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    While I Was Gone
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    While I Was Gone
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    While I Was Gone
    Audiobook (abridged)5 hours

    While I Was Gone

    Written by Sue Miller

    Narrated by Blair Brown

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    A decade ago she put a face on every mother's worst nightmare with her phenomenal best-seller The Good Mother. Now, Sue Miller delivers a spellbinding novel of love and betrayal that explores what it means to be a good wife.

    In the summer of 1968, Jo Becker ran out on the marriage and the life her parents wanted for her, and escaped--for one beautiful, idyllic year--into a life that was bohemian and romantic, living under an assumed name in a rambling group house in Cambridge. It was a time of limitless possibility, but it ended in a single instant when Jo returned home one night to find her best friend lying dead in a pool of blood on the living room floor.

    Now Jo has everything she's ever wanted: a veterinary practice she loves, a devoted husband, three grown daughters, a beautiful Massachusetts farmhouse. And if occasionally she feels a stranger to herself and wonders what happened to the freedom she once felt, or how she came to be the wife, mother, and doctor her neighbors know and trust--if at times she feels as if her whole life is vanishing behind her as she's living it--she need only look at her daughters or her husband, Daniel, to recall the satisfactions of family and community and marriage.

    But when an old housemate settles in her small town, the fabric of Jo's life begins to unravel: seduced again by the enticing possibility of another self and another life, she begins a dangerous flirtation that returns her to the darkest moment of her past and imperils all she loves.

    While I Was Gone is an exquisitely suspenseful novel about how quickly and casually a marriage can be destroyed, how a good wife can find herself placing all she holds dear at risk. In expert strokes, Sue Miller captures the precariousness of even the strongest ties, the ease with which we abandon each other, and our need to be forgiven. An extraordinary book, her best, from a beloved American writer.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateJul 5, 2000
    ISBN9780375417320
    Unavailable
    While I Was Gone
    Author

    Sue Miller

    Sue Millar es la directora ejecutiva del ministerio Promiseland y supervisa el ministerio infantil en la iglesia Willow Creek. Ha capacitado a miles de otros ministerios para hacer lo mismo.

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    Reviews for While I Was Gone

    3.5/5

    782 ratings27 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Family troubles
    • 2/5
      This book started out pretty well, but then started to drag and I was exhausted by the end. The best thing about it was the "while you were gone" note from Albert DeSalvo. I laughed until my stomach hurt...so good.
    • 2/5
      Boring.....i couldn't finish it...
    • 3/5
      I finally finished this after what feels like forever (not a problem with the book so much as a problem with my schedule). I think the drawn out reading time did not do the book any favors. Also knowing the ending ahead of time due to our book club discussion meant I was reading the last third with different preconceptions than before. Even so though, this is a difficult book because Jo, our main character, is not immediately likeable or sympathetic and the decisions she makes don't help improve the matter. Miller does an excellent job of creating characters that seem like very real people complete with flaws. The act and concept of forgiveness are central to the novel but with my reading so fragmented I don't feel like I got the chance to absorb what Miller was trying to say on the subject. Perhaps someday I'll have the time to read it again.

      November 2007 COTC Book Club selection.
    • 4/5
      We have seen it all before, how years of trust and understanding can be ruined in one sweep. however, Miller has another element built in: a terrible secret that gets out, to hurt everyone. Unexpectable things happen, other, expected, do not. There is no fairness, and no clear line between good and bad - same things certainly turn out to be quite different for people involved, causing moral dilemmas on various levels.
    • 1/5
      Ick. One star for a decent plot, and a respectable theme.

      I dislike being told all about a character, especially by the character herself. Show me, and let me experience the story rather than instructing me. I found much of the narrative to be a little trite, and sometimes too "Harlequinesque".

      Far too many mundane details about insignificant acts, such as an entire paragraph on making risotto. No, I did not think that such ramblings of routine ran counterpoint to Jo's impulsiveness, nor that they served to exemplify the simple peace she sought. It bored me to tears.

      I found much of her behavior hard to buy. Perhaps because it was so often explained after incidents occurred. Frankly, I found her to be quite stupid. For instance, her daughter, Sadie, is responsible for getting her involved with another character, but when problems develop between them, the effect this might have on Sadie doesn't even occur to her.

