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ktakeeley's review against another edition
2.0
I got about 100 pages into this book, and found myself wonderig why I was still reading it, so I decided to stop. There's nothing particularly *wrong* with the book, I just habe no motivation to continue. There isn't anything about the characters or the story that I care about at all.
I'm disappointed, because I really enjoyed One Thousand Acres, and was hoping for something similarly engaging. All well :/
I'm disappointed, because I really enjoyed One Thousand Acres, and was hoping for something similarly engaging. All well :/
ginarae3's review against another edition
1.0
I could not finish this. Soooo slow and booooring. I love Jane Smiley, but not this one.
jcheidel's review against another edition
3.0
Jane Smiley writes beautifully, but I didn't find this story as compelling as the story in her Thousand Acres. Private Life reveals how truly separate and unknowable we all are, even to those we think we know the best. And Smiley does a good job of making that truth very vivid. But it just seemed to take a little too long. I found myself losing interest by the end.
krismcd59's review against another edition
4.0
A leisurely but very involving meander through the life and mind of a rather unreliable narrator. Not for every taste -- certainly not for those who value plot and passion above all -- but intellectually the novel rings very true. Smiley's sense of early 20th-century American culture is deep and rich, and she has an enviable ability to create intricate communities but keep the reader interested in all the members. For fans of Gilded Age/WWI historical fiction and also those who love thoughtful inner-life stories like those by Marilynne Robinson, Barbara Kingsolver, Gail Godwin, etc.
margardenlady's review against another edition
4.0
Margaret's story is one that circles around the ways we see ourselves as compared to the way others see us. There is, if you think about it, a fundamental difference between the two for every one of us. Margaret's self image and her husband Andrew's self image may be at opposite ends of the spectrum, but they both inform us in novel ways about the dichotomy. The story is set at the beginning of the 20th century - and reminisces about the Civil War, and engages at a distance in both WWI and WWII, My enduring question is: How do I become the person I would like to be? Will my intentions be perceived as I intend? It emphasizes the platinum rule: Do unto others as they would have you do unto them, not as you would have them do unto you.
gglazer's review
1.0
Jane Smiley, what happened? I usually find you such an engaging storyteller, but this just felt like it dragged on forever... I felt trapped in the terrible marriage and repressive pre-feminism world of the main character, yet it was somehow unemotional and flat. Bleh.
jlrmac's review
2.0
It started slowly but I kept expecting it to get better. It never redeemed itself for me. Interesting time frame from late 1880's through WWII. The formal tone used by the reader was fitting for the time, but it sure made Andrew to be on the autistic/aspergers syndrome spectrum. He was very observant, detail-oriented, logical, cold, self-absorbed, righteous. Margaret let herself be talked into marrying Andrew being the dutiful wife. (She did have a materially comfortable life, however.) It was an interesting twist to keep wondering if Andrew was fully delusional or if he actually perceived truths. But I really didn't care and only finished this story because it was Jane Smiley, and surely it had to have more meaning for me. It didn't. The hanging she witnessed at age 5 didn't resonate for me or wrap up the story.
catebutler's review
3.0
Hmmmmm...how do I feel about this book... Firstly, I can say that it was not what I expected; definitely not what I thought it would be like, based upon the cover (shouldn't judge a book by it's cover ring a bell?). That being said, there were aspects of the book that I loved, and things that I absolutely hated. I thought the historical span of Margaret's life was fascinating. It was so interesting to me how much changed in the world between the late 1800's and WWII. I recently read [b:When the Emperor Was Divine|764073|When the Emperor Was Divine|Julie Otsuka|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1320561188s/764073.jpg|2592921] by [a:Julie Otsuka|4464|Julie Otsuka|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1320610180p2/4464.jpg]. And, I just finished watching the tv series Downton Abbey . So, the effects of WWI and WWII on Europe and Japanese American citizens discussed in this book, made it even more poignant and real to me as the reader. I had a hard time with the characters though. Which I think to some extent the author wanted the reader to do. I thought at the end of the novel that the main theme of the novel was apathy, regrets and letting life pass you by. While reading the book, I kept thinking about time passage throughout the narrative; all the major events and changes that occured in the world at this time and yet the characters didn't change. Margaret remained a "saint", a wife of unwavering patience and Andrew remained bull-headed and opinionated as ever. The very last page was when I realized that this theme of time, that I had been toying with in the back of my mind, was indeed the theme of the book. Some reviewers have said that the book was boring, slow-moving and left wanting, but I think that is the point. Margaret realized at the very end of the novel, in the last years of her life that she had experienced a quickly changing world and yet had not really seen or done much. Her regret was made known when she commented about never visiting or seeing Europe. Even though she still could have gone when she realized this, it was too late. She realized that she would never see it and should have gone with Dora when she had the chance. Thus, as the character realizes this for herself, the question that the reader is left with at the end of the book, is whether or not Margaret continues on "living" as she has her whole life...