About this title: Anna is a divorcee, a piano teacher, and a devoted mother. She was brought up in a family which valued achievement and self-discipline above almost everything else, but what Anna has always longed for is to be more passionate and expressive, both in her music and in her life, than she seems capable of being. Then she falls in love with Leo, an ...
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Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Binding: Trade Paperback
Publisher: Delta Book, New York, New York, U.S.A.
Date Published: 1994
ISBN-13:9780385312431ISBN:0385312431
Description: Good. No Jacket. 8vo-over 7¾"-9¾" tall. The book is very solid with bright, unmarked pages. The cover has minor shelf wear & moderate edge wear with a crease at each of the lower corners. read more
That's the only explanation I can find for why I would read this book now, as my own divorce and worries about child custody consume my life.
It's a good book. But it wasn't the right time for me to read it.
While the specifics certainly don't apply in my case (I would never behave the way the protagonist does), the feelings connected with turning your life over to the courts to decide hit very close to home at the moment. And of course the crushing fear of losing your child - regardless of its rationality - is enough to break my spirit into a hundred brittle pieces."
"Occasionally when looking up the prices for these reviews I write, I have a quick look at what has been said previously about the book. I have found, on the odd occasion, that another review has made me consider something I had not previously even been aware of the existence of. The reviews never alter what I think about the book, but may add to it.
Not in this instance though. The cover of the book poses a question about whether she should chose her lover or her daughter when she is being.....the good mother. The reviews which are actually just summaries focus solely on the situation which occurs between Anna's lover and her daughter and creates a sense of her facing this Sophie's choice type situation. These reviews and comments diminish this book so badly that if I were Sue Miller I'd be deeply offended and very angry.
Yes, there is a situation in the book where Anna, the protagonist, faces the situation of sexually inappropriate behaviour between her lover and her daughter. And yes, the last third of the book is filled with the narration of the court case and results thereof.
But it is not what the book is about. The book is about a woman trying to escape her controlling sense of belonging. It is about a girl who is moved around and controlled by her extended family and can't find who she is or where she belongs. Or even where she wants to belong. The story follows Anna both as a child growing into the woman who eventually does face her specific challenge as well as the woman who is moving towards it.
I felt such a deep sympathy for Anna. She tries so hard to break from the bindings of her life; of the expectation of her parents, grandparents, ex-husband, and daughter (Molly). And just as she does, as for once in her life she is not controlled by the expectations of others; she is free to do what she wants and to work out what that is, a situation which, although when recounted seems scary, actually wasn't, manages to blow up all of her ambitions for her self and her belief in her ability to be independent. Never did I think that a 'sexual encounter' between a grown man and a little girl would be so easy to understand. It is impossible not to empathize with the man, Leo, but also understand why Molly's father wants her out of that home and away from her mother.
I wept for Anna and for the unfairness of life. I wept for her bad luck and marginally poor decision making. She paid an awful price. And so did Molly. And maybe that's the saddest of all. Maybe the circle of insecurities and dependence continues because of one poor judgment call and a judge.
And never once was there even the slightest consideration that she would choose her lover over her child. The question never even arises. But I guess as a byline, it sells books. Sadly, it sells this book short.
I inherited this book and it is a book I will not be reading and releasing. I want to own this book and revisit it. Worth reading, and it has just be re-released so it's available.
Brilliant narrative and brilliant characters and brilliant examination of the life too many women live."
"I found this book in a used book store. It was written in the mid 80's but could very well have happened today. A young mother who is recently divorced tries to start a new life. She makes some poor choices after she adds a lover to her life. There is no bad guy just people making bad choices and a small child who innocently see's and asks questions that the ex husband uses to get custody of the child."
"A great contemporary novel with just the right amount of reality. The main character Maggie makes mistakes like people do. Some you might not make yourself but this is one of Sue Miller's great traits; she writes people as they might really be. Loved the other characters as well, like Leo. Super sexy Leo..."
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