The Mermaid Chair

by Sue Monk Kidd

book data

21,775 ratings, 2.88 average rating, 3,046 reviews (more data...)

rating	frequency	%
5		7%
4		20%
3		35%
2		25%
1		11%

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published

April 5th 2005 by Viking Adult (first published 2005)

details

Hardcover, 335 pages

setting

United States

isbn

0670033944 (isbn13: 9780670033942)

description

Sue Monk Kidd's The Mermaid Chair is the soulful tale of Jessie Sullivan, a middle-aged woman whose stifled dreams and desires take shape during an ex…more

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Aug 06, 2008

Philip rated it:

(review of isbn 0143036696)

bookshelves: discarded

Read in August, 2008

recommended to Philip by: Someone left it in my laundry room, and now I know why.
recommends it for: Oprah

Okay, we've got a couple problems here. Let's go in order:
1. The problem of the protagonist
2. The problem of the know-it-all know-nothing
3. The problem of the genre.

Number one, the protagonist of this book is a woman with ZERO PROBLEMS. There's no identifiable obstacle in her life, and this is supposed to make us feel--what?-- sorry for her? Poor lead character, she has a lovely, loving husband, the dream house she's always wanted, a wonderful spunky daughter, ...more Okay, we've got a couple problems here. Let's go in order:
1. The problem of the protagonist
2. The problem of the know-it-all know-nothing
3. The problem of the genre.

Number one, the protagonist of this book is a woman with ZERO PROBLEMS. There's no identifiable obstacle in her life, and this is supposed to make us feel--what?-- sorry for her? Poor lead character, she has a lovely, loving husband, the dream house she's always wanted, a wonderful spunky daughter, a colorful family history, and daddy issues. Sounds like the perfect centrifigul character for a book-club-ready paper back. But, here's the thing: I WANTED HER TO FAIL.

There are books about serial killers, monster, pedophiles, rapists, mass murderers and even unapologetic Republicans. . . and in many cases, these are the protagonists. And, even if I can't sympathize with the objectives of characters like these, I can usually find something to latch onto that allows me to follow them on their journey. So. . . why could I not attach to the protagonist of the Mermaid Chair? Easy. She doesn't resemble any true human being. At least a serial killer is a human; albeit a supremely effed up human, but there's a common ground there. At some level, I can look at Jeffrey Dahmer and wonder, "What happened to that human? How totally tragic!" But this wierd subspecies of nonhuman running rampant through all lowgrade cliterature resembles nothing found in nature, not even animals. It's like the author sent a few sentences through the book machine, and this touchy feely glob of nothingness is what fell out.

Are we finished here? Moving on.

Number two. This book includes a character with ---look out!-- a wacky name who sufferes from what I can only term Magical Retardism. Listen, you guys, being mentally challenged does NOT make a character: a) interesting, b) psychic or c) cute. I tried to push through passages about this character's inner knowingness, her ability to look at people and say things like, "You're in love" and have everybody know that this magical ill person just pronounced something otherworldly and profound.

Excuse me, but YAK!

A character with a disability is just like a person with a disability: disabled. Not superabled. To glorify the mentally handicapped as some Steven Speilbergian breed of space creatures who point at your heart, say ouch, and heal your inner most wounds is--at its best-- ignorant, and at worst-- insulting. I had a really hard time swallowing this character who was so obviously suffering from a case of Hailey Joel Osmentitis.

Third. This book could have alternately been titled The Bridges of The Divine Secret Life of the Traveling Ya Ya's. We've heard this story before. We read it in the waiting room of the hospital when grandma had her kidney/gall bladder/husband removed. We know what's going to happend. The formula is so easily solvable it make X + 1 = 2 look a mite challenging. The devastating lack of any surprises in this chicklit genre has let current authors so far off the hook that the need for character development seems to have fallen entirely away. No need to develope WHY the characters feel the way they do. They just DO. Because that's the kind of book it is. No need to explore WHY these characters might fall in love (or for that matter, IF they'd fall in love in the first place) they just DO. Island Monk + frustrated middle aged woman + female bonding = boring affair.

At the risk of sounding redundant, YAK!

So. . . maybe I'm judging this book just a wee bit overharshly, as it seems to be adhering to the low low standards set by its genre, but technically Jane Austen wrote female bonding tales of love and wanting, and her shit's brilliant!! So... I think I'm allowed to jump on the hate wagon here and call "naked emperor" on Sue Monk Kidd. In the meantime, I'll go hang with actual women dealing with actual mid life crises and work with actual chidren with actual dissablities.

