NOT only is Rebecca Miller the daughter of the playwright Arthur, she's also the wife of actor Daniel Day Lewis. A charmed existence indeed, made even more enviable when you discover that she also writes books. Exceptionally good books such as Personal Velocity, which is almost impossible to put down.
A set of seven short stories, Personal Velocity is about unsettled or unfulfilled women or children The tales are written like snapshots with the flourish of somebody whose aim is to reflect what she sees - to inspire empathy and respect rather than to moralise and rouse self-righteous pity. Miller achieves this aim effortlessly, whether she's portraying the feisty but abused Delia, the unsettled Paula or the long-suffering Bryna Doyle, saddled with the burden of a silently mad mother-in-law.
Above all, Personal Velocity is a book about what these seven women put up with. And how they stumble through their lives, trying to do the best they can with what they know. A compelling and moving read.
Updated: 09:24 Wednesday, July 02, 2003
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