Expansive, larger than life and loving, Graham is a big personality who affects all around him.  After the failure of his first marriage he falls for Annie, a photographer and his opposite, but their marriage works.  Graham has an affair but it doesn't affect his life with Annie, they children and his large circle of friends.  Then one day life throws a curveball and Annie is left alone.
I wouldn't normally choose a novel such as this and it surprised me that I enjoyed it so much.  Miller is adept at writing sparing prose the conveys huge emotions and, whilst the story doesn't really go anywhere, it does make the reader think a little

Just not my cup of tea. This book is quite difficult to rate as its not something I usually read or like. At times I felt the story was okay and getting better but then I don’t know I just found it rather boring. I am quite a fast reader but this book took me couple of days to finish as I was not into the story at all. 

The book is as suggested by the title about marriage. Annie is married unless one day she feels she doesn’t love the person. She later gets married to Graham who is also a divorcee. The story is mainly centered on Annie and people she is surrounded with Graham’s ex wife Frieda, her son Lucas and Annie’s daughter Sarah. I felt at times the book would be about suspense and I would be reading something thrilling next but then the story was just monotonous. There were no particular characters that was interesting or likable. 

Although not for me this could be for people who love reading about family, secrets, love, loss etc and just likes to read something simple.

This was the first novel I have read by Sue Miller and it did not disappoint. I really enjoyed this book and thought it was a beautifully written tale of the emotional journey of life, marriage, family and careers. A definite must read for 2020 and I will definitely be looking out for Sue Miller’s books in the future.  

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the opportunity to read Monogamy by Sue Miller in exchange for an honest review.

I read Monogamy by Sue Miller in staves with other Pigeonholers as part of a group.

Annie and Graham have been married for over 30 years, and it's the second time around for them both. Annie is a photographer and a bit of an introvert, whilst Graham, the owner of a Massachusetts bookshop, has a more exuberant personality, and everyone loves larger than life Graham. Annie and Graham have daughter, Sarah together, and Graham and his first wife, Frieda have a son, Lucas. When Graham suddenly dies, the man whose enormous presence has apparently dominated all of their lives, Annie is left bereft and lost.

With chapters that alternated between characters and time periods, I found Monogamy to be a fascinating and enthralling story. Sue Miller's portrayal of Annie's grief stemming from Graham's death was authentic and moving. The novel was largely a fine-drawn, quality character study, that was reflective, complex, highly emotive and rather disquieting. This was my first book by Sue Miller and I have been inspired to check out some of her other work, starting with The Senator's Wife.

A special thank you to Bloomsbury Publishing, Sue Miller, NetGalley and Pigeonhole for a complimentary copy of this novel at my request. This review is my unbiased opinion.

I'm really not sure about this book. The writing was excellent, following the story of Annie and her family along with their rather unconventional (but inspiring) familial relationships. We jump from Annie as a young woman to Annie as an ageing mother and wife, then on to Annie as a grandmother. The story spans many years and is an intricate tale of family and generations with an unfaithful man at its heart.

Around a third of the way in, it became an especially difficult read, dealing with death and loss in great detail. The fact that it was so difficult is a testament to the quality of the writing, but I personally found it cut a little too deep for my personal taste. 

This novel has an ethereal quality to the writing, punctuated with jarring realisms and strong, unexpected language which was powerful in it's abrasiveness. 

The characters come to life through the inner voices of each of them which are incredibly true and believable.

I would love to give this 4 stars, but it was just too hard to read for me.

Such an enjoyable read as we journey through someones marriage from different perspectives. This story embraces the emotions and insights of the man at the centre and how his first wife and son perceive him together with each other. It follows through to the second wife and their daughter and their dawning insights into themselves as a result of the husband/daughter. Such a clever, well written book.

This book is beautiful. Very slow paced but each sentence is such an insight into the inner workings of the character that it feels like the author experienced first-hand every single event that happens, because she describes it all so vividly and in such a relatable way. I'm in awe, and will definitely seek out more novels by Sue Miller.

