Anna Quindlen has been a
favorite author of mine since the days when I would eagerly await her opinion
pieces in The New York Times. She
has been a prolific writer in the last twenty-five years, turning to longer works
of non-fiction and novels, such as her latest: Miller’s Valley.
It, too, is filled with those all too astute observations: “It’s so easy to be
wrong about the things you’re close to.
I know that now. I learned that
then.” So Mimi Miller tells readers as
she reflects on her family (parents, Miriam and Bud; her Aunt Ruth, and brothers,
Edward and Tommy who heads to Vietnam) and their life in rural Pennsylvania
beginning in the 1960’s.
The entire community is
threatened by a proposed dam which would flood Miller’s Valley. Although, as
Quindlen discloses, no one quite believes it could happen, “You could tell by their last names that
people who lived in the area were originally from Germany or Poland or some of
the Slavic countries, but they’d been American long enough to have flat vowels
and made-up minds.” In this coming of
age novel, Quindlen warmly and empathetically transports readers to an earlier time,
to a more rural, small town America which is disappearing. Miller’s
Valley is a story that questions progress, love and loyalty; it received
a starred review from Library Journal.
I have a student who is
writing a Junior Theme on social work based on reading Quindlen’s Rise and
Shine, another title to place on my “to read” list. Do you have a favorite Quindlen title? Let us
know. So many books, so little time ……
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