The Senator's Wife
by Sue Miller
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Book Reviews of The Senator's Wife
Book Review: A big disappointment
Summary: 1 Stars
To keep it brief: I read this book because I liked While I Was Gone, also by Sue Miller. Though the heroine of the that book was unlikable, the story was good and rather well-written.
Sue Miller seems to have slipped several notches in the interim. The prose in The Senator's Wife is straight out of Writing 101, with conversations unremittingly punctuated by inane asides: "She took a sip of beer" or "He cut the pizza and put it on her plate." There was also a lot of meaningless detail that served no purpose.
The older heroine is a one-dimensional stereotype of an old lady. The senator husband is worse, maybe half-dimensional. But the worst thing about this book was the young heroine, an utterly amoral piece of work whom the author seems to like and believe moral. Either Sue Miller is off her nut or she's pulling our leg.
I don't recommend it at all.
Book Review: Brilliantly written, ultimately unrewarding
Summary: 4 Stars
I loved most of this book, sped through it, pages flying, totally wrapped up in the story, the characters. But for me, it all fell apart at the end. (SPOILER AHEAD) Call me simplistic and unsophisticated, but in the end I want the good guys to win and the philandering jerks to get punished. I yearned for the moment when Delia would see her husband for what he was (a two-timing cad) and walk off into the sunset a brave new woman, not the beaten down woman she becomes in Miller's book. And the fact that Meri, who so casually destroyed Delia's life, winds up happy and fulfilled, and says she did what she did out of "love"----gaaaaaack! It steams my beans.
Nevertheless, Miller's a terrific writer, and if you're a pomo kinda reader who doesn't mind an ending that makes you want to hurl yourself off a cliff, this book is for you.
Book Review: Unusual and sad story
Summary: 3 Stars
This really was a very strange and sad story. it took me a while to get into the book and, initially, I had no feel whatsoever for Delia. That changed once there were chapters that focused on her, and I found myself liking her, although I could not quite "get" her. I really was unable to understand her motivation to stay in her marriage. Initially, I liked the Meri character, but over the chapters, I came to find her quite unlikeable in her narcissism and selfishness. And both Nathan and Tom felt totally elusive to me. And there seemed to be a total disconnect with the Meri at the very end in 2007.
That said, the novel had a very literary feel, and I agree with another reviewer who commented that it was reminiscent of Anne Tyler. I think this would be a worthwhile read for a book club.
Book Review: Worthwhile Read, Hated the Ending
Summary: 3 Stars
Sue Miller's The Senator's Wife is an interesting read. Written from the perspective of two neighbors, one who is much older toward the end of her life and one who is younger toward the beginning of her life.
While I was interested in the lives of both women and enjoyed the creative way in which their stories emerged, I felt that Meri's character's development dropped off while Delia's character development took over the story. I would have like to hear a bit more how Meri came to terms with her marriage to a man who seemed pretty self-absorbed and distant.
Further, I felt that the ending was COMPLETELY unbelievable, although from a creative standpoint it sure got me thinking. I guess any author who can do that knows her stuff. I would like the opportunity to debate the ending with the author someday.
Book Review: What a waste of talent
Summary: 1 Stars
What a shame to waste such a beautifully written novel on such seedy characters. Are they true to life? Probably more than somewhat, but if I want to read about such people, I can pick up the latest scandal sheet newspaper. The only reason I finished this book, and I rarely "quit" on a book, was to see if anything or anybody improved. They didn't. I hated every character in this story and never want to meet them or hear of them again. I despised how the plot line moved and especially how it ended.
Still, Miller is a very good writer. Her sentences flow and she adds a lyrical impact. It is too bad she had nothing to say other than telling us more about things than we care to know and in nauseating detail.
What's even sadder is the number of really good novels out there that aren't being published.