While I Was Gone by Sue Miller Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of While I Was Gone
Book Review: The grass is always greener . . .
Summary: 5 Stars
Miller does a wonderful job with both plot and character development in this novel, which was a New York Times bestseller and a Ballantine Reader's Circle book. The protagonist, Jo, is finely drawn and very complex. Sometimes I empathized and identified with her and other times I thought she was immensely selfish.
A basic plot sketch - Basically, Jo ran away from her "safe" life as a married teacher when she was young, opting instead for life in a house full of other young people who didn't know about her past. This part of the book is described in a free, easy style that I really enjoyed. Although I didn't grow up during the sixties, I felt as though Miller gave a good picture of what it might have been like. Life in the house ends with a violent crime, and the "friends" scatter to the winds to live their separate lives. Jo later re-marries, has three daughters, and enjoys a fulfilling job. Her life seems almost idyllic. Then her past comes back to torment her in the form of an old friend (and her overactive memory/imagination). It is her own selfishness, however, that causes the most trouble for her in the end.
I really identified with Jo's intermittent feelings of restlessness; she feels sometimes as if she wants to live more fully, take more risks, to feel more free and passionate about her life. She yearns for the way she felt during her youth. I think everyone feels this way sometimes. But Jo decides to pursue this longing the wrong way, in a way that causes pain to those she loves. I find it interesting that she rarely stops to think about how her words and actions will make her devoted husband feel.
Despite not feeling totally sympathetic to Jo's character, I loved the book. The characters seem very real, and I enjoyed reading about them. Based on this novel, I'll definitely read more Miller.
Book Review: Moving and accurate...
Summary: 4 Stars
Here is Joe Becker, a middle aged veterinarian who by all appearances seems to be content with her coastal life and her minister husband. Her children are all grown up and out of the house and one day Jo wakes as if from a dream. She is flooded with memories and yearnings of and for an idealistic youth that is shattered by the death of a close friend.
Coincidentally, Eli Mayhew, who was romantically involved with Joe's friend, shows up in her hometown. Suddenly Jo is confronted with a past that demands closure and an attraction to Eli that she cannot ignore.
This is a powerful read that accurately portrays the closeness and simultaneous distance in marriage. This book is for anyone who has ever asked themselves "Where did the years go? What became of the person I was?"
Book Review: A study in self-indulgence
Summary: 4 Stars
This is a very well written book but hard to like, mainly because the main character, Jo, is very unlikeable. She was so selfish and so dishonest with herself that I simply couldn't empathise.
Jo is a veterinarian. She is married to a minister, has three grown daughters and lives a quiet life in a small Massachusetts community. When she was in her early twenties and married to a different man, she experienced some sort of crisis and took off on everybody. She ended up in Cambridge, where she lived in a big house with a group of students. This one-year hiatus from reality was precious and meant the world to her. Unfortunately, that unbelievable year came crashing when one of the roommates, her best friend Dana, was killed in mysterious circumstances.
Fast forward to the present. Because of one of those silly coincidences that life brings us, one of Jo's old roommates moves into her town, almost 30 years later. This was like stirring some long-settled sediment at the bottom of a pool. Jo experienced a mixture of dread and appeal, maybe because she was transported to that time, back in her 20s, where she felt free and unencumbered. Unfortunately, she allowed herself to be dragged by her emotions (which is what she had done her entire life), and in the process managed to alienate everyone, most importantly her husband.
I realized early on how things were going to turn out. The big question, the whodunit, became crystal clear soon. That disappointed me a little, but I forgave the author. After all, this is not a mystery novel. The main theme is not who killed Dana, but what a mess Jo has made of her life and her relationships.
A couple of things I liked:
This one because it rings true:
"Having children teaches you, I think that love can survive your being despised in every aspect of yourself. That you need not collapse when the shriek comes: Don't you get it? I hate you! But you do need to get it. You do need to understand and accept being hated. I think this is one of the greatest gifts children can give you, as long as it doesn't last".
This one because it reflects what a sorry human being Jo is:
"But then he returned and our life went on. Three days gone. A week. I measured the time in the faint waning of my consciousness of my misery, and wondered if this would one day be enough: simply not to be consciously miserable anymore".
Book Review: Fine Writing and Real Feelings
Summary: 5 Stars
This was my first experience reading Sue Miller. I was drawn tothe book by the multitude of good reviews from reputable publications, and those reviewers were right about this work. It resonates, it moves, it captures character, memory, emotion, and some of the mystery of human nature. The characters became so life-like for me while I was reading that I found myself thinking about them, psychoanalyzing their motivations, seeing their faces in front of me. I guess the book reached me in particular because I fall into Jo and Daniel's generation. I too experienced life in a group house in the late sixties and early seventies and I easily related to all the yearning and pent up idealism of those times. A word about Sue Miller's penchant for detail: I think what good literature does is sort out the details of living and make a work of art from them. The details draw you in, and finally produce emotional impact that stays with you. So if you have no patience for detail and just want lots of action, a la trash novels, stay away from this one. I for one am happy I discovered Sue Miller. Book Review: Ever wonder?
Summary: 4 Stars
Ever wonder what your life might be like if you'd made a different choice, in career, mate, etc? Ever feel as if you've missed out on something? This is what Jo Becker, the main character had to be thinking in WHILE I WAS GONE. Then one day, something does happen. An old friend from years ago walks into the place where she works and things get turned upsidedown. I was really struck by the excellent writing in this novel--the beauty of it reminded me at times of McCrae's "Bark of the Dogwood" thought the subject matter was completely different. If you're looking for a well crafted book, this is one to try.