- Paperback: 320 pages
- Publisher: Phoenix; New Ed edition (1 Mar 2001)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0575403209
- ISBN-13: 978-0575403208
- Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.4 x 2.4 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 213,562 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
Product details |
More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
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 artist, and in many ways the kind of wild, impulsive person Anna has always wanted to be. Their relationship is intensely sexual and it is this, ultimately, which threatens to destroy all that Anna holds dear.
About the Author
SALES POINTS Sue Miller's astonishing debut novel - a bestseller on first publication Reissued alongside Sue Miller's second novel, Family Pictures 'A very gifted first novel, outstanding for its subtle accuracy and honesty. I have not read better for many years' John Fowles 'Sue Miller writes with the ease and immediacy of a natural writer, exploring the dangerous borderline between love and lust, examining with scrupulous care the conflict between erotic and maternal love... wonderfully readable' Fay Weldon 'Truthful and disturbing . . . beautifully written' Sue Townsend 'A startlingly powerful and moving book' Guardian 'Immensely readable ... the kind of novel people search bookshops for' Margaret Forster
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
First Sentence
The post office in East Shelton reminded me of the one in the little town near my grandparents' summer home in Maine. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
The post office in East Shelton reminded me of the one in the little town near my grandparents' summer home in Maine. Read the first page
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Sue Miller's story of a recently divorced mother of a 3 year old child raises moral issues regarding society's expectations of a good mother. Anna blooms sexually with Leo, but in the process "forgets" her child. The open acceptance of sexual relations and acceptance of the body leads to a clash between Anna's views and the views of her ex-husband. The novel tells Anna's story, but deals with perceptions of morality that trap too many people (men and women) today. You might be surprised who in your life thinks Anna is a good mother and who does not (and don't expect clean breaks on gender lines). Highly recommended.
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book shows how easily and irrevocably a life can change, all because of a mistake. 3-year-old Molly lives with her mother, Anna, after she and her father, Brian, have separated and Brian has remarried. Both parents adore Molly and, on the surface, things are very amicable between the two adults. They have very civilized arrangements in place regarding the custody of Molly and even though Molly spends most of her life with her mother, this is agreeable to both parents. Everything changes, however, when Anna meets Leo and they embark upon a very loving (but also very sexual) relationship. Somewhere along the way, Anna becomes 'lost' in this relationship and unintentionally pays less attention to Molly than before. It isn't until her ex-husband informs Anna that he will not be returning Molly to her (after having had Molly to stay), following a remark Molly has made, regarding an incident with Leo whilst he was left alone with her. Brian files for total custody of Molly on the grounds that Anna is an unfit mother. Anna is devastated as she had no idea that anything had happened between Leo and Molly. Fraught, Anna questions Leo to find that the incident that Molly had told Brian about, did not happen quite in the way that was interpreted by him. However, Anna knows that it will be so very hard to prove this in court and she sees that she must fight with everything she has, to regain custody of Molly. Anna knows that Molly is the only one that matters and that her own life will be nothing if she loses her. Emotions become very raw in this novel but there is never any over-sentimentality. Sue Miller writes so simply and clearly that your heart swells and aches with each hurdle that mother and daughter struggle to overcome. A wonderful, thought-provoking novel.
15 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is a fantastic book that tells of couple growing apart and a child reaction to this. It conveys the intensity of a mother's feeling over a whole range of simple things and shows how easy it is to be misunderstood over simple every actions even when there is no evil intent on the father's part.It also gives a great insight into relationships with parents and the bond of family.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Deep and meaningful
I first read this at the tender age of fifteen and liked - but definitely didn't love - it. Now, as a mother myself, it resonates in a way it never did before. Read more
Published on 25 Sep 2007 by International Cowgirl
Truthful and hard-hitting
There are a few of the things I think are great about Sue Miller's writing:
1) She treats all her characters with compassion and respect - her characters are not... Read more
1) She treats all her characters with compassion and respect - her characters are not... Read more
Published on 25 Jun 2006 by maria1971
The things you do for love
This is what happens when you let yourself get picked up. The divorced mother in question meets a man at a laundromat, accepts his phone number and makes a date with him. Read more
Published on 11 July 1997
Wonderful, sad, honest, but most of all....human
For anyone who has been sexually abused or has been accused ofit. This book will challenge your reality. Sue Miller is so brave, and so honest in depicting a family in crisis. Read more
Published on 11 Sep 1996
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
