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Synopsis
In her latest novel, after Ten Days in the Hills (2007), the Pulitzer Prize-winning author offers a cold-eyed view of the compromises required by marriage while also providing an intimate portrait of life in the Midwest and West during the years 1883-1942. By the time she reaches the age of 27, Margaret Mayfield has known a lot of tragedy in her life. She has lost two brothers, one to an accident, the other to illness, as well as her father, who committed suicide. Her strong-minded mother, Lavinia, knows that her daughter's prospects for marriage are dim and takes every opportunity to encourage Margaret's friendship with eccentric scientist Andrew Early. When the two marry and move to a naval base in San Francisco, Margaret becomes more than Andrew's helpmeet-she is also his cook, driver, and typist as well as the captive audience for his rants against Einstein and his own quirky theories about the universe. As Smiley covers in absorbing detail both private and world events-a lovely Missouri wedding, the chaos of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, the wrenching death of a baby-she keeps at the center of the narrative Margaret's growing realization that she has married a madman and her subsequent attempts to deal with her marriage by becoming adept at "the neutral smile, the moment of patient silence," before giving in to bitterness. Smiley casts a gimlet eye on the institution of marriage even as she offers a fascinating glimpse of a distant era. --Joanne Wilkinson
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- PublisherAlfred A. Knopf
- Publication date2010
- ISBN 10 1616649895
- ISBN 13 9781616649890
- BindingPaperback
- Number of pages318
- Rating
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Private Life
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Private Life
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Paperback. Condition: Good. No Jacket. Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 0.7. Seller Inventory # G1616649895I3N00
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Paperback. Condition: Good. A nice softcover copy with a tight and square binding. Text is clean. Softcovers are good. Top corner of text opposite spine has light wear. Careful packaging and fast shipping. We recommend EXPEDITED MAIL for even faster delivery. Shipped in 100% recyclable material. Seller Inventory # 37261
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