It's Not All Downhill From Here

Terry McMillan

2020 • 386 pages

Ratings5

Average rating3.7

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • After a sudden change of plans, a remarkable woman and her loyal group of friends try to figure out what she’s going to do with the rest of her life—from Terry McMillan, the bestselling author of How Stella Got Her Groove Back and Waiting to Exhale NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY MARIE CLAIRE AND GOOD HOUSEKEEPING • “Poignant, funny and full of life, this is a balm for troubled times.”—People Loretha Curry’s life is full. A little crowded sometimes, but full indeed. On the eve of her sixty-eighth birthday, she has a booming beauty-supply empire, a gaggle of lifelong friends, and a husband whose moves still surprise. True, she’s carrying a few more pounds than she should be, but Loretha is not one of those women who think her best days are behind her—and she’s determined to prove wrong her mother, her twin sister, and everyone else with that outdated view of aging wrong. It’s not all downhill from here. But when an unexpected loss turns her world upside down, Loretha will have to summon all her strength, resourcefulness, and determination to keep on thriving, pursue joy, heal old wounds, and chart new paths. With a little help from her friends, of course.

Genres

Want to edit this book?Become a Librarian

Popular Reviews

Reviews with the most likes.

jan pacak

I am a fan of Terry McMillan but this wasn't a “I can't put this book down” sort. The novel's protagonist is Loretha Curry, 69 years old, who has a successful business, loving husband, and 4 lifelong friends. But she is not without her troubles. It's a bit of a slog because all of these people have a voice in the book and, while easy to keep them apart, it took a while to really capture my attention. The friendship bond between the four women becomes more and more evident as each one's struggle unfolds. Then the novel starts to shine as the bonds among them unfolded. Overall, it was a good read.

May 25, 2020

Seymone

This novel made me feel like I was wrapped in a warm snuggly blanket. I loved these characters.

September 23, 2020

Rachel

This is my first Terry McMillan book, and I read this as part of my book club. Based on the other reviews, it sounds like her other books are better.

I have to say, I had a really hard time caring about any of these characters, especially our main character Loretha. She lies a LOT and is a constant ATM machine for her friends and family. She also doesn't really seem to have much growth in this book. At the end she finally starts taking her diabetes seriously but how do we know it will stick?

One thing that rubbed me the wrong way was how mental illness was handled in the book. As someone who has dealt with a family member being mentally ill, I thought the portrayal of it was a little unrealistic. I felt the message was “if you've got enough money, eventually everyone will come around and everything works itself out”. Which, may be true, but doesn't really give much hope to the rest of us peasants that can't just send their family member to a rehab clinic for 28 days x 2.

I felt like I was reading about the “lifestyles of the rich and famous” a lot in this book, and outside of Loretha losing her husband I felt she didn't really have much struggle. Even when her store is robbed, it's not a big deal because she has insurance.

As others have said, I do NOT recommend listening to this book on audiobook. The narrator is very lackluster and they really should have gotten someone else to read it.