A review by catebutler
Private Life by Jane Smiley

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...