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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A TOUCHING BUT UNFLINCHING STORY, Sep 29 2001
Sue Miller's THE DISTINGUISHED GUEST is an immensely readable, sensitive, yet honest portrait of a fiercely independent, proud and intelligent woman stricken with Perkinson's disease. It is also a story of relationships within her family. Circumstances have brought her to live with her son and his wife 'for just a short while' -- her presence there triggers memories and emotions that have been allowed to lie comfortably dormant for years, bringing them to the forefront of several of the characters' minds, forcing them to reassess many things they had considered to be 'etched in stone'.Lily Maynard, the 'distinguished guest' of the title, has become a bit of a literary celebrity late in life -- her memoirs were published to wide acclaim when she was seventy-two. She takes this gentle, respectful attention in both hands, relishing it and the opportunity it gives her to speak out and have some influence on her world. Her pronouncements alternately intrigue, delight and rankle those around her. As the disease progresses, and her grip on her faculties becomes more tenuous, she is forced to reassess both her life and the motives behind her writing -- how much of what she is telling is true, how much is creatively enhanced (and to what ends)? What is she really trying to accomplish? Her presence in the household brings pressures to bear on other family members as well. They are there to stand by her and help her when she needs it -- but they are also seeing her as they have never seen her before. They are also seeing things in themselves and in each other that gives them both the need and the opportunity to have another look at their own lives. This is not a book with a lot of 'action' -- but it is a very rewarding read in many ways. Miller's skill at developing these characters, at allowing the reader to look at them a layer at a time, is very satisfying. Relationships between them are very human and real -- they grow and shrink, adapt and change as they progress through life. With a little reflection, this book could easily be a tool allowing us to enhance our abilities to take a good look at our own lives and values -- and we can all stand to do that from time to time. This book is entertaining on one level, but it is more than that -- there is much to be gained here, much to be savored. As tempting as it might be to read through this book in one setting, I think it is most likely the type of work that bears unhurried reflection -- and repeated reading.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
The Distinguished Guest is a disappointment by Laura @ HHS, Jan 21 2001
By A Customer
I found this book to be boring and hard to get into. It is about an elderly woman, named Lily Maynard who moves in with her son Alan, while waiting to get into a retirement home. Lily is a divorced mother of three, who became a famous writer at the age of seventy-two. Alan is not happy about her coming to stay with him because she is a difficult woman, and he is also blames her for some things that happened during his childhood.Lily can be difficult with her high class attitude, but she can not help that she has Parkinson's disease. This disease is effecting her physically and mentally. She is unable to do her writing anymore, which makes her very upset. This book does explain how terrible Parkinson's disease is, and it really shows the effects on people. Lily went from a woman who people admired, wanted to interview, and couldn't wait for her next work to come out, to becoming a woman who could no longer take care of herself, and could not concentrate anymore. Another thing this book does well is explaining the characters. It really goes in depth of were the characters came from and what they are feeling. The Distinguished Guest did have its good points, but over all I thought it was boring.
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3.0 out of 5 stars
A Strong Character Study, Dec 11 2003
Sue Miller is a powerful writer, and although this isn't her most stimulating novel it still has enough to recommend it.Lily Maynard finds celebrity in her 70's as she writes her memoirs. She and her former husband Paul ran a church that was heavily involved in the early civil rights movement, and it was this involvement that ended their marriage. Lily enjoys her late-in-life fame, but now Parkinson's Disease is forcing her into a retirement home, and as she waits for a unit to become available she moves in with her son Alan and his French wife Gaby. Lily's relationship with Alan has always been strained, as Alan has 'issues' with his strong-willed mother. These issues come to the forefront as they live together, and as Lily begins to deteriorate. Added to the mix is a writer doing an article about Lily, who brings up issues long-buried and best forgotten. The novel is a strong character study of these characters: Lily, Alan and his wife and sons, and the lonely free-lance writer. Secrets, (none too shocking) are eventually revealed and issues resolved, but don't expect much in the way of plot or action. Just enjoy Miller's skill at creating these characters and bringing them to life.
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