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Susan Minot

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Monkeys Kindle Edition

by Susan Minot (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

3.7 134 ratings

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Minot’s bestselling debut: A moving novel of familial love and endurance in the face of shattering tragedy Monkeys is the remarkable story of a decade in the life of the Vincents, a colorful Irish Catholic family from the Boston suburbs. On the surface, they seem happy with their vivacious mother Rosie at the helm. But underneath, the Vincents struggle to maintain the appearance of wealth and stability while dealing with the effects of their father’s alcoholism. When a sudden accident strikes, their love for one another is tested like never before. Written by the bestselling author of Evening, Monkeys is a powerful story of one family’s struggle to overcome life-changing tribulations and Minot’s wrenching ode to the ties that bind even the most wounded of families. This ebook features a new illustrated biography of Susan Minot, including artwork by the author and rare documents and photos from her personal collection.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Minot chronicles the family life of Gus and Rosie Vincent and their seven children, dubbed "monkeys" by their mother. Rosie, or "Mum," is the most vibrant character, creating a secure home for her children as she tries to mask her husband's alcholism and counter his withdrawal from the family. Minot has a fine eye for detail and a talent for creating tension through half-revealed clues in dialogue. However, because the book is very short, involves many characters, and spans roughly 13 years, the development of other characters is not satisfying. The chapters are rather disparate, the first, in fact, having a different narrator than the others. The final chapter, "Thorofare," was included in The Best American Short Stories of 1984 and is perhaps the strongest section, providing a moving ending to an otherwise uneven novel. Lucinda Ann Peck, Learning Design Associates, Gahanna, Ohio
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

“Striking and original . . . Exactingly realistic, yet delicately lyrical.” —Chicago Tribune “Not since J.D. Salinger has an American writer so feelingly evoked the special affections and loyalties that may develop among children in a large family.” —The New York Times Book Review “Possesses a thrilling eloquence, a heartbreaking clarity.” —Newsday

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00AG8HIZG
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Open Road Media; 1st Vintage Contemporaries ed edition (October 26, 2010)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 26, 2010
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 5871 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 139 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #808,337 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #855 in Literary Short Stories
- #3,939 in Family Life Fiction (Kindle Store)
- #6,464 in Contemporary Literary Fiction

Customer Reviews:
3.7 134 ratings

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About the author

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Susan Minot

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Susan Minot is an award-winning novelist and short story writer whose books include Monkeys, Folly, Lust & Other Stories, and Evening, which was adapted into the feature film of the same name starring Meryl Streep. Minot was born in Boston and raised in Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts, attended Brown University, and received her MFA in creative writing from Columbia University. She currently lives with her daughter in both New York City and an island off the coast of Maine.

Customer reviews

3.7 out of 5

134 global ratings

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PG

One of my new favorites!

Reviewed in the United States on August 25, 2016

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Loved this book - right up there as one of my favorites. A quick read - short stories that give snap shots into these kids lives. Very nostalgic - a wonderful summer read!

2 people found this helpful

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casyle

Monkeys

Reviewed in the United States on August 28, 2016

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Wonderfully crafted story of a large (seven children), privileged family through the decades of the 50s through perhaps 80s. The work is roughly autobiographical, capturing quite believably the characters and interaction within this tribe.

2 people found this helpful

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Karen T

Not engrossing

Reviewed in the United States on March 31, 2016

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compared to her next book, this one was not at transporting

Reviewed in the United States on September 6, 2016

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I read Evening a while ago and so I expected a richer story from Monkeys. I should have realized from the length of the book that this was a different approach. There is a lot to which Minot alludes but too much is left out for me to care deeply for the monkeys.Others, though, have said that the story is a touching picture of one family.

One person found this helpful

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Annie

Oh come on people - it's great

Reviewed in the United States on February 25, 2014

This is a brilliant little gem of a book! If you like "Our Fault in the Stars" you will love this one. It's about a family going through turmoil, but the turmoil isn't apparent at first, it's bubbling just under the surface. It's narrated by some of the kids, so it's got a great fish-out-of-water feel to it - everything through the eyes of a child looks different. Loved it. Highly recommended.

One person found this helpful

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rockinfilmmaker44

Not Too Bad

Reviewed in the United States on June 22, 2015

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Not a bad story, has a pretty good flow to it, is an interesting type of story as it combines multiple independent stories to make a whole story in the larger picture.

One person found this helpful

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mmk

Life is too short for bad fiction. There is no character development

Reviewed in the United States on January 19, 2017

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Life is too short for bad fiction. There is no character development, no plot, no sense of place or time and nothing to draw in the reader. Move on to something else.

One person found this helpful

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Mary E. Sibley

The Five Little Peppers and How They Grew, Sort Of

Reviewed in the United States on January 16, 2007

At the front of the book are both a table of contents , setting forth a chronology from 1966 to 1979, and a list of characters. The book is slim and so the reader is surprised at the fussy treatment. Gus and Rosie Vincent have six children. Dad, (Gus), goes to church Christmas and Easter only. The rest of the family, Chicky, Delilah, Caitlin, Gus, Mum, Sherman, Sophie are regular attenders. Dad has weird taste, spam. He grew up in Motley, Massachusetts. Now the parents and six children live in Marshport, Massachusetts.

Thanksgivings are spent in Motley with grandparests, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Ma smokes cigarettes and Pa cigars. The children sit at a children's table. Creamed onions are served. There are apple, pumpkin, and mince pies.

The Vincents go to Maine in the summer. In Bermuda, on a real vacation, Gus, age 10, has horrible cabin fever. Caitlin, age 14, is the oldest. Sherman and Chicky are the youngest. Grass in Bermuda is scratchy and rough. The children are told not to bother their father too much. Dad feels the roads in Bermuda are death traps. On the last day his wallet disappears and Gus finds it in the hedge.

In Maine Wilbur Kittredge, the owner of an estate in North Eden, is a special friend of Mum's. At age forty she gives birth to another child, Rosie, nicknamed Minnie. The Vincent parents met each other on a double date. Mum asks Sophie to postpone her suicide until age 18, hoping that by then Sophie would not wish to resort to such means. Sherman, by now age 12, has an appetite for pot.

A train hits Mum's car and she is killed. For the Christmas after her death the girls buy presents for everyone. Minnie shows the others where the decorations are kept. Dad marries a new wife, Pat. Mum's ashes, for the most part, are dropped into a channel at North Eden. The child characters in the novel form an interesting group. Their circumstances are realistic.

3 people found this helpful

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