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.

This is quite an unusual book in that nothing much happens in it, particularly in the second half. It’s very beautifully written, though, The author creates a very real and beautiful setting and the overall context of the story feels very rich as a result. 

It is, essentially, an exploration of marriage and what it means to be with someone for a significant period of time. 

I enjoyed it - in a bittersweet sort of way. I’ll definitely be looking out for other books by the author. 

Thank you for my free review copy.

This book is such a bittersweet meditation on what it really means to stay married to someone and to love them for what they are.

With great gentleness, Sue Miller unravels the family and friend relationships of a central couple, Annie and Graham, and the lives they have built together over the years. 

When Graham dies, Annie is left to make sense of her grief alone, and the book deals beautifully with her changing feelings and relationships over the period of time after Graham's death.

There's a real depth to the characters and the situations they find themselves in, and an understanding of how some situations can be seen differently through the prism of time. 

Sue Miller takes you on a gentle journey away from damaging judgements to a simpler, sadder and wiser sense of understanding that leads the way through to forgiveness. 

Such a lovely book, big themes treated in an expert way to give you real pause to consider - worth reading and rereading for its gentle insights.

Was really looking forward to this book .... would definitely make a change from my usual genre and I have to be honest there were parts I loved.  The relationships,  the loss,  the tears,  the emotions.  But there were sections that didn't seem relevant to the book.  But then again it wasn't really a plot - it was a story and poignant at that.

Annie and Graham are happily settled in to middle aged life. With a grown up daughter and a son from Graham’s first marriage, they are enjoying life together. Graham’s first marriage had fallen apart due to his repeat infidelity but his marriage to Annie is different..... or so everyone thinks. 
A very intricate and detailed examination of a marriage, a family and the bonds of love. Well written and refreshing to have a book detailing middle age and growing old together but I just needed a bit more pace.  Not enough really happened for me, particularly in the second half.

Thank you @netgalley for yet again another amazing book! 
I have just cried my way through the last few minutes of this book. 
Sue Miller's Monogamy is more than a book with an amazing cover. And if you're a fan of Sally Rooney this might be the book for you. I felt like I was a fly on the wall to Annie's marriage to Graham as well as his previous marriage to Frieda which also plays a huge part in this story, as the book navigates you through past marriages, family, careers, and things that could have been. How do you deal with an unexpected loss. When there's so many things left unsaid, and so many secrets to be told. How do you forgive and move on? This book was just so emotionally raw and beautifully written. Forgotten memories come to light when faced with a sudden grief that they are all confronted with. I don't know how much more I can say without spoilers but this is a definite must read for 2020

Thank you for the opportunity to read 'Monogomy' by Sue Collins.

I loved this book - a highlight for 2020!  It is a careful study of the journey of a marriage and is beautifully written.  I love the gentle style of the prose, the detailed descriptions of the characters, the entanglement of the different lives.  I could see the main characters all in my mind as I read and felt I understood them.  

It is a poignant story and one that will stay with me for a long time.  I now have other books by Sue Williams on my list to read.  Thank you!

I loved this novel. Sue Miller has a real gift for characterisation and though small, the cast of characters are diverse, well drawn and believable. the whole book had for me, the feel of a fiction version of a still life painting; so rich in detail, so intricate and beautifully drawn that you can't stop looking and noticing things you hadn't seen before. I instantly liked both Annie and Graham and while I also liked Frieda, it was clear that Annie was the woman for him. As so many families nowadays are blended it was nice that this was one that had stood the test of time and that Lucas and Sarah had grown up with 3 parents each. 
As a middle aged reader it is so nice to find a book where your age is represented but still as sexual beings and people with their own lives and interests and not just bit part players in the lives of young characters. Annie's relationship with Sarah reminds me in part of my relationship with my own mother and with my own Mother, where each person has secrets of their own, and not necessarily 'secrets' but just things about your life that the person who once knew you best. 
While Graham had betrayed both Annie and Frieda it was clear that he and Annie were meant to be together and I'm glad that the ending (which I felt was a little rushed) saw Annie able to forgive him. In fact the last chapter is so beautiful, how memory and grief intertwine and both need to be accepted and lived through. It felt ultimately optimistic and hopeful. 
The novel isn't full of *PLOT*. There aren't constant twists and turns, it isn't a thriller, it is a beautifully crafted story of interpersonal relationships, on art and creativity on the lives we could have lived 'if only' and in finding joy in what we do have and accepting peoples flaws and foibles, what makes us ourselves.