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Inventing the Abbots and Other Stories
A stunning collection of short stories from the bestselling author of "The Good Mother", each exploring the shifting grounds of erotic and family relationships today.
180 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1987
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About the author
Sue Miller
57 books934 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Sue Miller is an American novelist and short story writer who has written a number of best-selling novels. She graduated from Radcliffe College.
Sue Miller is an American novelist and short story writer who has written a number of best-selling novels. She graduated from Radcliffe College.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews
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June 18, 2024These short stories were quite different to what I usually read. Like any book of short stories, there were some stories that appealed to me more than others, but I found the quality and tone of the stories to be fairly consistent.
The main thing I liked about the different short stories was how it gave me a more realistic view of the 1950s - based on much popular culture, I had gotten the idea of the decade as almost a fake world, plastic and unreal. I haven’t read many books written by people who lived in that time, and I had gotten the impression that people’s experiences were kind of one-note and homogenous.
The stories here show people living their lives, being ambitious, making mistakes, having affairs, raising children, getting divorced - it felt like a much more nuanced portrayal.
The main thing I liked about the different short stories was how it gave me a more realistic view of the 1950s - based on much popular culture, I had gotten the idea of the decade as almost a fake world, plastic and unreal. I haven’t read many books written by people who lived in that time, and I had gotten the impression that people’s experiences were kind of one-note and homogenous.
The stories here show people living their lives, being ambitious, making mistakes, having affairs, raising children, getting divorced - it felt like a much more nuanced portrayal.
November 19, 2016
I had this book on my shelf for pretty long staring at me every now and then. I got this book at used book store and I had to get it as I saw the movie and liked it.
A very good friend of mine insisted that I should watch that movie. When I did watch it I liked it. But not as much as he did I suppose. Whenever I know a movie was based on a book, I naturally want to read the book. After I got the book I realised it's a not a novel but short stories.
The book was different than the movie. The movie was more dramatic but the book was more simple. Total of 11 short stories and this had a very interesting ones. They are quite matured and with adulterous theme and actually various vividly different themes.
Not being a fan of short stories, I haven't read many of them. But what ever I read by far this is the best one. It kept me interested all along and all the stories and characters were very intriguing. The highly recommend this. Not like The Godfather way but as in good book kind of way.
A very good friend of mine insisted that I should watch that movie. When I did watch it I liked it. But not as much as he did I suppose. Whenever I know a movie was based on a book, I naturally want to read the book. After I got the book I realised it's a not a novel but short stories.
The book was different than the movie. The movie was more dramatic but the book was more simple. Total of 11 short stories and this had a very interesting ones. They are quite matured and with adulterous theme and actually various vividly different themes.
Not being a fan of short stories, I haven't read many of them. But what ever I read by far this is the best one. It kept me interested all along and all the stories and characters were very intriguing. The highly recommend this. Not like The Godfather way but as in good book kind of way.
June 9, 2020
I love short stories, especially well written ones. I remember some of them far longer than whole novels. Sue Miller writes beautifully about loneliness and the many permutations and combinations of love.
June 9, 2023
One summer night we were driving past the Abbotts' and the tent was up again. Dance music swelled on the summer air. The band was playing "Blowin' in the Wind" to a bouncy fox-trot rhythm. My mother looked over at the soft yellow lights, the moving figures. "Imagine a child of Alice's being old enough to dance," she said. And I recalled, abruptly, that she had known all the Abbotts, all the children in town, really, as second graders. That in some sense we remained always young, always vulnerable in her vision. She didn't think of the pain we'd all caused each other.
A really excellent collection of stories.
A really excellent collection of stories.
March 4, 2025
Quirky dramas very different from each other. I was attracted to this collection when I discovered the movie was based on a short story by this author. I loved the movie. It had more depth and an extended plot than the short story. But these stories were interesting in their own way. Quick read.
