The Senator's Wife

The Senator's Wife

I found this book a quick enjoyable read and think it would be great for a book club. It brings up lots of things to discuss, such as adultery, marriage, women's lib, politics and friendship. I felt it was a story about how much a woman (Delia) truly loved her husband and what she was willing to do to spend the rest of her life with him. At times I was very annoyed at Delia and felt she wasn't really living her life, just kind of waiting for Tom to come to her. As for Meri and Nathan, I do not think their relationship was explored enough. I found myself wondering if he'd had an affair, which was certainly eluded to at one point. And why was Nathan so interested in Tom? I do not think that question was really answered. **SPOILER** The ending of the book really made me dislike Meri. Why didn't she try to make amends with Delia? She just destroyed the lives of these two people and went off to live a wonderful life with her husband and three boys. Thank you Sue Miller for a book that really makes you think about life issues long after you finish reading.

5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

Very disappointing

After Ms. Miller wrote so softly about the 2 very different women, the ending came as a slap in the face. It seemed very,very crude, compared to the rest of the story. I was very mad at the author for handling it this way. I will not recommend this book to anyone. I hestitate to buy another of her books.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Yuk!

I've read several other Sue Miller books and have really enjoyed them, but The Senator's Wife was absolutely awful. While Miller's writing style is to be appreciated, the plot started nowhere and went no place worth going. I'm not sure why I kept reading except for thinking that it would at some point get better....it didn't. Don't waste your time reading this.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

A Whole Lot of Nothing...Yet Still Interesting

I flew through this book, and I kept wondering when something was going to happen. And then...at the very end...yikes! Sick! How does that even happen? The Senator's Wife character is pathetic. It is painful to watch women suffer like she does, although I know it happens very often. News flash ladies: a leopard does not change is spots. Men like that NEVER change, and it is always about their damage. It is not your fault. As for the young girl...I doubt things really wrapped up so neatly in a box with a bow for her. That part of the book was too rushed. It would have been better to leave it more open ended. This is what I will say about the book: It kept me thinking. It was VERY well written, and extremely detail-oriented.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

slow moving

I have read all Sue Miller's book but I felt like I was plodding along.I loved the characters and how she brought them to life but I kept anticipating more movement in the story and when it got to the end I found it very anticlimatic.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Totally enjoyed~

A very good story about love and marriage from 2 different generations. I thoroughly enjoyed this book full of twists and suspense. Highly recommend.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

This book explores the complexities of human relationships, the meaning of love and what a person will endure to secure it.

An interesting delve into the complex emotion called love. Many more modern women would find the Senator's Wife a difficult character to relate to as she would likely signify everything that was wrong with our more traditional times. Modern women may seek to relate to the young, recently married, career-minded neighbor. After all, these women seem as different as night and day. They seem like they would have little in common. But as you get to know these women, you find that they are very similar in their core. They are both looking for love and acceptance in the form of relationships. The ups and downs that they go through in this search is something that all women should be able to relate to, whether or not they agree with the actions that they take. Love is never simple.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

The Senator's Wife

I was really disappointed by this book. After what many readers and reviews said about the book, I was expecting something wonderful, but instead, I found the book to be quite a bore. I'll admit it was interesting, but the book had so many quiet spots, and I felt as if it were moving too slow. It seemed as if the book was never going to end. The way Sue Miller writes is in an interesting way, but it didn't have the ability to completely captivate my attention. Throughout the entire book, I felt like a bystander - like a ghost stands by and watches everything. Never did I feel involved with any of the characters' emotions.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Not My Favorite

We read this for book club and most of us thought it was so-so, but oddly enough, we had one of our best ever book discussions. Go figure.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

The personalities of the characters are what carry this story of neighbors becoming friends.

The reader can understand how neighbors become involved in each others lives and we are sometimes shocked at how each character behaves. I had empathy for each person.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Ok book, but wouldnt run out to buy a copy

It may just be this is not my style of book, but it was hard to get into at first. I struggled with understanding the story, or where it was headed for the first half. Once I got past literally the first half of the book, I enjoyed it more. She could have done more with character development in the beginning. I struggled connecting with the characters.

Maybe if Sue went into the past lives of the senator and his wife first, there would have been a deeper connection.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Easy read, some unnecessary and uncomfortable content

Honestly, I liked this book until the elderly senile Senator breast fed on the young mother- main character... that's uncomfortable and really ridiculous. I didn't realize Sue Miller reads like the silly romance novels- I thought she was more serious than that. I would not recommend this book!

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Don't read this if you don't want to know what happens!

I was really disappointed in this book. I hate to read about really self-absorbed, immoral people who eventually get what they want out of life. I like to see them knocked down and suffering so there could be something learned. I think Ms. Miller has a real loser on her hands this time yet I couldn't stop reading it. Go figure.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

The Senator's Wife

This book isn't about the "Senator's Wife" but is really focused on her neighbor, Meri, a self-absorbed young woman. She's also sneaky, immoral, and disloyal. I found the book's plot disjointed with it's flashbacks and flash forwards. The story is supposed to be about the fictional Delia--a wronged woman married to a cheating husband. Yet, most of the story focuses upon Meri.
At the same time, the author mentions Meri comes from a background with a disinterested, abusive mother. But, the author barely references her background as a reason for her own poor job of mothering her newborn infant.
And, the ending is just ridiculous and offensive. I didn't like the fact that Meri reduced breastfeeding an infant to a sexual encounter with a broken-down old man.
Some in our book club really liked the book. I did not.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Disappoinment at its best

Sex sells anything should be the theme for the purpose of publishing this book. The character Meri is infantile in managing her feelings and the way the characters relate to each other is almost unbelievable. The ending put me over the edge in just plain creepiness. It just made me wonder about the authors lifestyle and what she considers to be things that are done out of love as the book hints in the end. This is the first of Sue Miller I have read and if this is any indication I would pass the next time.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

A little slow read

It gives good insight into the life and marriage of a politician. I'm sure there are a lot of couples that pretend to be together just for political aspirations.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Disturbing ending

I didn't like the characters in this book. The young wife, Meri, was selfish and shallow. Her snooping through her neighbors house, viewing her erotic art and reading her personal mail was just uncomfortable, and the elderly husband was just a creep. In the end the final betrayal was gross. I felt like a voyeur into the characters personal lives--and not in a good way.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

An interesting read, not too involved. Just right.

The characters were very believable as was the setting, and the plot moved quickly enough. I'd recommend it.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Doesn't live up to it's potential

Writing is stilted and tries too hard to impress. Characters are whiny and dependent, not at all likeable or interesting.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Very Boring

This book was very hard to get through. It was just boring.