![]() Viking Press first edition | |
Author | Terry McMillan |
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Language | English |
Publisher | Viking Press |
Publication date | September 7, 2010 |
Publication place | United States |
Media type | |
Pages | 373 |
ISBN | 978-0670022045 |
Preceded by | Waiting to Exhale |
Getting to Happy, published in 2010, is the sequel to author Terry McMillan's 1995 novel Waiting to Exhale. Set 15 years after the ending of Waiting to Exhale, the novel takes place in Phoenix, Arizona, and follows the experiences of four African-American female friends (Savannah, Robin, Bernadine, Gloria) in their late 40s and early 50s. Getting to Happy explores how friendship and community is valuable to overcoming life's obstacles, and the ability to reach that peak of happiness, again.
McMillan wrote the novel as a guide for older women who have experienced loss and dejection, forcing them to hit the reset button on their lives.[1] The characters from Waiting to Exhale were used as inspiration for this book due to how their stories ended. McMillan was able to incorporate each characters hurts, joys, and dreams to "capture the emotional reality" for herself and readers.[2]