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The Private Lives of Pippa Lee Audiobook
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(3.01) - 1,550 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
At age fifty, Pippa Lee seems perfectly content. The devoted wife of a successful publisher and proud mother of grown twins, a consummate hostess to the literati and an admired and trusted neighbor, her life seems to lack for nothing. But when she and her eighty-year-old husband move to a quiet retirement village, the routines and distractions that have upheld Pippa's flawless feminine persona begin to crumble away. And under the surface, her surprisingly gritty and adventurous past is beginning to break through.
When Pippa finds herself acting out strange yearnings in her sleep, she gradually allows the voice of her lost self to come through into her consciousness, recounting a wild and reckless youth full of experimentation and heartbreak, passion and guilt. We learn how she ran away from home to escape the manic-depression of her pill-popping mother, only to fall into drugs herself among the loose New York art crowd. Leaving a trail of broken hearts and messy affairs behind her, it is only when she meets the older Herb that she discovers her longing for security and resolves to steal him from his wife in order to settle down and create a family of her own.
Written with quirky humor, intelligence and compassion, The Private Lives of Pippa Lee is a wise and acute portrait of the many lives behind a single name.
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"A plotless page-turner! Sounds impossible? Read this and see why it's not! And just a note, her metaphors are so unique and interesting that the first time you read them they don't sound like metaphors. Then you do a double take, "Ohh, what a wonderful phrase." and you read it again, and realise how freakin talented you have to be to think of such a thing! Loved this!"
— Jessica (5 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“Wise and irreverent.”
— Nick Flynn, New York Times bestselling author of Another Bullshit Night in Suck City -
“[Miller] delves into the fraught relationships of families, particularly mothers and daughters, exploring the ways one woman deals with life’s surprises.”
— New York Times -
“Strikingly unconventional.”
— Elle -
“Dreamy, elegant…Miller’s astute, beautifully nuanced novel explores the unpredictable consequences of choosing to live a safe but emotionally compromised life.”
— Daily Mail (UK) -
“Miller is a luminous writer…Gazing into these multiple private Pippas is like opening a series of Russian dolls, each intricately wrought, self-contained, and self-revealing.”
— Observer (London) -
“Miller stands on her own with Pippa Lee as she has with much of her previous work…One is reminded of T. S. Eliot’s play The Cocktail Party, masquerading as drawing room comedy, to lure us into deeper waters.”
— Buffalo News -
“Vivid, brave and experimental.”
— New York Observer -
“Miller’s quietly devastating examination of ageing, love and loyalty is never less than compelling.”
— Psychologies -
“Magnificent…Miller’s depiction of her title character’s tangled universe is so nuanced, so lovingly detailed, that it’s impossible not to get drawn in.”
— Nylon -
“[A] promising first novel…Pippa’s struggle to break the ‘chain of misunderstandings and adjustments’ that passes from parent to child is moving…The story’s held together by Miller’s sincere and intelligent protagonist.”
— Publishers Weekly -
“Miller brings a simmering intelligence and verbal flair to this deft exploration of the courage required to own your own life.”
— Booklist -
“[A] beautifully layered and subtle novel of identity…hesitatingly wise in all sorts of ways.”
