The Mermaid Chair

Reviews (See all 2,029) Write a reviewfor this

It's a hit!

Warning: SPOILER!!!

LOVE how Sue Monk Kidd writes. There are sentences everywhere in the book that I wanted to spot and write down. However, as ... (show more)

Warning: SPOILER!!!

LOVE how Sue Monk Kidd writes. There are sentences everywhere in the book that I wanted to spot and write down. However, as much as I enjoy how she writes, and the story woven thru the book, The subject of it almost.....annoys me? I wonder how many woman questioning their life read something like this, about leaving one's husband, and get caught up in all the romantic prose, and then maybe go ahead and do it?
My question is- Is there a book out there about coming to terms with the fact that over time, the face of love changes, and yes, you need to come to terms with that, but it doesn't always have to be in the arms of someone else besides your spouse that one 'finds them self'.
I raced to the end of the book, which redeemed itself by having Jessie realize she wanted and needed to be back with her husband. I love this " I closed my eyes and it was Hugh I saw. His hands, the hair on his fingers, the band aids on his thumbs. How real all of that was. How ordinary. How achingly beautiful. I wanted him back. Not like before, but new, all new. I wanted what came after the passion had blown thru: Flawed, married love."

And this too- " I felt amazed at the choosing one had to do, over and over, a million times daily- choosing love, then choosing it again, how loving and being in love could be so different."

Good stuff, I just wish, just once maybe there could be a book where a woman sets out on this sort of discovery WITH her spouse. Because, call me crazy, I think THAT is truly romantic;) (show less)

 

 

by Facebook User

No, it's a flop!

Although I read this to the end, it just didn't have the depth and layering (to me) that the Secret Lives of Bees had. One of the major themes in t... (show more)

Although I read this to the end, it just didn't have the depth and layering (to me) that the Secret Lives of Bees had. One of the major themes in the book is hard to present sympathetically (having an affair), but I do think there would have been ways to do it better... I wasn't clear on the protagonist’s motivations or thoughts - didn't seem believable or explained in a way the reader could buy into... I did like Kidd's continuing pro-female theme (though at times a bit stereotypical - we are intuitive and almost magical, etc.). I think on that latter note the way the older women had their own informal sort of "club" was reminiscent of Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood (correct title?). I loved that latter book series and those books were better that this one. That being said, I haven't given up on Kidd, and await her next novel if there is one! (show less)

 

 

by Facebook User

More Reviews

• 
  

  Unfortunately, not as good as The Secret Life of Bees.

  The book started off promising enough. Scenes of domesticity, with discontent in the surrounding. I like it well enough until the main character comes back to her island hometown. Then it all goes downhill from there.

  What really shines in the book is the island setting itself. The author made it sounds so inviting, that you just can't help but feel like you want be one of the tourists going there. There's charm in the settings, and als... (show more)

  Unfortunately, not as good as The Secret Life of Bees.

  The book started off promising enough. Scenes of domesticity, with discontent in the surrounding. I like it well enough until the main character comes back to her island hometown. Then it all goes downhill from there.

  What really shines in the book is the island setting itself. The author made it sounds so inviting, that you just can't help but feel like you want be one of the tourists going there. There's charm in the settings, and also of quirkiness (monastery on an island anyone?)

  The main problem I have with the book is that I am not attracted to its main character, Jessie. She simply doesn't have any redeeming quality that I can latch on. She sounds whiny throughout the book, wanting to be in touch with her inner-self but really comes across like a Desperate Housewives character trying to sound deep. There's no real connection between her current predicament of wanting more to her life than the mystery surrounding her father's death. It feels as if the death of Jessie's father was tacked on to her story just so we would read Jessie's rambling to the end and discovered what really happened to him. Also, what made this book bearable to read was the switching of voices from Jessie to Whit and to Hugh, simply because I got to get a break from hearing Jessie's 'deep' thoughts. In fact, Hugh's sole chapter in book sounds more interesting than most of Jessie's thoughts put together.

  If you want to read this book and haven't read her previous novel, I'd say skip this and read The Secret Life of Bess instead. You won't regret it. (show less)

   

  by Facebook User on Jun 13, 2009 at 09:32AM

  Already read

  Is this review helpful? yes no
   
• 
  

  This is not a book that I would remember well for long. I'm not a big fan of stories where the plots are pretty shallow and the characters are just as shallow. I found the adultery distasteful and I was a little annoyed at the main character for being so self-centered. I felt that the other characters were underdeveloped and that I didn't get a chance to know them. She solved the main problem in the story with an interesting twist, but her love story was lame. What I enjoyed about this book w... (show more)

  This is not a book that I would remember well for long. I'm not a big fan of stories where the plots are pretty shallow and the characters are just as shallow. I found the adultery distasteful and I was a little annoyed at the main character for being so self-centered. I felt that the other characters were underdeveloped and that I didn't get a chance to know them. She solved the main problem in the story with an interesting twist, but her love story was lame. What I enjoyed about this book were the tales of the mermaid and the mermaid chair and the town's annual mermaid chair ritual. I also liked the religious themes that ran through this book and the little spiritual and ethical ruminations. The other background details of the island were evocative. So, all in all, it was an alright read to kill time, but I was not blown away. (show less)

   

   

  by Facebook User on Dec 27, 2009 at 10:26PM

  Already read

  Is this review helpful? yes no
   
• See all reviews
  Write a review