Product Description

Anna is a divorcee, a piano teacher, and a devoted mother. She was brought up in a family which valued achievement and self-discipline above almost everything else, but what Anna has always longed for is to be more passionate and expressive, both in her music and in her life, than she seems capable of being. Then she falls in love with Leo, an artist, and in many ways the kind of wild, impulsive person Anna has always wanted to be. Their relationship is intensely sexual and it is this, ultimately, which threatens to destroy all that Anna holds dear.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #97151 in Books
• Published on: 2001-03-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 320 pages

About the Author
SALES POINTS Sue Miller's astonishing debut novel - a bestseller on first publication Reissued alongside Sue Miller's second novel, Family Pictures 'A very gifted first novel, outstanding for its subtle accuracy and honesty. I have not read better for many years' John Fowles 'Sue Miller writes with the ease and immediacy of a natural writer, exploring the dangerous borderline between love and lust, examining with scrupulous care the conflict between erotic and maternal love... wonderfully readable' Fay Weldon 'Truthful and disturbing . . . beautifully written' Sue Townsend 'A startlingly powerful and moving book' Guardian 'Immensely readable ... the kind of novel people search bookshops for' Margaret Forster

Customer Reviews

Very poignant
This book shows how easily and irrevocably a life can change, all because of a mistake. 3-year-old Molly lives with her mother, Anna, after she and her father, Brian, have separated and Brian has remarried. Both parents adore Molly and, on the surface, things are very amicable between the two adults. They have very civilized arrangements in place regarding the custody of Molly and even though Molly spends most of her life with her mother, this is agreeable to both parents. Everything changes, however, when Anna meets Leo and they embark upon a very loving (but also very sexual) relationship. Somewhere along the way, Anna becomes 'lost' in this relationship and unintentionally pays less attention to Molly than before. It isn't until her ex-husband informs Anna that he will not be returning Molly to her (after having had Molly to stay), following a remark Molly has made, regarding an incident with Leo whilst he was left alone with her. Brian files for total custody of Molly on the grounds that Anna is an unfit mother. Anna is devastated as she had no idea that anything had happened between Leo and Molly. Fraught, Anna questions Leo to find that the incident that Molly had told Brian about, did not happen quite in the way that was interpreted by him. However, Anna knows that it will be so very hard to prove this in court and she sees that she must fight with everything she has, to regain custody of Molly. Anna knows that Molly is the only one that matters and that her own life will be nothing if she loses her. Emotions become very raw in this novel but there is never any over-sentimentality. Sue Miller writes so simply and clearly that your heart swells and aches with each hurdle that mother and daughter struggle to overcome. A wonderful, thought-provoking novel.

It is a superb book about life after a couple split
This is a fantastic book that tells of couple growing apart and a child reaction to this. It conveys the intensity of a mother's feeling over a whole range of simple things and shows how easy it is to be misunderstood over simple every actions even when there is no evil intent on the father's part.It also gives a great insight into relationships with parents and the bond of family.

A powerful story of sex and morality
Sue Miller's story of a recently divorced mother of a 3 year old child raises moral issues regarding society's expectations of a good mother. Anna blooms sexually with Leo, but in the process "forgets" her child. The open acceptance of sexual relations and acceptance of the body leads to a clash between Anna's views and the views of her ex-husband. The novel tells Anna's story, but deals with perceptions of morality that trap too many people (men and women) today. You might be surprised who in your life thinks Anna is a good mother and who does not (and don't expect clean breaks on gender lines). Highly recommended.