? A pregnancy scare intensifies her need to separate her roles as a caregiver and as a woman with her own identity. She finds solace and help from her girlfriends and an unlikely source--her mother-in-law. McMillan's inimitable style is on display in this novel about a woman facing midlife crises on every front. --Vanessa Bush Copyright 2005 Booklist

Marilyn Grimes is desperately frustrated with her life as a housewife and amateur crafts maker. The world seems to be conspiring against her, as she and her husband hit the emotional and physical rocks of middle age and her extended family keeps erupting in chaos. Emmy Award-winning Whitfield's attempt at husky male voices is awkward, but she does a great job with both older women (Marilyn's mother, who has Alzheimer's, and her sassy mother-in-law, who "elopes" with her new retirement home lover). Oddly, her voice as Marilyn is often not engaging. In some ways the weakness in her characterization is appropriate, as Marilyn claims her soul has been "in hiding" as she's catered to everyone else's needs. But some listeners may get bored by Marilyn's narration, especially compared to her lively girlfriends and family. Still, Whitfield was a natural choice for the part, and she mostly lives up to her reputation in delivering this journey of self-discovery. Also available unabridged on 10 CDs and narrated by Desiree Taylor. Simultaneous release with the Viking hardcover (Reviews, May 30). (July) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Marilyn Grimes, a quintessential McMillan woman--loyal and honest friend, devoted wife and mother, dutiful daughter/daughter-in-law, upfront sister--is faced with a series of midlife crises. The author touches all bases, from menopause and recovering addictions to male midlife challenges and early Alzheimer's disease. As Marilyn questions her own career options, she must also juggle an extended family's struggles and life changes. Although the dialog doesn't always ring true in Desiree Taylor's delivery of some interactions, her portrayal of the heroine is genuinely felt with wit and wisdom. The ending may be forced, but adult women listeners will identify well enough to forgive the author's resolutions. Recommended for large fiction collections.--Joyce Kessel, Villa Maria Coll., Buffalo, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.

The sparks fly in McMillan's latest, a crowded family drama with two midlife crises competing for attention. Marilyn Grimes suspects she's premenopausal, but tests show she's seven weeks pregnant. This is bittersweet news for the narrator, who has spent 23 of her 44 years being a model housewife and mother in her middle-class neighborhood of Oakland Hills, across from San Francisco. She's raised three kids, now grown, while her engineer husband, Leon, has been a good provider, though the fun has gone out of their marriage. Then new tests show the fetus is dead, which is pure relief for Marilyn, though she still has her hands too full to focus on self-fulfillment: an MFA program, a business venture. Down in Fresno, her mother, Lovey, is becoming senile, and Marilyn's much younger adopted sister, Joy, can't cope: A drug addict, she can't even raise her own two kids, Tiecey and LL, so Marilyn must periodically descend from what Joy derisively calls her "little Cosby world" to help out. That little Cosby world is topsy-turvy too. Not only has Arthurine, Leon's far from senile mother, who lives with them, suddenly started dating, but one of Marilyn's sons is home on spring break, bringing his girlfriend and a bunch of homeboys--and staid old Leon is turning into a homeboy himself, looking ludicrous in new baggy jeans. When he announces he's off to Costa Rica to find himself and may be leaving Marilyn for good, she goes ballistic. McMillan is at her best juggling all these different characters. Bring 'em on! And the zingers are blistering. The second half is less turbulent, until news comes that Joy is dead. Marilyn must decide how to pick up the pieces while heartbreaking little Tiecey almost steals the show. Undercharacterized Leon is the weak link here. Otherwise, McMillan's combination of boisterous humor and real compassion, both for the old and the underclass, is deeply impressive. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Forty-four-year-old Marilyn feels as if her life is spiraling out of control. She has a husband who is adrift in his career and is showing all the signs of having an affair. Marilyn is also juggling a troublesome live-in mother-in-law, a mother who may be developing Alzheimer's, and a foster sister who is battling drug addiction and neglecting her two children. Meanwhile, she must struggle with her own personal decisions: should she continue working part time at the craft store or heed her long-neglected dreams of a career in art? Should she stay married to boring Leon, the engineer, or take up again with her first husband, who is suddenly back on the scene and available? A pregnancy scare intensifies her need to separate her roles as a caregiver and as a woman with her own identity. She finds solace and help from her girlfriends and an unlikely source--her mother-in-law. McMillan's inimitable style is on display in this novel about a woman facing midlife crises on every front. ((Reviewed April 15, 2005)) Copyright 2005 Booklist Reviews.

This just in: publication of McMillan's new novel has been pushed up to July from the fall. With her kids grown and her husband nice but nothing special, Marilyn Grimes wants more for herself-but she's not sure what. Then trouble comes her way, and she needs to do something different. Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Marilyn Grimes, age 44, is angry, whiny, and perhaps perimenopausal. With three children in college, a boring husband, a live-in mother-in-law, and her own mother showing signs of dementia, she finds little joy in her suburban California world. Just when she comes up with an escape plan-graduate school-her life is interrupted yet again. Marilyn finds out she's pregnant and that her husband, Leon, is leaving for a month-long men's retreat in Costa Rica. During his absence, Marilyn ricochets in several directions but finally confronts her biggest enemy-herself. Girlfriends Paulette and Bunny, mother-in-law Arthurine, and sister Joy play significant cameo roles as this no-holds-barred, dialog-driven story tackles numerous contemporary issues, most notably our perceptions of aging. With twists on familiar themes, irreverent humor, and a heroine who has more backbone than we initially thought, McMillan's latest (after A Day Late and a Dollar Short) brings it all back home. This is life-affirming women's fiction delivered by one of the best in the field. Destined for the best sellers lists, the book belongs in most popular fiction collections. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 3/15/05; BOMC alternate.]-Teresa L. Jacobsen, Santa Monica P.L., CA Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Marilyn Grimes has had it with her boring husband and his irritating, live-in mother. Her children have grown up and flown the nest, so why can't she? But her quest for freedom turns out differently than she expected. McMillan, who's racing her manuscript to the publisher, plans a 15-city author tour. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

McMillan's (A Day Late and a Dollar Short) new heroine is facing all the trials of middle age: she must contend with a husband, three children, a live-in mother-in-law and her beau, and a dog. No wonder she's ready for some serious changes. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Bestseller McMillan (A Day Late and a Dollar Short) does what she does best in her long-awaited sixth novel. Her candid, spirited narrator is Marilyn Grimes, a 40-something wife and mother who's beginning to feel unappreciated by her family and underwhelmed by her 25-year marriage. With her three kids in college, Marilyn works part-time at a crafts store, feeds her neglected creative muse with various artsy projects, and jaws with her friends in their good-natured regular "Private Pity Party." Having always been there for others-her engineer husband, Leon; her drug-addicted sister, Joy, and Joy's two kids; her live-in mother-in-law, Arthurine; and her mother, Lovey-Marilyn wonders what it would be like to think of her own needs for once. Meanwhile Leon's questioning his professional future, his marriage and his fashion sense (he buys a Harley and starts dressing "like a chubby old hip-hopper"). As they seek their own solutions, Marilyn discovers she's pregnant, Lovey shows signs of Alzheimer's, Arthurine begins dating, Joy struggles to get sober and Marilyn's ex-husband reappears and awakens old feelings. With her trademark ability to write thought-provoking tales inspired by the lives and loves of contemporary African-American women, McMillan offers another novel sure to resonate with readers grappling with the questions Marilyn poses to herself. Agent, Molly Friedrich. (July) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.