Product Description

Maybe some people just like to keep things private. Secret, I guess you'd say. Love came late to Meri, but in a rush: she met Nathan at thirty-six, he moved in a month later, and they married a month after that. Now they are moving to New England and a house of their own - a new life that Meri is not sure she even wants. She loves her husband, but feels there may be trouble ahead. Nathan, however, is boyishly excited that their next-door neighbour is the eminent Senator Tom Naughton, a political hero of his, now in his seventies. The Senator is nowhere to be seen, but Meri strikes up an unexpected friendship with his wife, the elegant Delia, sensing that she has much to learn from her - about marriage, love and motherhood. But soon she comes close to a terrible breach of trust that could ruin everything.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #14132 in Books
• Published on: 2009-04-20
• Binding: Paperback
• 320 pages

Review
'An incredible story of the dangers of trying to live lives through others. Perfect book-club material' Easy Living 'Shock, deceit, desire and despair come together at once in a way that feels simply like fate A clever storyteller with a penchant for the unexpected' New York Times 'A complex, rich, haunting novel of marital love and its complications' Woman & Home 'This addictive read had me biting my lip with foreboding' Eve

About the Author
Sue Miller was born in Chicago in 1943. She is the bestselling author of eight previous novels including The Good Mother, While I Was Gone, The Distinguished Guest and Lost in the Forest, and of the acclaimed memoir The Story of My Father. She serves as the chair of PEN, New England. Sue Miller lives in Boston, Massachusetts.

Customer Reviews

Good book club choice
The Senator's Wife is about two women: Delia is the one who gives the book its name while newly-wed Meri is her new next-door neighbour. Delia's husband Tom was a prominent Democratic senator in the 1960s. The couple now live apart, but still maintain a relationship. The book is about the relationship between the two women as well as their individual marriages. The book is set in 1993/1994, although it has an oddly dated feel, as if it were set 10 years earlier.

Delia is the more likeable of the two women and for some time I felt that Meri wasn't adding much to the book other than another perspective on Delia, but ultimately their lives become entwined and common themes develop. Although Meri is a newly-wed, she is aged in her late 30s (presumably to make some events that occur later in the book more credible), and yet she has the naievity and self-absorption of a younger woman.

Even though I didn't particularly warm to either woman, I enjoyed this book very much and read it quickly. I could feel the tension building throughout and I wasn't sure how it would resolve itself. Some reviews that I had read talked about a twist at the end which I think is over-selling it, but it does build to a climax. However I also felt that the ending was over-explained and that Meri's motivations were spelled out in a way that didn't feel convincing (nor necessary). This would be a good choice for a book club as there's plenty to discuss.

This is the first book that I've read by Sue Miller, but her writing reminded me in many ways of Anne Tyler, whose writing I love.

A very satisfying read
I feel a bit nervous being the first to review this but hey ho. I bought this after it had been given quite a favourable review in the Daily Mail, I think. To begin with I felt I'd been had to be honest - it moved slowly and I didn't particularly like any of the characters. And here is the big but, never having read Sue Miller before I had no idea what to expect and she really delivers. This is such a finely observed picture of relationships and characters that are so painstakingly built up that I was completely hooked before I knew where I was. If you want a thrilling, roller-coaster ride then forget this. What you will get is a beautifully written story about two couples, their relationships with each other and their respective partners and what happens.....I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I am now off to have a look at what else Ms Miller has to offer. Cheers.

dull and somewhat depressing
If you like a slice of real life and a study of human behaviour then you will enjoy this. Personally, I prefer a bigger story although I can appreciate the beauty in this but it just wasn't for me. A very typical Richard and Judy choice though, I thought.