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August 2, 2025I was enjoying this collection- it was sexy, and old school, but then I got to a story that was just do horribly racist against Black children that I could not continue.
April 22, 2024
This was a really good collection of stories, all centered around sex and relationships (of all sorts). I admit I only read this because I’ve had a weird obsession with the Inventing the Abbotts movie that I saw once and can’t get out of my mind. I’m glad I finally read this though. The stories are all really interesting and complicated in different ways.
December 8, 2014
4 STARS
"Like Sue Miller's bestselling novels, this collection of short stories explores the treacherously shifting ground of erotic and family relationships with deftness and depth. The title story is about a young man who takes up successively with three daughters of the most fashionable family in town. In other stories, whose characters range from a young girl in the first blush of sexual curiosity to a stricken dowager whose seizures release a brutal and sometimes obscene candor, Sue Miller presents a compelling gallery of contemporary men and women with hungry hearts and dismayed consciences." (From Amazon)
A great short stories collection, especially the titled story. The movie based on the title short story is worth the watch. Joaquin Phoenix and Liv Tyler have great chemistry as Pam and Doug.
"Like Sue Miller's bestselling novels, this collection of short stories explores the treacherously shifting ground of erotic and family relationships with deftness and depth. The title story is about a young man who takes up successively with three daughters of the most fashionable family in town. In other stories, whose characters range from a young girl in the first blush of sexual curiosity to a stricken dowager whose seizures release a brutal and sometimes obscene candor, Sue Miller presents a compelling gallery of contemporary men and women with hungry hearts and dismayed consciences." (From Amazon)
A great short stories collection, especially the titled story. The movie based on the title short story is worth the watch. Joaquin Phoenix and Liv Tyler have great chemistry as Pam and Doug.
July 17, 2014
A day or two after I'd gobbled straight through this slender volume-- elegantly written, with intriguing (if not entirely sympathetic) characters, the thought crossed my mind: "Hey, this was kind of like Cheever country!"
And that's not a bad thing, not a bad thing at all.
Considering that I did wolf down all the stories in two days, it seemed at the time that I "really liked it" but on reflection I don't think these stories will stay in my mind and heart for long. (Not like, say, Cheever's "Farewell, My Brother.") So I'll rate it "liked."
And that's not a bad thing, not a bad thing at all.
Considering that I did wolf down all the stories in two days, it seemed at the time that I "really liked it" but on reflection I don't think these stories will stay in my mind and heart for long. (Not like, say, Cheever's "Farewell, My Brother.") So I'll rate it "liked."
December 31, 2018
I love a good collection of short stories. They give you tiny glimpses into the mind of the writer. A good collection has you investing in the characters in a short time. A good collection makes you sad when it is over, but glad you embarked on the journey. In my opinion, this collection dos all of these things. I first read it after being informed about the movie. However, the two things are entirely different, but in a good way
December 31, 2018
I enjoyed the first story the most. After each story ended, I found myself saying, "Okayyyyy....?" Because none of them seemed to have much of a point and some of them were downright bizarre. In the end, it was alright, but nothing to write home about.
July 13, 2020
I finished Inventing the Abbots and Other Stories 5 days ago. I've had a hard time getting my act together to write this review.
This book is 11 short stories in all. Inventing the Abbots is the first, the longest and, in my opinion, the best story of the bunch. Apparently, it became a movie, though I’ve never seen it.
Sue Miller can definitely write. These stories are about everyday life with teenagers, children, married couples, single people…. One thing that stood out for me is all these stories have sex or relates to sex. There are swearing and some racist comments. This book may not be for everyone.
Inventing the Abbots – as I said was my favourite. It’s about a family that has 2 sons. The oldest is obsessed with a family, the Abbots, who have 3 daughters. That’s all I’m going to say about this.
Tyler and Brina – Tyler loves women is how the story begins. He’ll have sex with any female whether she’s thin, fat, pretty, ugly….you get the jest. He thinks by marrying Brina it will fix his problem. The ending disappointed me.