And you know what? I'll much prefer it to this compost filler.(less)

Like this review? yes (31 people liked it)

7 comments

May 29, 2007

Sammy rated it:

(review of isbn 0143036696)

bookshelves: a-the-best

Read in June, 2005

I bought this book when I went with my mother to go hear Sue Monk Kidd speak. Let me tell you, she speaks as eloquently as she writes. She's also just as witty. After hearing her speak, I realized that a lot of her personality comes through in her writing. Her amazing writing.

She spoke of how she felt The Mermaid Chair was going to be often compared to The Secret Life of Bees and maybe wouldn't be able to live up to the high praise it's earned so far. She also worried about the chara...more I bought this book when I went with my mother to go hear Sue Monk Kidd speak. Let me tell you, she speaks as eloquently as she writes. She's also just as witty. After hearing her speak, I realized that a lot of her personality comes through in her writing. Her amazing writing.

She spoke of how she felt The Mermaid Chair was going to be often compared to The Secret Life of Bees and maybe wouldn't be able to live up to the high praise it's earned so far. She also worried about the characters being too similar. I don't think Sue has anything to worry about. The only thing the two books have in common is the author's writing... a beautiful, flowing and engaging style.

I think I like Sue's style so much because it has the right amount of description for things, her dialogue is realistic, and when you think about it her stories seem so outlandish, but when reading it you can see it actually happening. Her writing is also very eloquent and deep, but fun and witty at the same time.

There are no characters in The Mermaid Chair that are reminiscent of any in The Secret Life of Bees, and specifically what Kidd was worried about was people might roll there eyes at another pack of strong female characters taking presidence in the book. I didn't and don't see any problem in that. We need as many strong literary female characters as we can get. And these women, that you grow to love, are as strong as they come.

The way the love story was written out was also so wonderful. You find yourself feeling for Jessie's dilemna of being in love with two men. Kidd doesn't write it so you're leaning towards one man over the other (well, you may be, but it's honestly hard to choose) because both men are so likeable and good-looking and genuinely care for Jessie. And though Hugh is the only one painted as having any flaws, they're pointed out to us by Jessie who, after twenty years of marriage, has come to find some things he does annoying, which she later comes to realize (and we know) are more endearing.

Personally, I liked The Secret Life of Bees over The Mermaid Chair because I just found that one more interesting... but The Mermaid Chair was just as engaging and well-written as it's predecessor. It's really up to you to choose which one you like better. The Mermaid Chair definitely holds it's own.(less)

Like this review? yes (11 people liked it)

1 comment

May 29, 2008

Ashley rated it:

(review of isbn 0143036696)

bookshelves: 2008

Read in June, 2008

Read this book as it was a selection for my book club.

Although I thoroughly enjoyed "The Secret Life Of Bees" by the same writer, I found this book to be a far different sort of read. In Bees, while I enjoyed the plot, it was the characters that I found myself hooked to. In "The Mermaid Chair" I found the plot to be only mildly entertaining and the characters lacking in development. The main character I found to be whiny, annoying, selfish, and someone I just...more

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Jul 28, 2007

Carol rated it:

Read in August, 2007

recommends it for: people who believe in love at first sight

Very disappointed in this book since I loved "The Secret Life of Bees". The best thing I can say about it is that it is highly readable...an easy summer read. I believe in lust at first site, a spark that makes you want to get to know someone, etc. No matter how hard I tried, I could not wrap myself around the decision of a woman to leave a husband of 20 years and a monk to turn his back on the monastery on the basis of a first glance after which both proclaimed being in love. And ...more

Like this review? yes (10 people liked it)

3 comments

Aug 06, 2008

Books Ring My Bell rated it:

(review of isbn 0143036696)

bookshelves: poop

Read in August, 2008

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

Like this review? yes (6 people liked it)

9 comments

Aug 27, 2008

Kirk rated it:

(review of isbn 0143036696)

This book is so corny it will pass straight through you, undigested.

Like this review? yes (10 people liked it)

4 comments

Jul 11, 2008

Spudsie rated it:

Read in July, 2008

recommended to Spudsie by: 2008 SRL

I did not like this book.

