Review of "I Almost Forgot About You: A Novel" by Terry McMillan

 

Georgia Young, a 54-year-old African-American optometrist who lives in San Francisco.....



.....has been divorced twice and has two grown daughters - Estelle and Frankie - one from each hubby. Though Georgia appears to be doing well, she feels the need for a change in her life, especially after she learns an old beau has died unexpectedly. So Georgia decides to put her house on the market, sell her share of the optometry practice, take some classes, and look up her former husbands and boyfriends....to tell them what they meant to her. Along the way Georgia would like to find love again, though she's pessimistic about the possibility, particularly since her first husband Michael was a cheater and her second husband Niles was difficult and controlling.

Georgia's best friends Wanda - who's rich and likes to do needlepoint, and Violet - who's a successful sports attorney.....



.....encourage her efforts to find new love, or at least to have sex with someone, since Georgia has been 'chaste' for years. Wanda is quite pushy about this, and thinks almost any man will do for the purpose, whether he's single, married, whatever. (Wanda is a fun character who provides many of the light moments in the novel.)

Georgia's former spouses show up rather serendipitously since Michael is moving back to California and Niles has completed his prison sentence for a white collar crime. Georgia finds she's able to make peace with the ex-husbands, and feels encouraged to use Facebook, Google, and social media to locate the boyfriends who 'got away' for one reason or another. As Georgia contemplates her old beaus, we learn that she falls in love rather easily, especially with good-looking men who are 'good in bed.' 🙂



Meanwhile, there's a lot going on in Georgia's life. Georgia's oldest daughter Estelle, who has twin girls with her husband Justin, seems to be having financial problems.



Georgia's youngest daughter Frankie has quit college in New York and come home, heartbroken because her boyfriend cheated on her.



Georgia's house has to be 'staged' for sale, which is expensive and requires her to move out temporarily.



Georgia's octagenarian mother Earlene is engaged and planning her wedding.



Georgia's friend Violet is having serious problems. And Georgia has decided to take a train trip to Vancouver and across Canada, to sightsee and have quiet time for herself.

In the course of the story, Georgia locates some of her past loves and meets a few new men along the way, at a wedding, high school reunion, birthday party, etc.



Georgia is smart, attractive, successful, witty, well-liked, artistic, and a good cook....and men are attracted to her.



Geogia is self-conscious about becoming intimate with anyone, though, because she's gained a few pounds and is no longer a young college coed. Does the right man for Georgia come along? Does Georgia set the right course for her future? You'll have to read the book to find out.

An array of interesting ancillary characters round out the novel, including Georgia's optometry partner Lily;



the optometry practice's Asian-American office manager Marina;



a well-dressed art student called Mercury, who's hired to help Marina;



a pizza delivery boy called Free;



mama Earlene's fiancé Grover; and more.



I enjoyed the novel, though there seem to be a few plot holes, with men appearing in Georgia's life, then disappearing without follow up. Nevertheless, many readers - especially 'women of a certain age' - would probably like the book, which posits that it's never too late to change your life.

Rating: 3.5 stars