Miller's Valley: A Novel
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - In a small town on the verge of big change, a young woman unearths deep secrets about her family and unexpected truths about herself. Filled with insights that are the hallmark of Anna Quindlen's bestsellers, Miller's Valley is an emotionally powerful story about a family you will never forget. For generations the Millers have lived in Miller's Valley. Mimi Miller tells about her life with intimacy and honesty. As Mimi eavesdrops on her parents and quietly observes the people around her, she discovers more and more about the toxicity of family secrets, the dangers of gossip, the flaws of marriage, the inequalities of friendship and the risks of passion, loyalty, and love. Home, as Mimi begins to realize, can be "a place where it's just as easy to feel lost as it is to feel content." Miller's Valley is a masterly study of family, memory, loss, and, ultimately, discovery, of finding true identity and a new vision of home. As Mimi says, "No one ever leaves the town where they grew up, even if they go." Miller's Valley reminds us that the place where you grew up can disappear, and the people in it too, but all will live on in your heart forever. Praise for Miller's Valley "Overwhelmingly moving . . . In this novel, where so much is about what vanishes, there is also a deep beating heart, of what also stays."--The New York Times Book Review "Stunning . . . The matriarchal theme [is] at the heart of Miller's Valley. Miriam pushes her smart daughter to consider college, and other women--a teacher, a doctor, a benefactor--will raise Mimi up past the raging waters that swirl in her heart."--The Washington Post "Economical and yet elegant . . . [Anna Quindlen's] storytelling and descriptive powers make Miller's Valley compelling. . . . Miller's Valley has a geography and fate all its own but its residents, realities, disappointments, joys and cycle of life feel familiar, in the best way possible."--Pittsburgh Post-Gazette "A family story with humor, surprise, sorrow and mystery . . . Quindlen has created distinctive characters, none of whom seems like anyone you've met before in fiction."--The Columbus Dispatch "A breathtakingly moving look at a family."--USA Today "[Anna] Quindlen's provocative novel will have you flipping through the pages of your own family history and memories even as you can't stop reading about the Millers. . . . a coming-of-age story that reminds us that the past continues to wash over us even as we move away from the places and events that formed us."--Chicago Tribune "Picking up a novel by Anna Quindlen means more than just meeting a new family--it's like moving in and pretending they are yours. It's a rare gift for a writer, and Quindlen does it to near perfection."--St. Louis Post-Dispatch "Quindlen's novel of a childhood examined by someone who literally can't go home again is an incredibly engaging read. . . . Miller's Valley takes familiar themes and manages to make them fresh and new."--Bust
BUY THE BOOK
Community Reviews
This book has made me wonder if I'm officially a "middle aged woman."
(Note: A Huffington Post article claims that starts at 35, so it may be hitting me prematurely.)
I actually enjoyed this book, which is really nothing more than an older woman recounting a span of her younger years. I would pick it up intending to read a couple of pages but would find myself still pacing around the house an hour later, Kindle in hand, reading about this small town and this small family and hard work and loving relationships and loveless relationships and addictions and illnesses and perseverance that was always admirable but never cheesy.
This is an enjoyable read, but one of it's strongest elements - its clear characters - is also one of its downfalls for me. As much as I could visualize the characters and as much as I felt like I knew them like the back of my hand by the end of the book, I did not care for them. A death would not bring a tear to my eye. Our main character and narrator, Mary Margaret/Mimi/Meems, is not an emotional character, and I became similarly detached as a result. Despite this, I would absolutely read this type of book again.
4 Stars
(Note: A Huffington Post article claims that starts at 35, so it may be hitting me prematurely.)
I actually enjoyed this book, which is really nothing more than an older woman recounting a span of her younger years. I would pick it up intending to read a couple of pages but would find myself still pacing around the house an hour later, Kindle in hand, reading about this small town and this small family and hard work and loving relationships and loveless relationships and addictions and illnesses and perseverance that was always admirable but never cheesy.
This is an enjoyable read, but one of it's strongest elements - its clear characters - is also one of its downfalls for me. As much as I could visualize the characters and as much as I felt like I knew them like the back of my hand by the end of the book, I did not care for them. A death would not bring a tear to my eye. Our main character and narrator, Mary Margaret/Mimi/Meems, is not an emotional character, and I became similarly detached as a result. Despite this, I would absolutely read this type of book again.
4 Stars
See why thousands of readers are using Bookclubs to stay connected.