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nzagalo's review against another edition
4.0
"Monogamy" (2020) não é o tipo de livro que leria, mas algumas resenhas trouxeram-me até ele. Sue Miller tem mais de uma dezena de romances publicados, mas nunca tinha ouvido falar da mesma. É uma autora focada no romance de família, entre os romances de amor da seleção da Oprah e o romance mais psicológico. Assim que comecei a ouvir o audiobook fiquei colado, ainda mais assim que percebi que era a própria autora a narradora. Os seus 78 anos emprestam à voz um tom de experiência profundo, tornando a declamação imensamente emocional, particularmente tranquila, capaz de criar paisagens ficcionais totalmente credíveis para onde apenas desejamos evadir-nos.
O cerne de "Monogamy" é um casal que vive em Cambridge, casados há quase 30 anos, ambos em segundo casamento. Entretanto o marido Graham — dono de uma livraria — morre, e enquanto Annie — fotógrafa — realiza o seu luto, descobre que ele tinha tido um caso. O desenvolvimento do livro torna-se assim numa viagem psicológica com Annie, enquanto esta tenta dar sentido ao passado para se poder reerguer no presente. É aqui que entra a discussão da monogamia do que representou e pode ainda representar. Não há tragédia nem drama, mas questionamento e reflexão, o que poderia tornar a leitura mais aborrecida, mas tal nunca chega acontecer porque Miller sabe manter o interesse do leitor sempre desperto.
O livro ganha sentido adicional se pensarmos no mesmo da mesma forma como Graham pensava a ficção, numa recordação de Annie:
“Just, that we read fiction because it suggests that life has a shape, and we feel... consoled, I think he said, by that notion. Consoled to think that life isn’t just one damned thing after another. That it has sequence and consequence.” She smiled at Edith. “I think it was more or less the idea that fictional narrative made life seem to matter, that it pushed away the meaninglessness of death.”
Publicado no VI:
https://virtual-illusion.blogspot.com/2022/08/a-necessidade-de-ficcionar-vida.html
O cerne de "Monogamy" é um casal que vive em Cambridge, casados há quase 30 anos, ambos em segundo casamento. Entretanto o marido Graham — dono de uma livraria — morre, e enquanto Annie — fotógrafa — realiza o seu luto, descobre que ele tinha tido um caso. O desenvolvimento do livro torna-se assim numa viagem psicológica com Annie, enquanto esta tenta dar sentido ao passado para se poder reerguer no presente. É aqui que entra a discussão da monogamia do que representou e pode ainda representar. Não há tragédia nem drama, mas questionamento e reflexão, o que poderia tornar a leitura mais aborrecida, mas tal nunca chega acontecer porque Miller sabe manter o interesse do leitor sempre desperto.
O livro ganha sentido adicional se pensarmos no mesmo da mesma forma como Graham pensava a ficção, numa recordação de Annie:
“Just, that we read fiction because it suggests that life has a shape, and we feel... consoled, I think he said, by that notion. Consoled to think that life isn’t just one damned thing after another. That it has sequence and consequence.” She smiled at Edith. “I think it was more or less the idea that fictional narrative made life seem to matter, that it pushed away the meaninglessness of death.”
Publicado no VI:
https://virtual-illusion.blogspot.com/2022/08/a-necessidade-de-ficcionar-vida.html
manuser21's review against another edition
3.0
I don’t normally like books such as this, but the premise was interesting enough to pick it up. It was decent, but nothing spectacular. A couple of hard hitting moments don’t make up for the fact I do not enjoy books that have details and side-stories that never seem to go anywhere, or matter much to me. I’m just not the right audience for this genre.
evaribaker's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars: this book was very understated, but with some lovely prose. I did think it could have ended about 4 different times and when it finally did it was at an underwhelming point.
barbaraalfond's review against another edition
5.0
A book about grownups, written by a grownup, for grownups. How incredibly refreshing!
This may be my favorite of Sue Miller’s novels. I loved the basic goodness of her characters; the quiet, contemplative nature of her writing, and of her characters’ revelations; and the civilized approach to extended family, and extended time, which is set among the neighborhoods of Cambridge familiar to many of Miller’s readers. This was a book about the long view, and about love, and it could not have been more welcome in this season of overheated rhetoric and national angst. It reminded me that the golden apples of being loved, and of loving, are worth the race.
This may be my favorite of Sue Miller’s novels. I loved the basic goodness of her characters; the quiet, contemplative nature of her writing, and of her characters’ revelations; and the civilized approach to extended family, and extended time, which is set among the neighborhoods of Cambridge familiar to many of Miller’s readers. This was a book about the long view, and about love, and it could not have been more welcome in this season of overheated rhetoric and national angst. It reminded me that the golden apples of being loved, and of loving, are worth the race.
donnawr1's review against another edition
4.0
The title of this book drew me in, because it seems like such a boring topic that you knew something had to go wrong. And it did, not in a melodramatic way, but instead in a more of a lived in way. The book is heavy on characterization, focusing the most on Annie, whose husband Graham dies unexpectedly. He was the type of person everyone loved and who filled her life and those of others to an extraordinary degree. Without him she is grieving, but also lost. After some months, she unexpectedly finds out that he had an affair and now must pretend to continue to grieve while dealing with the anger at him that she can never resolve. I have heard women going through divorce due to infidelity say that it would be easier to live with if he had just died. Annie lived through both and the combination was worse. This story is about the complex relationships of Graham's first and second families, and how we don't really know everything we think we know about someone, including maybe even ourselves if we are forced to look carefully. It is about what love really looks like, and grieving for what we have lost, including our innocence.
dasfaultier's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
kmichaelis55's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
webdoyenne's review against another edition
4.0
Wonderful. I've missed a few of hers...must go back and read them.
stephaniekturner's review against another edition
Boring, could not finish. Got about 20% through and was not interested at all in what happened to these characters.
sarahastrid3's review against another edition
2.0
I started out reading the kindle edition, but didn't finish it before it was due back. But upon returning it I saw the audio was available. I didn't know until I was 3/4 though - reading reviews to try to figure out what Lucas's wife's name is. It sounds like Shon. But since I abandon the written edition before she can into the picture I have no idea, and nobody mentions her on here. - That the author narrated it.
I read in a review that the Annie mentions being a child in the 40s and 50s. And that it seemed absurd that she was in her 70s. But that this book took place 12 years ago in the late 00's. Because after that was mentioned I was like how old is Lucas then? I pictured him and Sarah as young adults starting to settle into adulthood, but now they all seem fuzzy.
I am in no way a prude, but I wasn't expecting the sex, even though it is about monogamy or in this case the struggle for it. I've never read Sue Miller before, this book was on the new and available page at my library and I said why not. I am in no way in love with it, nor would I seek out her other works.
I read in a review that the Annie mentions being a child in the 40s and 50s. And that it seemed absurd that she was in her 70s. But that this book took place 12 years ago in the late 00's. Because after that was mentioned I was like how old is Lucas then? I pictured him and Sarah as young adults starting to settle into adulthood, but now they all seem fuzzy.
I am in no way a prude, but I wasn't expecting the sex, even though it is about monogamy or in this case the struggle for it. I've never read Sue Miller before, this book was on the new and available page at my library and I said why not. I am in no way in love with it, nor would I seek out her other works.