Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Waiting on Wednesday - Private Life


Waiting On” Wednesday is hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine.  What book are you waiting for to be released?  Here's my pick:

(Pub Date: May 4, 2010)


(Amazon)
A riveting new novel from the Pulitzer Prize–winner that traverses the intimate landscape of one woman’s life, from the 1880s to World War II.

Margaret Mayfield is nearly an old maid at twenty-seven in post–Civil War Missouri when she marries Captain Andrew Jackson Jefferson Early. He’s the most famous man their small town has ever produced: a naval officer and a brilliant astronomer—a genius who, according to the local paper, has changed the universe. Margaret’s mother calls the match “a piece of luck.”

Margaret is a good girl who has been raised to marry, yet Andrew confounds her expectations from the moment their train leaves for his naval base in faraway California. Soon she comes to understand that his devotion to science leaves precious little room for anything, or anyone, else. When personal tragedies strike and when national crises envelop the country, Margaret stands by her husband. But as World War II approaches, Andrew’s obsessions take a different, darker turn, and Margaret is forced to reconsider the life she has so carefully constructed.

Private Life
is a beautiful evocation of a woman’s inner world: of the little girl within the hopeful bride, of the young woman filled with yearning, and of the faithful wife who comes to harbor a dangerous secret. But it is also a heartbreaking portrait of marriage and the mysteries that endure even in lives lived side by side; a wondrously evocative historical panorama; and, above all, a masterly, unforgettable novel from one of our finest storytellers.

23 comments:

  1. Sounds like an emotional yet rewarding pick. Mine for this week is O Juliet by Robin Maxwell :)

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  2. Yay! Another book by Jane Smiley! Sounds like a good one too.

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  3. I've never read Smiley. It sounds interesting. See what I'm waiting for here.

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  4. This sounds good... it's been a while since i've read Smiley.

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  5. That sounds like a book to get lost in.

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  6. I didn't know Smiley had a new one coming out! I've really enjoyed everything I've read by her, and I need to read more. Thanks for making me aware of this one!

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  7. This one sounds goods. It seems like everything I reading right now takes place during that time period!

    -Amy
    Life by Candlelight

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  8. I really need to check her books out. I just read something about her latest....so maybe I need to start with this one.

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  9. This looks wonderful! I need to add this to my TBR list.

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  10. http://coffeecrackers.blogspot.com/2010/01/2nd-on-my-wishlist.html

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  11. Sounds like a heavy duty novel. Thanks for visiting The Crowded Leaf.

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  12. I'm waiting for something much more pedestrian: Horns by Joe Hill, Stephen King's son. It's due 2/16.

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  13. Sounds like quite a story. I've never read Smiley myself.

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  14. I'm currently (and ever so slowly) reading a book by Jane Smiley, 13 Ways of Looking at the Novel, and I would like to read an actual novel by her.

    Please stop by my blog because I have an award for you!

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  15. Great pick Diane - this sounds like a really good story.

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  16. This sounds like a great book!!

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  17. Susan...thank u so much for the thoughtful award. Somehow I missed the post when I last visited your blog; Big Time Congrats to you--well deserved.

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  18. This is going on the to-read list. Sounds good.

    Thanks for stopping by today. Looks like you might be a fellow RIer....sure looks like Narragansett on your banner.

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  19. Wow, I didn't know she had a new book! I'll watch for it.

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  20. This does sound like a good one -- thanks for the heads up!

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  21. Diane, thanks for your comments on my blog. You won an award: http://nottooseriousihope.blogspot.com/2010/01/yeah-smiley-me.html

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  22. I like the sounds of this one. Thanks for sharing. I think I am going to participate in this meme. It's a good way of seeing what's coming up.

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  23. This looks good - thanks for pointing it out to me :)

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