      No matter how understanding I tried to be of Jo's growth process, I couldn't develop any fondness for the heroine. In some cases, negative feelings about the protagonist can work wonderfully - not so in this case. Primarily, she frustrated me and I found myself repeatedly wanting to see her either shut up or grow up. The fact that she finally seems to accomplish this in the end was, for this reader, too little too late.
    • 5/5
      Jo Becker has every reason to be content. She has three dynamic daughters, a loving husband and marriage, and a rewarding career. In spite of this, Jo still finds herself to be somehow dissatisfied with her life.Then, Jo's veterinary practice takes on a new client who brings her into contact with a man from her past. Eli Mayhew was a housemate of Jo's, from a time when she lived a bohemian lifestyle in a communal house with several other people. Her chance meeting with Eli brings back memories of her early twenties to Jo and how her life used to be so vibrant.She becomes obsessed with that period of her life and with the crime that concluded it. Jo's obsession will eventually estrange her from everything that she holds dear, causing her to tell lie after lie as she is pulled closer to this man from her past - and to a horrible secret.I really enjoyed this book. Sue Miller is a new author for me, although I do have The Good Mother sitting somewhere on my bookshelves. I have never read it before but certainly am looking forward to read it some time soon. I give this book an A+! and actually said to Mareena as I closed this book that I thought it would have made a great movie - she just told me that a movie was made of While I Was Gone in 2004.
    • 5/5
      While the plot was amazing Jo Becker wasn't a likable character for me. Which is probably what Sue Miller wanted from me. I found her to be deceitful, conniving, and more than a little self centered and selfish. Jo is a woman of lies; an easy liar. So much so that her everyday relationships are tinged with half truths and falsehoods. Even her daughters recognize her deceit and are sensitive to her phoniness. When an old roommate from Jo's past resurfaces more lies are uncovered.But it's not her falsity that hangs like sour fruit. It's her selfishness that leaves a bad taste in my mouth. She misinterprets the intentions of the old roommate and begins to fantasize about an affair with him. When she thinks about how easy it would be to commit adultery she barely gives thought to whether or not her husband has ever thought about straying. When a terrible secret stands between Jo and having the affair she expects her husband to support her and not be upset by the turn of events. The best part of While I was Gone was the character development of Jo's husband. Watching Daniel struggle with jealousy and anger was like a metamorphosis. He emerges a different man.This book made me question secrets. Which is worse? A half truth or a half lie?
    • 4/5
      A novel that I have finished and am still thinking about. Well written with a 'real' narrator, Joe, a woman more selfish than she would herself acknowledge, who loves her children, husband, mother but doesn't always like them that much. Joe walks out on her first husband in the 60's and discovers her youth in a house-share. The action then jumps to the present day with Joe leading a comfortable life but ready for a little excitement. There is an horrific crime that impacts on the narrator, but the novel is more an exploration of growing up, relationships, the need for honesty, and the damage that that honesty can bring.
    • 5/5
      This was an immaculately well written account of a family in sudden and unexpected crisis. The author's style makes it clear that she knows her characters inside out, and she is not afraid to give them personality time, away from the main plot, to allow them to develop. She was also brave enough to give away the story's main 'secret' with a good third of the book still to go. This could have led to the whole thing going a bit flat, but it's a mark of the author's skill that it stayed interesting. This is the first I have read by Sue Miller but would definitely read more.In terms of style, the book reminded me a great deal of 'Saturday', by Ian McEwan, and I'd suggest that if you liked this, you might like that one too.
    • 4/5
      I thought this book would last me longer than it did, but it was hard to put down. It had a twist in it that I didn't predict, and the ending wasn't quite perfect.
    • 3/5
      I picked this up at the local thrift store because I was desperate for something to read, as I can't seem to find any of my books (due to the move) and we hadn't found the library yet. The only thing to recommend it at the time was the fact that its one of Oprah's Book Club picks. I can't say that it has grasped my attention and I may not finish it. We'll see...Review after finishing: I wasn't satisfied with the ending of this book. No catharsis :( However, it did give me a lot to think about, maybe even too much to think about! The wife's tendency to be all angsty made me a little angsty too. I'd say it was a good book over all. I was certainly surprised by the twist. But I didn't fly through it or feel compelled to read it.
    • 2/5

      What's it like to be haunted by your past? What's it like to feel yourself growing older, and yet to so vividly remember your youth? Were you different then? Are you the same person now? Sue Miller's book asks all of these questions.

