Another Review from Atop the Fence - Spoiler Alert
Here I am again...sitting on the fence.
I listened to Sue Miller's The Senator's Wife. And it's a good thing I was listening to it, because towards the end there came a moment when I actually thought to myself, "If I were reading this book, I don't know if I could make myself turn the page."
To be sure, it's a nicely written book. The characters unfold slowly, but naturally. None of them was particularly likable through and through, which turned out not to be so much of a problem for me. I did get the feeling that I wanted to know the main character, Delia, more. But I'm certain that was intentional, as the other primary character, Meri, felt the same.
The central conflict in the novel was hard to pin down, and really, there were parallel conflicts...both hard to pin down. At a certain point I began to wonder what the "big moment" was going to be that tied everything together for me. When it did arrive, I saw it coming from a mile away, and it was a long, hard mile. The climax of this novel had a cringe factor of monumental proportions.
Apparently, there's a movie adaptation in the works. For certain, the literary merit of the book, careful plot structure, gorgeous writing, and calculated character development, will be lost in translation. The foreshadowing, which is subtle in the novel, will probably be less so on the big screen. The Cringe Moment will probably be amped up, also, which is a shame. Miller's skill as a writer is highlighted by the impact of a small-scale moment.
I listened to Sue Miller's The Senator's Wife. And it's a good thing I was listening to it, because towards the end there came a moment when I actually thought to myself, "If I were reading this book, I don't know if I could make myself turn the page."
To be sure, it's a nicely written book. The characters unfold slowly, but naturally. None of them was particularly likable through and through, which turned out not to be so much of a problem for me. I did get the feeling that I wanted to know the main character, Delia, more. But I'm certain that was intentional, as the other primary character, Meri, felt the same.
The central conflict in the novel was hard to pin down, and really, there were parallel conflicts...both hard to pin down. At a certain point I began to wonder what the "big moment" was going to be that tied everything together for me. When it did arrive, I saw it coming from a mile away, and it was a long, hard mile. The climax of this novel had a cringe factor of monumental proportions.
Apparently, there's a movie adaptation in the works. For certain, the literary merit of the book, careful plot structure, gorgeous writing, and calculated character development, will be lost in translation. The foreshadowing, which is subtle in the novel, will probably be less so on the big screen. The Cringe Moment will probably be amped up, also, which is a shame. Miller's skill as a writer is highlighted by the impact of a small-scale moment.
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