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.

This novel is a tale of life and love, deceit and forgiveness and of sadness and loss. The characters and their exposed emotions and disclosures are written with compassion and consideration – you feel that you could be part of the many gatherings of family and friends. It is also very moving; you feel the pain of bereavement and deception felt by some individuals. A poignant read.

What a beautifully written book.

Sue Miller's story is about a couple, Annie and Graham, who have been happily married for almost 30 years. When Graham dies suddenly, Annie struggles to come to terms with it and then discovers he has been unfaithful. This shakes her faith in him for a while, but gradually she is able to move forward.

I loved the way Sue conveyed the various characters and their relationships. There is care and attention to the conversations and the way we gradually understand different people, their flaws, insecurities, and truths.

Graham is complex and yet straightforward. He is larger than life, gregarious, and generous, yet being so open and people-oriented he finds it hard to say no and this makes walking away from situations difficult, leading to guilt on his part. This is particularly true of the affair he has shortly before his death.

Annie is introspective, less certain of herself, but you can see why Graham loves her so much. Then there is Frieda, Graham's first wife with whom he shared an open marriage. She and Annie get on really well, and both their children, Frieda's son Lucas and Annie's daughter Sarah, find they can talk to the other's mother far more easily than their own.

Grief is handled with sensitivity, particularly the scene when Annie wakes to find Graham has died. It is poignant and sad, yet rings true, as do all the emotional situations in the book. The sense of separation, the anxiety of starting over, the legacy of someone's life and how it impacts others going forward.

This is the first time I have read a book by Sue Miller and it won't be the last.

I was sent an advance review copy of this book by Bloomsbury Publishing, in return for an honest appraisal.

This book was wonderful. Think there is something to get from it for people of all ages. Gave me a lot to think about it.

Annie and Graham have both been married before but this time everything works just works. His bookshop and literary events compliment her photography work. Thirty years on it still works despite bumps along the way.
Their marriage just works because they are very happy together. Both of them occasionally stray with other people but they always work it through. This is the portrait of a happy life although it is always Annie that has to compromise, Graham is so content with his bookshop. This is a beautifully told story of family, relationships and the compromises we all have to make for a successful l marriage. The grief when one of the couple dies suddenly is tenderly told and we feel this sadness and grief with Annie.
A beautiful and thoughtful story well told and moving that is driven by the characters that Miller thoughtfully creates.

Such great insights into marriage, that most common and mysterious experience. The characters felt real and alive, full of flaws and contradictions, misery and joy. I miss them.

A well observed book that deals with all forms of relationships within a marriage, from fidelity (or lack of it) though friendships, secrets and grief. A very slow paced book too, with no real plot to the story. It seems to meander along. Not really for me.

Oh...this book...where can I start? It takes a heartbreaking look at marriage, family, love and loss - and above all grief. Beautifully written, tragic, insightful, all the characters were spot on. The book is full of literary references, the characters are strong and real and the plot is tragic yet perfect -the story of two people in love but so much more than that. It looks at grief, hindsight, growing older, self-reflection and life itself. This is the first novel I've read by Sue Miller and I will definitely be looking at some of her other reads.
Thanks to Netgalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for the ARE copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Monogamy centres around Annie and Graham, and the other people in their lives - Graham's first wife Frieda, and Graham's children (one with each wife) Lucas and Sarah. It examines their relationships and characters as they revolve around Graham and when Graham dies, they all have to examine themselves and their lives a little bit. I do think the synopsis of this was somewhat misleading, as it revealed something that didn't really happen until after the halfway point of the book and actually I preferred what this book actually was than what it said it was. What this book is an examination of grief, relationships, and trust.

I think the absolute selling point of this book was the characters, they all had strong personalities and complex lives and Miller examined them really well. I found they each had an aspect I could relate to, and I was interested to see how they interacted. One of the most interesting things was seeing how they all reacted differently to certain events such as Graham's death. Grief really does affect everyone differently and that was beautifully shown in this book.