    • 4/5
      Why: When I was in high school or college I read The Good Mother. and it kind of stayed with me. It showed that Miller has a way of getting under your skin, which may be why I've avoided her all these years. But when I saw this one at the right price I dove right in.Miller's prose is so natural and engaging it seems effortless, which of course it cannot be. Jo is a veterinarian, very happily married to a minister and with three adult daughters. She finds herself a bit restless in her newly empty nest and a chance encounter with an old roommate sets her reminiscing about an earlier time in her life, and its secrets and she starts wondering what could be different, sending a wrecking ball through her life's placid domesticity. It's hard for me to describe what exactly this book is about, but I found it difficult to put down, mostly due to Miller's prose and characterizations.
    • 3/5
      Recommended by MIL, it had philosophical qeustions about truth and honesty and justice that made me really sit and think, but as far as an enjoyable read, it was not one of my favorites. This is a book that makes me wish I belonged to a book club because I would love to discuss some of the themes with others and see how differently different people view the same events and choices we make.
    • 3/5
      This story of a wife and mother suddenly revisiting her past had great moments and held my attention. Still it had long, boring passages.I found the protagonist annoying and self-indulgent in a way that didn't jibe at all with the way she thought of herself. Further, her inability to see it, even in the end left me unsatisfied.At points, her descriptions and observations, while interesting and well drawn, dragged on. Her focus on minutia rang untrue to me, her description of her marriage and her husband was so perfect, that it made what followed wholly unbelievable.In fact, all the male characters in this book, from her husband, to Eli, to the other men in "the house" felt more like a woman's fantasy of what a man is than anyone I've actually known.Not a bad pick if you're willing to have a quick read, nostalgic for the 60s, and willing to not think too much.
    • 2/5
      Hated the main character, hated the ending, hated the 'pho' marriage to Daniel and Jo's justification for everything she did to him.
    • 4/5
      While I sometimes felt like Jo needed someone to slap her and tell her to grow up, like some other reviewers mentioned, I still enjoyed this novel. The story was interesting, and the author showed a character who matured, but still fell into the same pattern--running away from her life.
    • 4/5
      Miller's book is reasonably well-written and the book is easty to read without requiring too much analysis or thought. There were two instances in the book in which some character said to her heroine, Joey, "Grow up." I would heartily endorse that. The story is told from Joey's point of view and her character is very limited. She's self-involved, without being self-analytical, and her view of the people around her, including those whom she loves, is entirely colored by how their feelings, actions, etc. affect her. My inablity to empathize with the heroine (I just wanted to say,"For God's sake, GROW UP!" made it hard to really like the book. Interestingly, the least well-developed of her main characters was by far the most engaging. Daniel, Joey's husband, whilea bit of a saint, hinted at much that was unexplored. A pity that the author didn't explore that further.
    • 1/5
      This book has put me off reading anything else in Oprah's Book Club.
    • 4/5
      While I was gone is a story of a woman who, despite an idyllic family life, cannot shake a feeling of restlessness. The restlessness gets compounded after she meets a friend from her haunting, wild and unconventional past.The beauty of the book was in its un-exaggerated portrayal of an imperfect, flawed heroine, which made her much more identifiable compared to the perfect, morally upright woman. Of course, the narrator does question her morals once in a while, which seems a little artificial. The story is interesting and made it difficult for me to put down the book once I picked it up. The plot flattens out towards the end, but that seems almost inevitable in most stories.The language is simple and therefore easy to read.All in all, a good read - different and in a way refreshing.
    • 4/5
      Sue Miller is talented to have clearly captured an unlikable character--Jo, the main character. It seems to me that it's easy to write a character who is likable and always "does the right thing", but it is more difficult to create one who does not. Jo is annoying and bothersome with her ungratefulness and constant yearning for something else, and I admire Miller for drawing Jo so well.
    • 5/5
      Sue Miller captured my heart in a peculiar way that is hard to describe. I just felt swept away as I was reading. It felt like I was right in the room with the characters and was rooting for them all the time. This book is a very good read.
    • 4/5
      I think this is another book that has suffered from being an abridged audiobook. The flashback to the time when she ran away to live under an assumed name in a sort of commune – an experiment that ended with a crash when her best friend was murdered – is excellent. But the parts about the tensions with her daughters and why she finds it necessary to keep so many secrets feels incomplete. There are good ideas here, but I get the impression that much of what we need to know is left out.
    • 3/5
      This book begins in a lovely way, and I thought I would like it more than I did. The writing is good, but I didn't care for the story very much.
    • 4/5
      Jo (veterinarian, former hippy) and Daniel (minister), marriage troubles from her renewing acquaintance with former roommate where a murder had occurred. Read Good Mother years ago and loved it too.
    • 3/5
      I really did like this book. It depicts a horrible event and the repercussion many years later. It seemed very plausible and real. The writing was excellent and I found myself highlighting passages, which isn't something I do too often. I wish I could give this 3.5 stars instead of just 3. My only gripe is that I felt the story was bogged down by so much information about the daughters. They were not central to the plot or even to the main characters. This is my first Sue Miller book and I can't wait to read other books by this author.