Lost in the Forest

By: Sue Miller

Narrated by: Blair Brown

For nearly two decades, since the publication of her iconic first novel, The Good Mother, Sue Miller has distinguished herself as one of our most elegant and widely celebrated chroniclers of family life, with a singular gift for laying bare the interior lives of her characters. In each of her novels, Miller has written with exquisite precision about the experience of grace in daily life–the sudden, epiphanic recognition of the extraordinary amid the ordinary–as well as the sharp and unexpected motions of the human heart away from it, toward an unruly netherworld of upheaval and desire. But never before have Miller’s powers been keener or more transfixing than they are in Lost in the Forest, a novel set in the vineyards of Northern California that tells the story of a young girl who, in the wake of a tragic accident, seeks solace in a damaging love affair with a much older man.

Eva, a divorced and happily remarried mother of three, runs a small bookstore in a town north of San Francisco. When her second husband, John, is killed in a car accident, her family’s fragile peace is once again overtaken by loss. Emily, the eldest, must grapple with newfound independence and responsibility. Theo, the youngest, can only begin to fathom his father’s death. But for Daisy, the middle child, John’s absence opens up a world of bewilderment, exposing her at the onset of adolescence to the chaos and instability that hover just beyond the safety of parental love. In her sorrow, Daisy embarks on a harrowing sexual odyssey, a journey that will cast her even farther out onto the harsh promontory of adulthood and lost hope.

With astonishing sensuality and immediacy, Lost in the Forest moves through the most intimate realms of domestic life, from grief and sex to adolescence and marriage. It is a stunning, kaleidoscopic evocation of a family in crisis, written with delicacy and masterful care. For her lifelong fans and those just discovering Sue Miller for the first time, here is a rich and gorgeously layered tale of a family breaking apart and coming back together again: Sue Miller at her inimitable best.©2005 Sue Miller; (P)2005 Random House, Inc. Random House Audio, a division of Random House, Inc.

Hella financial privilege

I've read this book many times over the years, and time was I would have called it a favorite... but after reading again (6th time or so) it's distracting how unrealistic this would be for characters less well off. Almost as if it is saying that this type of life is more important and worthy of examination. hmm. A lot of the story is still enjoyable, just this thought is in the background.

Captivating & Entertaining

This is the first Sue Miller book I have listened too and I plan on listening to her others. "Lost in the Forest" was easy to listen too and really drew you into the lives of the characters. It was hard not to feel the pain of the loss of the childrens father/step-father and become involved in their worlds. I found myself hating Duncan for his role in Daisy's life and sincerely hoping for a reconciliation between Eva & Mark. I definitely recommend taking the time to listen to this book. It moves along quickly but not too quickly that you loose your way in the story. Millers writing style isn't overly wordy or descriptive so you don't get bored but you can visualize the tale she is telling.

Great portrait of contemporary life in America

Another great book by Sue Miller. I had read the paper version of this book a few years ago and by mistake I read it again in audio format.. but it was just as enjoyable the second time. Everything is not black or white in Sue Miller's view. This book eloquently portrays the trials and tribulations of modern family life where couples seldom last forever and how this affects the children when parents split or if a parent dies. This novel relates how the middle child in this family is affected by the loss of her stepfather and how she is running towards disaster as another man undertakes to do her sentimental education so to speak. The tone in Sue Miller is never moralizing and always the author examines situations in the most subtile way that makes you think and reflect at what is going on. Very interesting and thought provoking book - no clichés and no fairy tale!!

Just O.K.

I can't remember what made me chose this book. Perhaps I wanted to try out the author. Was just o.k. Seemed to jump around. Thought it was going to get to a point eventually so I read the whole thing but it just never seemed to get there.

Good read but a bit unrealistic

This is my first Sue Miller book and I did enjoy it but felt the whole family dynamic was a bit unrealistic. However I liked the way it was written, and the reader truly made it enjoyable.