For Love

Rating:
Summary: Not Miller's best, but still interesting characters & story
Review: "For Love" takes place over the course of a summer in Boston. Lottie is struggling with her second marriage and she's using the summer to figure out what she wants. She and her grown son Ryan spend the summer preparing her childhood home for sale, while her husband Jack stays home in Chicago. Meanwhile, her brother Cameron rekindles his high school romance (obsession) with Elizabeth, who has since married but has returned to her parents house down the block from Lottie, also deciding whether to leave her husband. Elizabeth, who was never nice to Lottie as a teenager, tries to befriend Lottie, putting her in the middle of a difficult relationship between her and Cameron.

Sue Miller's books tend to start the reader out in the middle of a story, and as the action progresses, we learn about the main character's past through flashbacks. She uses this technique here as well, and I think it generally works. In the first chapter, Cameron accidently runs over Elizabeth's au pair in a wild attempt to keep her from returning to her husband. That sets the stage to show us how this affects Lottie and what led to this event. Over the course of the book, we learn that Lottie met her second husband Jack while his wife was deeply ill and that their relationship is in many ways defined by the slow death of his wife. We learn that Lottie's father was arrested for embezzlement when she was a child, and she grew up with her alcoholic mother, both angry at her and guilty for being favored over Cameron. Yet Cameron has become the devoted one, looking after their mother as she deteriorates in the nursing home. We learn that Lottie takes pride in growing up without wealth, for having tacky taste, for not going the conventional route, and yet she chooses Jack, who is a doctor, with money and refined tastes. All of this (and more) figures in how Lottie eventually makes her decision and, perhaps, comes to accept herself.

This is my third book by Sue Miller, and like her others, it has interesting and complex characters and it has many insights about human behavior. But while I found Lottie's journey is interesting, this book didn't affect me as much as "While I Was Gone" or "The Good Mother." The story felt a little disjoint at times -- it seemed like if you put the story back in chronological order, there would be some important periods missing. I sometimes felt that I didn't understood Lottie's emotional development and the reasons she made the choices she did. At the end, although I expected Lottie to make the decision she did, I didn't really understand why from her point of view. Still, I liked Lottie's unconventional ways and I appreciated the emotional complexity of her character. It's not my favorite of Miller's book, but I wasn't sorry I read it.

Rating:
Summary: Not Miller's best, but still interesting characters & story
Review: "For Love" takes place over the course of a summer in Boston. Lottie is struggling with her second marriage and she's using the summer to figure out what she wants. She and her grown son Ryan spend the summer preparing her childhood home for sale, while her husband Jack stays home in Chicago. Meanwhile, her brother Cameron rekindles his high school romance (obsession) with Elizabeth, who has since married but has returned to her parents house down the block from Lottie, also deciding whether to leave her husband. Elizabeth, who was never nice to Lottie as a teenager, tries to befriend Lottie, putting her in the middle of a difficult relationship between her and Cameron.

Sue Miller's books tend to start the reader out in the middle of a story, and as the action progresses, we learn about the main character's past through flashbacks. She uses this technique here as well, and I think it generally works. In the first chapter, Cameron accidently runs over Elizabeth's au pair in a wild attempt to keep her from returning to her husband. That sets the stage to show us how this affects Lottie and what led to this event. Over the course of the book, we learn that Lottie met her second husband Jack while his wife was deeply ill and that their relationship is in many ways defined by the slow death of his wife. We learn that Lottie's father was arrested for embezzlement when she was a child, and she grew up with her alcoholic mother, both angry at her and guilty for being favored over Cameron. Yet Cameron has become the devoted one, looking after their mother as she deteriorates in the nursing home. We learn that Lottie takes pride in growing up without wealth, for having tacky taste, for not going the conventional route, and yet she chooses Jack, who is a doctor, with money and refined tastes. All of this (and more) figures in how Lottie eventually makes her decision and, perhaps, comes to accept herself.

This is my third book by Sue Miller, and like her others, it has interesting and complex characters and it has many insights about human behavior. But while I found Lottie's journey is interesting, this book didn't affect me as much as "While I Was Gone" or "The Good Mother." The story felt a little disjoint at times -- it seemed like if you put the story back in chronological order, there would be some important periods missing. I sometimes felt that I didn't understood Lottie's emotional development and the reasons she made the choices she did. At the end, although I expected Lottie to make the decision she did, I didn't really understand why from her point of view. Still, I liked Lottie's unconventional ways and I appreciated the emotional complexity of her character. It's not my favorite of Miller's book, but I wasn't sorry I read it.

