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Personal Velocity
A Washington Post Best Book of 2001, Rebecca Miller's powerful debut, Personal Velocity, is the basis for her Sundance Festival award-winning film by the same name. Acclaimed by The New York Times as "the work of a talented and highly visual writer," the vibrantly fresh and lustrous stories in Miller's collection explore the multifaceted lives of women in seven arresting p...more
Paperback, 179 pages
Published
September 12th 2002
by Grove Press
(first published 2001)
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This is a collection of short stories, portraits of seven American women aged between nine and forty-one. They come from different social backgrounds and have not always made the most out of what life has thrown at them. Most have father issues. All are at critical junctures in their lives. The question is, do they go on, go back or stay right where they are? A fascinating read and one I highly recommend.
You can read a detailed review of the book (and the film that revolves around three of the...more
You can read a detailed review of the book (and the film that revolves around three of the...more
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This was my last shot at Rebecca Miller. While I understand the title, and a few of the details of the stories were good, I found her characters to be whiney, self-indulgent and I didn't care if they found themselves or not. It's very similar in tone to 'The Secret Lives of Pippa Lee', which I didn't care for at all. The best story in the book is 'Louisa'. Also, a few of the characters are recurring within the collection, which is neat.
The book was OK. It's a book with a total of 7 short stories, all about a woman that's going through a tough period in her life. It was OK to read, but for me too many language faults and the stories were OK, but too short to really enjoy. I did like her writing style, so maybe I should check if Rebecca Miller has written "real" books. It was also a bit disappointing that the short stories were not somehow connected. That would have made it a lot better!
Stories of seven women, each of whom addresses a personal issue with varying degrees of awareness and capacity. The speed at which one moves through her life, faces her challenges, makes choices, is the personal velocity. Some have more than others. Just diddn't identify with much in the book as a whole.
Pulled this off my mother's bookshelf to read as diversion; took it with me to keep. I was riveted by these women and the beautifully nuanced way Miller lets you into their lives. No extraneous word or material. I was blown away.
good writer, good director. read this after watching the film - which was also very interesting. a few different stories here - good insight to women's lives
A series of beautifully written short stories about seven women in different situations and stages of their lives finding themselves.
Accidentally left it on a plane halfway through the last story. I liked it, but not enough to hunt it down and finish it.
Each chapter is a different woman's life. The stories are all interesting but I realized I don't like short stories :) I want to hear more!!
really good if you want something to read on the go. I really liked the book, each character was so different.
A quick read. Under-developed sketches of phony characters. Very simplistic, simple-minded, and schematic writing. Not my bag.
engrossing short stories- mainly involve vulnerable but strong women. R.Miller is Arthur Miller's daughter.
interesting collection of stories about women - entertaining, dark, funny.
What a fun collection of short stories; highly recommend
Nothing happens, but at least it's short.
Bad choice of a book!
Love it.
Couldn't put it down because I thought the next story would be better but it wasn't
These snippets of women's lives were written perfectly. Rebecca makes the simplest of moments come alive with an edgy uniqueness I've not come across before. I'd probably give it 4 1/2 stars if I were able to. The only reason I don't give it five is because I liked The Private Lives of Pippa Lee that little bit more. But that's probably due to the fact that is was a full length story.
Aug 07, 2008
Clackamas
rated it
2 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Junkies of crap fiction
Shelves:
general-fiction
blech. he only reason it got two stars is because I finished it and found myself thinking of it after... of course I was mostly thinking about the bad taste in my mouth. Why is it that female authors of adult fiction so frequently paint their female characters with so few redeeming qualities? I read to either learn, discover a new world, or be entertained. This book did none of those.
I wish the concept of "personal velocity" had been explored further in this collection of short stories. I wanted to love this book as much as I loved Rebecca Miller's film, Angela, but something was just missing.
The three stand-out stories from the collection were featured in Miller's film version of her book. The other stories seemed to be mostly filler.
The three stand-out stories from the collection were featured in Miller's film version of her book. The other stories seemed to be mostly filler.
I enjoyed the varied stories, and the few that were connected together (the main character in one story was a supporting person in the next). It presents different perspectives of women who have gone through or are going through different stages and stresses in life. I'm not sure what I learned, but I liked the writing style and that the messages are not clear-cut.
Not sure if you've read this or heard of it, but it was pretty good. A book of 6 (I think) short stories, some of which are entwined but all of which center around a woman, usually an artist, and how she feels about herself, aging, her work or her life. Interesting portraits of women, each one seems like it could be a autobio of the writer herself.
The book is a collection of short stories about seven women. It's very easy to read. Some stories are very interesting while others could have been omitted. It has some very nice moments but I was left wanting more. I'd say it's a good read while you wait at the doctor's office or you're in the subway. In the end, it's forgettable.
A novel with seven short stories each about a different woman. Some stories are much better than others….and at the end, you wish a few of the stories were longer and other stories were not shared at all. Rebecca Miller, daughter of the famous Arthur Miller, is a great writer and this is an easy bring to the beach book.
A look at the saddest mental states and suffocating scenarios females of varying ages can get stuck in. While the writing is good, I don't feel enthralled enough to want to go back to the stories anytime soon.
Hearing some of these stories again recently (October 2009) made me realize that this book is....well....crap.
Hearing some of these stories again recently (October 2009) made me realize that this book is....well....crap.
I enjoyed this book of short stories centered around the lives of women. It was profoundly understated and proved to be a great introspection of what can happen to women just living their lives. Some might find it a bit depressing but I found it to be hopeful.
Some good short stories, each focused on a different woman. I thought the first stories were the best, and after that I found the author's voice/style a little predictable. This also was made into movie with Parker Posey and other actresses.
Personal Velocity is a collection of inter-connected short stories by Henry Miller's daughter, Rebecca. All of the stories focus on the trials and tribulations of modern women. A couple of the stories were good, but most of them just fell flat.
There are a couple in here that are as strong as anything I've come across in the last few years -- and three of these were linked together and made into a pretty good movie (the author was also the writer/director of the movie).
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Rebecca Miller is an American film director, screenwriter and actress, most known for her films Personal Velocity: Three Portraits, The Ballad of Jack and Rose and Angela, all of which she wrote and directed.
Daughter of playwright Arthur Miller and photographer Inge Morath.
Miller married the actor Daniel Day-Lewis in 1996.
More about Rebecca Miller...
Daughter of playwright Arthur Miller and photographer Inge Morath.
Miller married the actor Daniel Day-Lewis in 1996.
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