The Mermaid Chair

Yes, SMK deserves the accolaides she is recieving for this work - at times it's so premeditatedly lovely it's distracting. She has proved she can put a sentance together. Has weird, colorful characters down. What would have been compelling and courageous however, would have been to see her main character fight the inexplicable draw to the monk - and do the right thing by remaining faithful to her vows she made to her husband. Those scenes where she tells Hugh are heartbreaking - for Hugh! I wanted to kick her Jessie's but out the door, personally.

Instead, we end up with a really well written book about infidelity. Oh, and her husband metes out forgiveness in spoonfuls - feeding her - I guess because it's put so beautifully, so creatively, we're supposed to just forget the fact that they both committed sin and devistated others lives.

The power Ms. Kidd knew she would have in a second smashing bestseller would have been so much more powerful had she stood on moral ground instead of what would be titilating.

The language, character development and intriguing story line in The Secret Life of Bees was rich and fascinating. This tale reads more like a dimestore paperback - one that I usually avoid. I finished it, hoping for something of substance to occur with the story line, but was disappointed. If you like a light read, the Mermaid Chair may work for you. I will be skeptical of Kidd's next novel.

I was looking forward to this so much after being so completely taken in by Kidd's Secret Life of Bees. This was so bland, and while the descriptive writing was lovely, the story was just blah. I never got interested in the characters, never cared about their motivations, was vaguely disgusted by Jessie's actions. In general, this book was just as plain as plain could be. I hope Kidd has another book like The Secret Life of Bees in her mind somewhere - this was not even close.

Sue Monk Kidd is really great at creating characters you feel you actually know. that, plus the unique S. Carolina setting, make for a wonderful read. I enjoyed this as much as her "Secret Life of Bees".

Exactly what I would expect from Sue Monk Kidd, a deeply spiritual story woven around characters and situations that might not seem the place to find wisdom and grace. At first glance, the presence of a monastic community in this tale would seem to make it an exception, but the moment we meet a couple of the monks we realize immediately that these men can make no special claim to sainthood, but are perhaps better described as a collection of social misfits. And that aptly describes the entire world of Egret Island, the lovely setting of the story. It is in fact a place a for soul searching, and for soul healing. It isn't easy. And wounds leave scars. But it is possible, and there's a future waiting to be formed.

After reading The Secret Life of Bees, I was ready to be thoroughly impressed with Kidd's next novel- sadly, it did not deliver. The book was very readable, but nothing special. I recommend this book as an easy summer read, but not a necessity.

I enjoyed reading The Mermaid Chair. The author does a great job of portraying how women often give up alot of themselves amd focus more on their husbands and children.

It is also a page turner, I read it in 2 days. And her descriptions of the island are incredible. And her characters were interesting.

This is a great read, and I would also recommend The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd which I liked even more than The Mermaid Chair.

Sue Monk Kidd is an excellent author.

"Secret Lives of Bees" and this book have little in common - so do not pick up this book thinking there is a relationship. Bees is in the voice of an impoverished southern white girl of the segregated deep south of the 1960's. Chair is in the voice of a middle aged upper middle class mother (Jessie) in the integrated south of the 1980's.

Everyone who has read both can agree on one thing: Bees is better. And, many people who I admire hated Bees. But, like any prose, Monk's style is personal and different styles for different readers.

So you may ask, what is this book like? If you are as old as the main character - Jessie - you may remember the 1968 movie "Rachel, Rachel" starring Joanne Woodward. A middle aged woman encountering emotions of despair . . . But, Jessie has more conflicts than Woodward's Rachel. Many of the panging thoughts of Jessie remind me of passages written on the pages of so many Alice Hoffman novels. Maybe one could coin this concept as emotional menopause.

In the guy's perspective, I say: Poor husband Hugh - the solid as a rock and square jawed husband who has to live apart from Jessie while she tries to gather herself on the secluded island off the South Carolina coast with her convalescing and quixotic mother.

Is it easy to read? Yes. It is not as delicate and superb as the prose of Marilynne Robinson ("Housekeeping" and "Gilead"), and by such fact it reads much more quickly and smoothly.

And, the question I always ask about any book : Is it worth reading? Although this may not be a perfect novel, I would encourage readers to tend to this work as Monk depicts 20th century southern mannerisms as well as most in the mainstream.

Give it a try. Open it at the bookstore or library. Within 4 pages you will whether to read on, or close it forever.

Lovely language and imagery. Took me into another world with all the detail and unusual characters that inhabit it. I especially loved the fact that there are no facile answers. The characters are mature and complex. Seductive narrative. I love the touches of myth and mysticism. The setting becomes integral to the narrative and helps to weave the tale that will definitely take you into a world of women who support each other accepting their frailties and challenges as well as their strengths.

Lovely language and imagery. Took me into another world with all the detail and unusual characters that inhabit it. I especially loved the fact that there are no facile answers. The characters are mature and complex. Seductive narrative. I love the touches of myth and mysticism. The setting becomes integral to the narrative and helps to weave the tale that will definitely take you into a world of women who support each other accepting their frailties and challenges as well as their strengths.

When someone builds up a favorite author SO much, well, it's hard not to have impossibly high expectations. I think this book is very readable and good, and I enjoyed its mystical approach and other-worldly themes. But I agree with writers who said it didn't have quite the same magic as her first novel. Regardless, Sue Monk Kidd is a superb writer and I would read anything she writes. I'm still a major fan of her nonfiction. It was interesting to note how some of the midlife issues she wrote about in "Dance of the Dissident Daughter" (which I loved) and "When the Heart Waits" (which I also loved) were given new wings in this fictional approach.

There are many negative reviews of this book, many of which compare it to The Secret Life of Bees. The great majority of the reviews are understandably by women, as this is a story from a woman's perspective. As a male, I liked the book more than many female reviewers. I liked the writing, the descriptions of the island and its environs. I also liked the bit characters, their quirkiness adding color and texture to the story. I was troubled, however, by the suspension of morality in the plot. Specifically, the story does not give us credible reasons for the affair. Nor is there any credible moral justification given for the conspiracy to end the life of Jesse's father. The moral questions hang in the air and are never addressed and resolved. The story gives permission for people who are "trying to find themselves" to have affairs, while overlooking the immense suffering affairs can cause within extended families, among the children involved, etc. Those who enter into this kind of affair suffer from a kind of "temporary insanity," which blinds the lustful participants, preventing them from appreciating the impact on family, friends and community.

Such a disappointment.
I did enjoy the descriptive details and depictions of the island but the story line was cliché and simplistic.
The main character seems so meaningless and to use sex to escape instead of dealing with her internal demons. So juvenile.
Kidd is losing her magic and my advice: Don't waste your money or time. My copy went right into the trash bin.

I'm almost 20 years younger than the main character of this novel, but her choices tore me apart. Did you ever wonder if you are with the right partner? Have you ever taken time out of your own life to do something for you, or has it all been for your children, husband, mother etc.? I do not envy the choices the main character in this novel made, but I feel I learned a bit more about myself.

This book had nothing interesting about it. It was sappy and slow moving, full of random experiences of the main charaters that never developed into anything. The characters didn't make any sense and weren't at all likable. The writing wasn't terrible so it made it a bearable read.