Rating:
Summary: Not Miller's best, but still interesting characters & story
Review: "For Love" takes place over the course of a summer in Boston. Lottie is struggling with her second marriage and she's using the summer to figure out what she wants. She and her grown son Ryan spend the summer preparing her childhood home for sale, while her husband Jack stays home in Chicago. Meanwhile, her brother Cameron rekindles his high school romance (obsession) with Elizabeth, who has since married but has returned to her parents house down the block from Lottie, also deciding whether to leave her husband. Elizabeth, who was never nice to Lottie as a teenager, tries to befriend Lottie, putting her in the middle of a difficult relationship between her and Cameron.

Sue Miller's books tend to start the reader out in the middle of a story, and as the action progresses, we learn about the main character's past through flashbacks. She uses this technique here as well, and I think it generally works. In the first chapter, Cameron accidently runs over Elizabeth's au pair in a wild attempt to keep her from returning to her husband. That sets the stage to show us how this affects Lottie and what led to this event. Over the course of the book, we learn that Lottie met her second husband Jack while his wife was deeply ill and that their relationship is in many ways defined by the slow death of his wife. We learn that Lottie's father was arrested for embezzlement when she was a child, and she grew up with her alcoholic mother, both angry at her and guilty for being favored over Cameron. Yet Cameron has become the devoted one, looking after their mother as she deteriorates in the nursing home. We learn that Lottie takes pride in growing up without wealth, for having tacky taste, for not going the conventional route, and yet she chooses Jack, who is a doctor, with money and refined tastes. All of this (and more) figures in how Lottie eventually makes her decision and, perhaps, comes to accept herself.

This is my third book by Sue Miller, and like her others, it has interesting and complex characters and it has many insights about human behavior. But while I found Lottie's journey is interesting, this book didn't affect me as much as "While I Was Gone" or "The Good Mother." The story felt a little disjoint at times -- it seemed like if you put the story back in chronological order, there would be some important periods missing. I sometimes felt that I didn't understood Lottie's emotional development and the reasons she made the choices she did. At the end, although I expected Lottie to make the decision she did, I didn't really understand why from her point of view. Still, I liked Lottie's unconventional ways and I appreciated the emotional complexity of her character. It's not my favorite of Miller's book, but I wasn't sorry I read it.

Rating:
Summary: Insightful and subtle
Review: A great book with refreshing characters. I love Sue Miller and For Love is terrific!

Rating:
Summary: Hated most of the characters...
Review: All the characters in this book were shallow, selfish and boring. The writing was good but I could not relate to nor sympathize with any of the characters.

Rating:
Summary: Slow going
Review: I enjoyed this book,but then again I always enjoy Sue Miller's novels.She has this way of making me feel close to her main characters. So anyway Sue,Is Lottie Ok? Has she found contentment in life? Please write me at [e-mail]. I am about to read "The Distinguished Guest"--I heard it was really great! I'll let you know. Barb

Rating:
Summary: I always enjoy Sue Miller's books.
Review: I enjoyed this book,but then again I always enjoy Sue Miller's novels.She has this way of making me feel close to her main characters. So anyway Sue,Is Lottie Ok? Has she found contentment in life? Please write me at [e-mail]. I am about to read "The Distinguished Guest"--I heard it was really great! I'll let you know. Barb

Rating:
Summary: I'm afraid I forced myself to finish this book!
Review: I had a really hard time with this book and I listened to the audio cassettes. It was a very long story about one incident, the wreck, that was drawn out way too long. This is my first taste of Sue Miller and I'm afraid my last. If you are bored and like to read about insignificant things such as how a person likes their tea or coffee, then this is the book for you.

Rating:
Summary: Boring
Review: I have read Sue Miller before and enjoyed her books. The only reason I purchased this book is BECAUSE I knew her prior work. For some strange reason I felt very disconnected with the characters. I finished it because I spent hard earned money on it but I did not develop any empathy or sympathy for any of the characters. I thought it was so boring, I think I would have had more fun watching paint dry. I would not recommend it to anyone.

Rating:
Summary: I always enjoy Sue Miller's Novels
Review: I have to say that I always enjoy Sue Miller's Novels. I always tend to feel close to the main characters. I trust her to give me the details of all the character's lives. Ok Sue if you read this could you please write me at [e-mail] and tell me about Lottie. I am not sure what I was supposed to get from the end. Has Lottie found contentment with her life?I really enjoyed the book but I want to hear it from you. Is Lottie totally ok?

Ok now to all you readers I am gonna tell you- my favorite writers are Sue Miller,Anne Tyler and Wally Lamb. hat do you guys think? Write me at [e-mail] and let me know what you think. Family pictures was one of my favorites. I am just about to start reading "THE DISTINDUISHED GUEST" AND I AM VERY EXCITED ABOUT IT.