— Joseph O’Connor, author
The Private Lives of Pippa Lee Listener Reviews
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" started ok but in the end thought it was a weak story/character and a dull read "
— Emma, 1/16/2014 -
" Can't put this ice berg book down - you start at the tip and the story gets deeper and darker as you descend into it! "
— Jane, 12/31/2013 -
" What an excellent read - very surprising twists and turns. Her first novel. "
— Anne, 12/31/2013 -
" It's true....we live many lives. Pippa has led a few and clearly, at age fifty, has at least one more reinvention awaiting her. "
— Catherine, 12/16/2013 -
" Great first (I believe) novel.... loved the allusions to her family (Arthur Miller, Inge Morath) and the story, too. "
— Melanie, 12/12/2013 -
" This book became so awful, so filled with filth that I couldn't stomach it and just plain threw it into the book drop at the library. If you enjoy porn, you might enjoy this. I can't imagine anyone else enjoying it. "
— Lisa, 12/9/2013 -
" Just a flat-out excellent writer with a flair for suburban angst? What's not to like?! "
— Maria, 6/27/2013 -
" I think every woman should read this book at some point in her life. Great, original & creative timeline of an individual life. "
— Jaclyn, 11/10/2012 -
" Brilliant. Not so foo-foo girly book on a midlife crisis. It has depth, creativity, and is psychologically crazy, in the best way possible. Love it. "
— Montana, 10/20/2012 -
" Best part - simple real-life story, written in a simplestic manner! It is chick-lit of the maturer kind - where one woman (Pippa) looks back on her 'seemingly' great life and wonders where (and IF) things went wrong somewhere in her attempt to be a good wife and mother!!! "
— Samra, 7/21/2012 -
" thought this was sloppy in places, and ultimately not that interesting. "
— Nixycoco, 3/11/2012 -
" Started off quite dull and nearly gave up but then suddenly as we delve into Pippa's childhood and the book really gets going. I loved it. "
— Sue, 3/5/2012 -
" As with anything else I've read or seen of Miller's, this novel disappoints. The characters are one-note, the plot is thin, and yet I kept reading it, hoping for better. Don't: it's not coming. "
— Stephanie, 11/22/2011 -
" I was really liking this book until the end. The end was a bit unsatisfying for me. I didn't hate it; I just was disappointed. "
— Ann, 10/26/2011 -
" What was this about again? Infinitely forgettable. Apparently, it's soon to be a major motion picture. I think that might be wishful thinking on somebody's part because I don't know who would sit through a movie of the book. "
— Felicity, 10/22/2011 -
" Starts off showing me why retirement villages won't be my thing! Then looks back at Pippa's early life. Didn't enjoy it that much and don't recommend it. "
— Samantha, 10/16/2011 -
" I hated liking this book, because Pippa Lee's character had such a fucked-up relationship with her mother. I could handle it in the book, but the movie sent me into an anxiety attack. Good thing it was on cable. "
— Kathleen, 5/5/2011 -
" Brilliant. Not so foo-foo girly book on a midlife crisis. It has depth, creativity, and is psychologically crazy, in the best way possible. Love it. "
— Montana, 4/9/2011 -
" Read this in one sitting; as I could not put it down. <br/>Amazing Characters, plot and executed perfectly. <br/>Evokes every emotion and lingers in the mind for weeks. <br/> "
— Estelle, 2/9/2011 -
" I really enjoyed this in a laugh out loud sort of way! "
— Katie, 1/18/2011 -
" So much potential, ended up being kind of cliche and so-so. "
— Sara, 1/3/2011 -
" I read this after seeing the movie of the same name. It's a thoughtful read, but this may be one instance where I preferred the film to the novel. "
— Medlibrarian, 11/18/2010 -
" Fun, breezy, interesting read. I loved Miller's voice, especially when Pippa narrated. The book won't change your life, but it's worth picking up. "
— Brigid, 10/21/2010 -
" This is an interesting book. I did see the movie first which helped me to understand what was happening. I might have been confused if I did it the other way around. I do wish I had put more time between them. "
— Heather, 9/22/2010 -
" Started off quite dull and nearly gave up but then suddenly as we delve into Pippa's childhood and the book really gets going. I loved it. "
— Sue, 8/29/2010 -
" Captivating from the beginning. A fun, easy read. This would be great for the beach. "
— Mindy, 8/27/2010 -
" I think every woman should read this book at some point in her life. Great, original & creative timeline of an individual life. "
— Lilpunkk12, 8/25/2010
About Rebecca Miller
Rebecca Miller is the daughter of playwright Arthur Miller and is married to Academy Award–winning actor Daniel Day-Lewis. She lives in New York City with their two sons. Her feature film, Personal Velocity, won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance, and her latest movie, The Ballad of Jack and Rose, received rave reviews.
About Bernadette Dunne
Bernadette Dunne is the winner of numerous AudioFile Earphones Awards and has twice been nominated for the prestigious Audie Award. She studied at the Royal National Theatre in London and the Studio Theater in Washington, DC, and has appeared at the Kennedy Center and off Broadway.