SOURCE: A review of Waiting to Exhale, in Belles Lettres, Vol. 8, No. 1, Fall, 1992, pp. 56-7.

In the following review, Barnes offers praise for Waiting to Exhale, which she describes as "an important book" that "traces the problems of 'real' women in a real world."

Within weeks of its publication, Terry McMillan's Waiting to Exhale appeared on The New York Times best-seller list exceeding the success of her first two novels, Mama and Disappearing Acts. Although specifically it tells the story of four African-American women, Waiting to Exhale addresses the dilemma of career women who want it all.

Savannah Jackson, Bernadine Harris, Robin Stokes, and Gloria Matthews, all in their late thirties, are reflecting on their lives, and although they seek to move beyond their pasts, they face uncertain futures. Savannah, having lived in four cities in 15 years, is getting ready to make another career move—from Denver to...