Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
Disappearing Acts  By  cover art

Disappearing Acts

By: Terry McMillan
Narrated by: Terry McMillan,Avery Brooks
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $8.10

Buy for $8.10

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Terry McMillan comes an honest look at a modern romance, from love at first sight to painful reality to working toward a happy ending....

Franklin Swift was a sometimes-employed construction worker and a not-quite-divorced dad of two. Zora Banks was a teacher, singer, and songwriter. They met in a Brooklyn brownstone, and there could be no walking away....

In this funny, gritty love story, Franklin and Zora join the ranks of fiction’s most compelling couples as they move from Scrabble to sex, from layoffs to the limits of faith and trust. Disappearing Acts is about the mystery of desire and the burdens of the past. It’s about respect—what it can and can’t survive. And it’s about the safe and secret places that only love can find.

©1989 Terry McMillan (P)1993 Penguin HighBridge Audio

Critic reviews

“A get-out-your-handkerchiefs love story. Unflinchingly realistic...warm, natural.”—USA Today

“A stunning achievement.”—Cosmopolitan

“If Ntozake Shange, Jane Austen, and Danielle Steel collaborated on a novel of manners, [Disappearing Acts] might be the result.”—New Yorker

What listeners say about Disappearing Acts

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    164
  • 4 Stars
    48
  • 3 Stars
    17
  • 2 Stars
    8
  • 1 Stars
    10
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    146
  • 4 Stars
    32
  • 3 Stars
    20
  • 2 Stars
    11
  • 1 Stars
    8
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    147
  • 4 Stars
    35
  • 3 Stars
    19
  • 2 Stars
    7
  • 1 Stars
    7

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great Story -Terrible Narration by Terry McMillian

Would you try another book from Terry McMillan and/or Terry McMillan and Avery Brooks ?

Absolutely not. Not if Terry McMillan is the narrator. I love her stories, but I don't want to hear her speak. She does not represent Zora well AT ALL. I want to emphasize how much I was displeased by this audiobook by stressing that this is my first review of a book on audible.com EVER. That's how strongly I disliked hearing her voice. I had to stop midway through.

What did you like best about this story?

I've always like how the chapters switch off from Franklin to Zora. You get an account/perspective of the same situation from two separate characters.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Terry McMillan's voice is too brash and aggressive. She gives too much attitude to Zora's character. Also, it seemed that only on Zora's part do I hear Terry McMillan moving and shifting around. I LOVE Disappearing Acts and have read it a million times in paperback and was hoping to be more drawn in by the voices and characters by hearing it through an audiobook. But Terry was the wrong choice as narrator. Franklin was fine. Strong yet vulnerable. I suppose I'll just rent the movie if I want to observe Franklin and Zora's interactions on another level.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

The male character Franklin was fine. And he made sure to keep still and not shift around during his recording.

Any additional comments?

If you ever get Terry McMillian's 'Mama' on audible.com, PLEASE be sure that the author doesn't narrate this time. I'm sure Alfre Woodard or someone else is available.e

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

I wish it was unabridged

So much was left out. I wish the story was unabridged. The story felt rushed.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

favorite book

Terry McMillan definitely doesn't need to narrate. she has a monotone dead voice with no life. However the book is my favorite novel. definitely should read the book bc the abridged version gives it no Justice just like the movie.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Disappointed

The story has been shortened, and I am very disappointed! I've read the book multiple times, watched the movie repeatedly, and there is more to the story than this!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
  • BG
  • 03-16-15

Great book

Good story & I enjoyed the Narration from a man's & women's perspective. Great listening while I work.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

It doesn’t match!

I used a credit for this to follow along and neither book I have purchased from Amazon don’t match! Also…where are the rest of the chapter!? Man. Waste of a credit!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

LOVED IT!!!

Where does Disappearing Acts rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I read this book years ago when I was a teen and fell in love with it then. Now I am back over 20 years later and this book is still one of my favorites. I love the point of view of each character and the conversational tone of each narrator. I love Zora and Franklin.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Disappearing Acts?

I love when they first met.

Which scene was your favorite?

The scene when they first professed their love for one another.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Yes I laughed and cried during this book.

Any additional comments?

Great narration.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

What in the disfunction was this?!

The guy sounded like a trash person from the first chapter. I only finished this cause I used a credit. Like was that ending supposed to be cute? It’s tragic and showing acceptance for abusive relationships.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Very good sad it was short

It was very good just sad it was short. I Will definitely listen to more

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Good as always!

Even thought it was short. I listened to some parts several times. I disappeared into the story.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!