This is definitely a character-driven story, so if you're looking for plot this perhaps isn't for you. The book kind of meanders along, occasionally jumping large periods of time and leaving you to catch up. I don't mind this style, especially as the characters were interesting enough to carry it, but I did find myself occasionally a little bored, I think perhaps because I didn't entirely relate to the main character Annie, but that doesn't mean I didn't understand her.

All in all, this is a really interesting book, not much plot but amazing characters and I think a very interesting examination of grief and relationships. For example, I absolutely loved the friendship between Annie and Frieda. I would recommend if you like a character-driven story but if you want plot then I'd probably skip this one.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bloomsbury Publishing Plc (UK & ANZ) for the arc of Monogamy by Sue Miller

It focuses and follows a man and woman whom are named Annie and Graham they have been married for over 30 years. This was also both their second marriage. Annie whom is a quiet and shy self collected photographer whereas Graham is bubbly and full of excitement and whom has a big personality, he is the owner of a Cambridge, Massachusetts book store. He likes to describe and think of himself as "a loud fat man who spends more of his time away from home. He drink too much, and he has to to have everyone's love in which is true as everybody loves him...

4 star read
definitely recommend.

'It was quiet, a bit slow, and entirely compelling to Annie.'
Thank you to bloomsburypublishing and netgalley for approving me to review this ARC, due to be published 3 September.
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This is the first book I've read by Sue Miller. Although the above quote relates to Annie's thoughts on another writer's book within this novel, it could apply to the novel itself.
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In points I enjoyed this book, and I did think at times it was a very honest portrayal of a marriage (between Annie and Graham), with insight from both vantage points. Although their marriage was primarily a happy one, there were complications and compromises.
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''There were things, things we didn't have time to talk about.'
'How could you not have time? You had years.'
'Well, I suppose you put things off don't you? The hard things.''
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I think what let this book down is I didn't personally feel the characters were that believable or creative, but perhaps that is based on my own lived experience.
This was an example of a white, middle class, boomer couple. Because of that it really didn't resonate with me. Their experiences didn't feel realistic, so I couldn't relate to or care about their experiences or their reflections on their lives as much as I have in other novels of a similar ilk.
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I do think the reflections of grief within the book were well executed; the strange disjoin when someone we are close with dies, and how the grief experience is quite cyclical, being relived again and again but differently.
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'She imagined how, in just that same way, she might wake up one day having dreamt Graham alive, and have to face her loss again. That this might happen over and over.'
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I would consider reading more books by Sue Miller, but this isn't one that I'd personally revisit.

Couldn’t out this book down.....the character of Graham is larger than life and there are key characters surrounding him who are well drawn and interesting. The prose keeps the interest in the story of a long marriage and it’s ups and downs. I particularly enjoyed the final part of the book.....rediscovery.

I haven’t read anything by Sue Miller for some time but had the notion that I liked her work, just couldn’t remember why. This has brought it all back to me - character, that’s what she is so good at. In this novel, Annie is central, even though most of all the characters’ thoughts, actions and conversations revolve around Graham and the huge hole he leaves in their lives. Annie is a terrific creation in her self-awareness, her photographer’s way of looking at herself and others, her realisation that she has allowed herself to be subsumed by the overwhelming force of nature that was Graham and her slow emergence from his shadow. Her friends and family are equally well portrayed - I was particularly taken with Frieda and Sarah (but I don’t think I needed to reminded of their physical ‘plainness’ quite so often, that became an irrelevance once we got to know them and the repetition became irritating - though perhaps it is to show the photographer’s eye at work). I enjoyed Annie’s progress over the first years of widowhood, slow though it was, and the episode near the end with Ian was a masterpiece in sensitivity. A rich, dense, emotional experience of a novel that I’d recommend highly.

I spent all day yesterday trying to open this book then re-downloading it, but I just kept getting errors so I've given up now. Sorry.