Really absorbing and entertaining book. Thought provoking too. How much of what we believe feels right simply because we've never considered a different way? We are all very flawed and this book also explore how we share (or don't share) responsibility for the things that go wrong in our relationships. My first Sue Miller book - but I will be reading more. Highly recommended

A poignant and raw overview of marriage and relationships, and touches on all of the things that makes that up relationships and life, from the perspective of monogamy and all of the elements that make that the case in a relationship...
This book is hard going in places - maybe because it's not the way we talk about relationships, but in some ways, I think this is the way we should talk about it.

A beautifully written tale of love, family and friendships. I usually read at quite a pace, but this book made me want to slow things down, to stop and reflect on Graham and Annie's marriage and friendships, their relationships with their children and Grahams ex-wife Frieda.

I absolutely loved this book and plan to seek out other books by the author. I will be recommending this far and wide - a really beautiful tale.

Beautifully written but slightly lacking in places for me. I struggled with this book to start but was glad I stuck with it. A beautiful story of love and marriage and all of the twists and turns that come with it. As a British reader I found some parts went a little over my head, for example I couldn’t picture some of the settings in the same way an American reader would. 
This however didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the book, there is a lot of emotion to be had when reading it so be prepared to feel  the sadness.

Monogamy is an insightful look into the life of Graham and Annie's modern family. Married for 30+ years, theirs looks like an easy love. A big love. He owns a bookstore, she's a photographer, they host dinner parties. He is loving, he is kind, he is the life and soul of it all.

But when tragedy hits, Annie begins to spiral. Can she continue to love Graham? Knowing what she knows?

Monogamy was haunting. It was poignant. It was ugly. But it was also beautiful. If you're looking for a book that explores all the shades of characters who carry secrets, characters who are flawed, characters who have thoughts that so many of us have probably had but would never tell anyone, then this might be the book for you.

I felt fully immersed into the lives of Annie and Graham because in writing about the mundanity of the day to day, Sue Miller has captured the gravity of hard situations and difficult conversations in a masterful way. It's not a book to be rushed, it's a book to be read slowly. The topics are heavy so I took my time with it, mulling bits over before I went back to read some more. But after finishing it, I kept coming back to the title. Monogamy. I know that on the surface it has one meaning; to be faithful to one person. If one is not faithful, they cheat, right? So what constitutes as cheating? We don't have the same boundaries. We don't draw our lines in the same place. What I consider to be cheating, may be different to what you consider to be cheating. So that takes me back to monogamy. What is it really? Can it be one thing or can it be many things?

Thank you @netgalley for this arc.

A beautifully written book that looks at life and marriage in an almost intriguingly mundane fashion. There is nothing overtly shocking in the pages, nothing dramatic really happens, just life and one family dealing with the curveballs it can throw at you. 

It feels like a completely true picture of a modern marriage. There is an ex-wife to contend with, a blended family and a lack of monogamy approached from different angles. I felt as though I could so easily have been reading about friends or neighbors, the level of detail just makes it feel all that bit more genuine. It's observational fiction at it's finest.

The book paints a completely true picture of how grief just invades your life. I enjoyed the fact that several of the characters got to have their own moment in the spotlight, and we learnt how each of them was coping in their on way. Again, this really helped to bring the story to life. 

I feel there isn't too much more to say about this one, at its heart it is simply a portrait of a wife and those that love her, coping with loss and shock. Well worth a read if you enjoy those sorts of books!

