Ginette

Great portrait of contemporary life in America

Revisado: 07-08-11

Another great book by Sue Miller. I had read the paper version of this book a few years ago and by mistake I read it again in audio format.. but it was just as enjoyable the second time. Everything is not black or white in Sue Miller's view. This book eloquently portrays the trials and tribulations of modern family life where couples seldom last forever and how this affects the children when parents split or if a parent dies. This novel relates how the middle child in this family is affected by the loss of her stepfather and how she is running towards disaster as another man undertakes to do her sentimental education so to speak. The tone in Sue Miller is never moralizing and always the author examines situations in the most subtile way that makes you think and reflect at what is going on. Very interesting and thought provoking book - no clichés and no fairy tale!!

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unusual subject.. yet interesting

Revisado: 07-08-11

While this is totally different from Lionel Shriver's other books that I have read (We need to talk about Kevin, The Post-Birthday World), it is indeed an interesting read. It's a great story about undying friendship - Errol's unrequited love for Gray. But it's also a woman's life story, that of a respected woman, a scholar, who devoted her entire life to her career and never strayed off course except much later in life when she falls for a younger man. It's sad to see how for the love of this man, Gray will cast aside everything which was important for her in her life.. sad to see an aging person stoop so low but Lionel Shriver is decidedly a keen observer of human nature. The proof lies in the diversity of her characters and stories. Of course she writes very well, can spin a tale and the interest of the reader never wavers!

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Sue Miller did it again!

Revisado: 07-08-11

I just finished listening to this novel by Sue Miller. I had read some disappointing reviews and was a little hesitant at starting it but I wasn't disappointed. Sue Miller does a great job at reading the novel herself as is often the case for her novels with Audible. I am a fan of Sue Miller and find that every novel that I have read from her so far captures my interest and there is always a new twist on things. This one reads like a mise en abyme where the the central character Billie is a playwright who authored a play inspired by 9-11. Her characters who share a voice in the different chapters include the main actor in the play, Billie herself, her life prior to 9-11 and the lover she lost in that tragedy as well as the family she had then. I highly recommend it!

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Sue Miller captivates again!

Revisado: 08-18-10

I think I have read almost every book Sue Miller has written and she has done it again. Found a way to spin yet another story that is totally different from the others. Her knowledge of the feminine human heart is incredible and she portrays well the intricacies of relationships between men and women. I particularly liked the way she illustrated - diary style - a lifetime relationship between Tom, the senator, and his wife Delia seen through the eyes of Meri, their young neighbor and how Delia herself got to learn about a similar relationship to hers and Tom, that of Anne Apthorp through letters found after Anne's death. Couples' lives are much more than what you see from the surface. Great narration also on this book!

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not a novel but an autobiographical essay

Revisado: 06-11-10

I am a great fan of Sue Miller and was surprised this wasn't a novel but an autobiographical essay. This is the story of her father, a scholar, who's a victim of Alzheimer's disease. She chronicles the onset of the disease, how she and her siblings noticed her father's deterioriration and how they all coped with it. Sue Miller is the narrator in this case and it adds to the quality of the reading. Very moving and insightful, at times funny but most often very moving. A great book to help understand this terrible disease and to help you cope if you have it in your family. Addresses guilt issues, feelings of loss, etc.

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interesting albeit a bit lecturing!

Revisado: 06-11-10

Interesting book, yet I was glad when it was finished (only 5 hours). I didn't much like the voice of the narrator - it was indignant in fact! (Dick something)- too expressive! and sententious! I usually love Philip Roth's writing but this was different but not necessarily in a bad way!Some parts were too long and too lecturing!

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Alice Munro is a must!!

Revisado: 06-11-10

I just loved all of the short stories featured in this book. Every single one of them was entrancing, interesting and plunged the reader in a different universe each time! I listen to audio books while I walk in the forest or in my neighborhood and Alice Munro kept me company for weeks on end!!

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best book I've read in years!

Revisado: 06-02-10

I just love Lionel Shriver. A few years ago I had read We need to talk about Kevin. This latest book didn't disappoint me in the least. I thought the concept highly original - the parallel stories about Irina's life had she succombed to the temptation and her life if she had been faithful to her chosen life, her husband. The book was funny, I found myself laughing out loud; it was analytical, very realistic and true to life I felt. It was sexy yet it wasn't superficial - a reflexion on married life, love, etc. A great book. Un coup de coeur as they say in French! I highly recommend it!

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