That’s not entirely accurate. I loved the religious themes that ran through this book, I loved the stories of growing up on an island, I loved the Mermaid aspect of this story.

So why the rating of “did not like?” I’m really tired of stories where the lead character decides they need to drastically change their life. Then they run off through either some decision they consciously make or through some twist of fate (as in this case) to ...more

Like this review? yes (6 people liked it)

2 comments

Mar 31, 2007

Wormie rated it:

(review of isbn 073945966X)

Read in May, 2006

recommends it for: nobody

Dear Sue,

What were you thinking? I don’t want to be mean, but “The Mermaid Chair” isn’t your best work. Your first novel, “The Secret Life of Bees” was wonderful – full of imagery and emotion. I was expecting more of your magic, but “The Mermaid Chair” is just another novel about a middle-aged woman in a rut.

You explore some compelling ideas: marriage, infidelity, betrayal, guilt, forgiveness, grief and faith, but you don’t really add anything to that...more Dear Sue,

What were you thinking? I don’t want to be mean, but “The Mermaid Chair” isn’t your best work. Your first novel, “The Secret Life of Bees” was wonderful – full of imagery and emotion. I was expecting more of your magic, but “The Mermaid Chair” is just another novel about a middle-aged woman in a rut.

You explore some compelling ideas: marriage, infidelity, betrayal, guilt, forgiveness, grief and faith, but you don’t really add anything to that oh-so-told story. You wrap the issues in a story so farfetched that it reads like a poorly-made TV movie. Without going into every detail look at the story:

Jessie Sullivan - forty-something wife, mother, artist - living comfortably but without great passion. Suddenly, a family emergency throws her into a period of self-reflection. Her mother chops off a finger - intentionally. As Jessie goes to help her mother, a woman with whom she has a strained relationship, she questions her marriage, starts an affair with a Benedictine monk, and discovers secrets from her past.

The story starts as clich�, veers into absurdity (not just a crazy mother, but a crazy self-mutilating mother – not just an affair, but an affair with a monk) and ends with the too-familiar new beginning where nothing is the same, but our heroine has found peace. You ask us to accept this as a vehicle to explore deep emotional and personal choices; it just doesn't work.

Don’t tell us a story – let us feel something. Let us get into the characters’ heads and understand their emotional journey. Everything in “The Mermaid Chair” was a narration – something to be told, not something to experience. I didn’t get to know any of the characters. I didn’t get to feel their emotion. I certainly didn’t like any of them, except, maybe, Max the dog who seems like a really good-hearted fellow.

You worked in some legend and mysticism. The imagery and symbolism of mermaids was nice, as was much of your descriptions of nature, but when it comes down to meat and potatoes, your novel was rather bland. Readers who want another story of female mid-life angst can get their hit from an hour of Oprah; they don’t have to invest time in your book.

Lately it seems like several of my favorite authors are resting on their past success, spitting out mediocre novels knowing that their name will sell the book. You’ve proven that you’re a writer with a unique vision and voice. We, your readers, want more of the magic that you shared with us in “Bees”. Don’t be afraid to challenge us with new ideas, and don’t be afraid to challenge the stereotypes of women’s literature.

Love,
Wormie

WBS!
(less)

Like this review? yes (4 people liked it)

2 comments

Jul 12, 2007

Ti rated it:

(review of isbn 0755327004)

Read in July, 2007

Jesse goes back home, to visit with her mother who is apparently cutting off her fingers in a rash display of abnormal behavior. While on the island, she comes across a monk that she eventually falls in love with. The problem is that Nell is married and has a grown daughter. The story goes back and forth between caring for the mother and the love affair between Nell and the monk.

It is not very well written, and at times reminded me a lot of the "Ya Ya Sisterhood". Everythi...more

Like this review? yes (4 people liked it)

1 comment

Feb 09, 2008

Carol rated it:

(review of isbn 0143036696)

Read in February, 2008

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

Like this review? yes (5 people liked it)

3 comments

Aug 14, 2008

Lindsey rated it:

(review of isbn 0143036696)

Read in August, 2008

This probably isn't the best time to write a review of this book since I just finished it a few hours ago and am still quite upset by it. The reason I began the book was because of the name, first of all, and also the story takes place on an island right off the coast of South Carolina. I grew up in South Carolina and miss it very much and so I started reading.