I really enjoyed another of this author's novels, A Senator's Wife, and was very happy to get the chance to read and review this one.
Annie and Graham are a mis-match on paper and yet their marriage works. Each following their own career path, together they make a formidable pair but they each have their secrets. When the unthinkable happens, Annie finds herself completely wrong-footed and struggles to cope, but what other option does she have?
I like to think of Sue Miller's works as 'ponderous novels'. Whilst they're not edge-of-your-seat thrillers or laugh-out-loud romantic comedies, there is something very special about being immersed in other people's lives: their thoughts, their dreams, theirs hopes and disappointments. It's so very easy to put yourself in their shoes, and I felt a real affinity with Annie. What would I do in her shoes? I'm really not sure, but I have been completely captivated by how she handles life's issues. A lovely, gentle and realistic read, beautifully crafted and wonderfully enjoyable. If you haven't read this author yet, I would definitely recommend her novels. I'm very happy to give this one 4.5*.
My thanks to the publisher for my copy via NetGalley; this is - as always - my honest, original and unbiased review.

This is a good read about a second marriage, loss and betrayal. It is well written but I thought it was too long in places.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

I found this book hard to get in to initially. I am glad that I persevered. A  unique story full of twists and turns.

What a beautiful and intimate portrayal of marriage, family and loss. Annie and Graham met at a bookstore party and she was instantly drawn to his ebullient energy. A whirlwind romance led to marriage within a year. Their life together was for the most part happy and with a daughter and good friends, they led a wonderful life together. But every marriage has its secrets, and behind Graham's happy exterior lies a deep sadness about the loveless childhood he endured with an absent father, and an abusive mother, This explains him grabbing on to every bit of joy he can , and also perhaps his infidelity. A short fling early on in their marriage, and now another 'fling'.  But even to himself he cannot quite explain why he's unfaithful to Annie. Talking to a good friend he explains how he truly loves her and wants to end the affair, but he just doesn't like to disappoint anyone. He does end the affair, and whilst Annie never knew about it, she sensed he was troubled and that he has returned to her. After a simple evening of food and wine together, they go to bed connected deeply once again. 

What follows is deeply sad, and the rest of the novel deals with Annie's sense of loss, her feelings of rage and sorrow and her attempt to continue her life without her mate. Wonderfully poignant, this is a book that really brings you into Annie's world, leaves you shaken, and then gently brings you back to reality with a beautifully heartfelt ending.

A very much character driven book and in this instance too much so for me. The depth of intuition by the author of grief was clear. Just not enough plot to hold my interest but I acknowledge it’s a clever book all the same.

Thank you to the publishers and netgalley for this advance read.
As the title suggests this book was about marriage. The marriage in question is between Annie and Graham and is set in Boston USA.
Maybe, as I am English I didn't enjoy this book as much as Amerivmcan readers might, I felt it was more aimed at Amerivmcan readers.

I feel really let down by this novel. On the one hand, it’s beautifully written, with keenly observed insight into the dynamics of marriage, family and friendship. On the other, though, it’s such a desperately melancholic read, it left me feeling thoroughly depressed. And that’s not what I want from my reading matter.  By all means, depict grief and sadness — after all, they are part of life — but such profoundly negative emotions need to be counterbalanced — for at the end of the day, what is life without hope?

Of course I felt for Annie, the loyal wife, now widow, who amidst her loss is forced to reevaluate not just her marriage but other important relationships in her life too.  Tiny, timid Annie, who is the polar opposite of ebullient giant Graham. Whilst he is bold, charming, demonstrative, gregarious, she holds her thoughts and feelings close, content to dwell in his reflected glow. But without Graham, who is she?

As a 63 year-old woman, happily married for over 35 years, I found Annie’s story distressing to the extent that I almost gave up reading several times.  I just didn’t want to be stuck in that dark, grim place. I persevered, however, convinced that the mood would lighten, that Annie would find a way to emerge — changed, stronger, more confident — from her tunnel of grief and despair. I wanted to rejoice with her, to celebrate her new skin, to feel inspired, uplifted.  I finished the book Instead with a heavy heart. 

It saddens me that a talented author like Sue Miller, with her enviable gift of expression, should write something so uncompromisingly dark. In her acknowledgements she notes that Monogamy took six years to write and thanks certain people “for lifting my spirits” during this time.  Perhaps there’s a lesson to be learned there. 

My thanks to NetGalley and publishers HarperCollins for the advance review copy of this book.