The first part of the book dragged a little, although I loved the descriptions of the south and the ocean. As the book pic...more

Like this review? yes (4 people liked it)

1 comment

Feb 02, 2008

Shelly rated it:

(review of isbn 0143036696)

bookshelves: giveaway

Read in April, 2006

Not nearly as inspirational or moving as author's first novel, Secret Life of Bees. Although VERY well written the subject matter was not pleasing and almost distasteful. I liked the monks side of the story and can more readily understand why he did what he did. In his case he was questioning his faith, his existence, everything and was reaching out to anything that might pull him back to Life. In the woman's case, she was simply bored and unfulfilled in her marriage and was searching for self r...more

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Jan 02, 2008

Cynthia rated it:

(review of isbn 0143036696)

Read in January, 2005

I loved this book, but reading most of the reviews, it seems like most people hated this book. I do think "The Secret Life of Bees" was better--I enjoyed the characters and storyline in Bees more so than "The Mermaid Chair."

The main character of Jessie drove me crazy sometimes because, as everyone thinks, she could be so selfish sometimes when it came to her mother and her husband. True, it's a little unbelievable Jessie would choose to pretty much ignore her mot...more

Like this review? yes (7 people liked it)

1 comment

May 15, 2007

Emily Jerez rated it:

(review of isbn 0143036696)

recommends it for: no one.

terrible romanticizing of a woman who takes her life for granted.

i don't find impossible romances romantic at ALL.

to me, the main character seemed spoiled, selfish and ungrateful - to the author, she was a woman amidst her mid-life crisis trying to find herself.

very cliche in that a woman falls in love with a man of god
and paints to express her lust.

my god, if she painted one more picture expressing her passion for father thomas, i thrown the...more

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Jan 21, 2008

patricia rated it:

Read in January, 2006

recommends it for: no one

that sue monk kid might be a one hit wonder..just joking but secrt lives of bees was an all time fav for me and i was extremely disappointed in this book. did not connect with character at all. save your money buy the second book from the author of the kite runner...he proved himself with his second novel.

Like this review? yes (3 people liked it)

1 comment

Nov 25, 2008

Carrie rated it:

(review of isbn 0143036696)

Read in January, 2008

terrible. Middle-life crisis dribble. It was like gargling salt water.

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Jan 02, 2008

Laurie rated it:

(review of isbn 0143036696)

Read in January, 2008

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

Jessie, the main character in the book, is having her mid-life crisis. In a big way. The book is written mostly from her point of view and begins with a statement (and I am paraphrasing b/c I don't have the book in front of me) that when she was above all else the mother to Dee and wife to Hugh, she fell in love with a benedictine monk. So, right off the bat, I was thinking "Ok. This woman has some issues she is going to have to go through if she is mainly identifying herself through th...more

Like this review? yes (2 people liked it)

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Nov 22, 2007

Kathy rated it:

(review of isbn 0143036696)

Read in March, 2005

From a blog post I wrote in 2005:

If you've read The Secret Life of Bees, Sue Monk Kidd's first novel, you probably have high expectations for her latest work, The Mermaid Chair. Bees was beautifully written and made you care about the characters so much that you were sorry to have to leave them at the end of the story. I hope she writes a sequel.

Mermaid Chair has some of the same elements as Bees: quirky characters, long held secrets, romance and long time friendships. Bu...more

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Apr 14, 2007

William rated it:

(review of isbn 0143036696)

Read in January, 2007

recommends it for: Chick-lit fans

I really wanted to like this book and after being pleasantly surprised (and touched) by "The Secret Life of Bees" I was pretty eager to read it. Having said that, I didn't dislike it. I guess disappointed is the word. I was disappointed in the characters, the themes, the motivations and the plot overall. The characters seemed stock/shallow and a bit forced with the only believable one of the lot being the poor husband (and the friend’s “off” daughter, who was a hoot...we needed m...more

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Mar 15, 2008

Kathy rated it:

(review of isbn 0143036696)

Read in January, 2005

The main character in this book just seemed like a whiner to me. Boo hoo, my husband won't "let" me be myself. Ummm, let's see, is it his job to "let" you be yourself, or was that your job all your life while he was supporting the family so you could putz around decorating your lovely victorian house and messing with your little collages that never go anywhere? I found nothing wrong with her husband. He seemed like an intelligent, sensitive guy, and the minute he lets her...more

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