Appropriate Affect – Grandma Frannie was perfect, she did no wrong, and everyone loved her. That is until she had her stroke. While in the hospital she was delirious from her drugs and she became this other person, who wasn’t so nice. She swore, said mean things and a secret came out that she’s kept hidden for many years. I liked it.
Slides – As newlyweds David took seven slides of Georgina naked. Eight years and with one child later, they divorce and she wants the slides back. Another thumbs up story I liked.
What Ernest Said – The shortest story. Barbara is in 8th grade. There is a boy who should be in 10th. He says very inappropriate things to her. It wasn’t a story I enjoyed.
And here we come to the story Travel, where I sat down and read the rest of the book.
Travel – Oley and Rob. Rob is a photographer. He travels to Peru for business. Oley always tags along with him even though she’s a schoolteacher. This is the second story of a man taking nude pictures of the female. I thought the story was okay.
Leaving Home – I don’t remember what this story is about even glimpsing at it.
Calling – Man and female date. She has her apartment robbed. She thinks it’s him that did it. He calls her on her phone but he never says anything. She breaks up with him. He is still calling her and then he stops. It was okay.
Expensive Gifts – Kate is divorced. Charlie Kelly is her 8th lover. Most of the story is the two of them in her apartment as her 3-year-old sleeps, until the child wakes up and needs help putting his toy train set together. Then the story goes weird and I was left asking, what was the purpose or the need for that?! It was okay.
The Birds and the Bees – Typical ‘70’s/’80’s time period (no pun intended LOL) where the mother is too embarrassed to tell her daughter about menstruation and about the birds and the bees. The mother does what my mother did, gave her a book to read explaining it all. Ugh! Ginny is in 5th grade and gets her period, her best friend, Anna, doesn’t. There’s some content in this story that some readers might be alarmed about. Heck I would say most stories are this way. Something happens. It’s okay.
The Quality of Life – A blended family of six kids, 3 and 3. All six kids at one house. Two of the boys get into a physical fight over the French Exchange Student. Didn’t care for the story, plus the ending felt unfinished. I was left wondering is this how the reader is left, and how the book comes to an end?! Ugh!
This book is 11 short stories in all. Inventing the Abbots is the first, the longest and, in my opinion, the best story of the bunch. Apparently, it became a movie, though I’ve never seen it.
Sue Miller can definitely write. These stories are about everyday life with teenagers, children, married couples, single people…. One thing that stood out for me is all these stories have sex or relates to sex. There are swearing and some racist comments. This book may not be for everyone.
Inventing the Abbots – as I said was my favourite. It’s about a family that has 2 sons. The oldest is obsessed with a family, the Abbots, who have 3 daughters. That’s all I’m going to say about this.
Tyler and Brina – Tyler loves women is how the story begins. He’ll have sex with any female whether she’s thin, fat, pretty, ugly….you get the jest. He thinks by marrying Brina it will fix his problem. The ending disappointed me.
Appropriate Affect – Grandma Frannie was perfect, she did no wrong, and everyone loved her. That is until she had her stroke. While in the hospital she was delirious from her drugs and she became this other person, who wasn’t so nice. She swore, said mean things and a secret came out that she’s kept hidden for many years. I liked it.
Slides – As newlyweds David took seven slides of Georgina naked. Eight years and with one child later, they divorce and she wants the slides back. Another thumbs up story I liked.
What Ernest Said – The shortest story. Barbara is in 8th grade. There is a boy who should be in 10th. He says very inappropriate things to her. It wasn’t a story I enjoyed.
And here we come to the story Travel, where I sat down and read the rest of the book.
Travel – Oley and Rob. Rob is a photographer. He travels to Peru for business. Oley always tags along with him even though she’s a schoolteacher. This is the second story of a man taking nude pictures of the female. I thought the story was okay.
Leaving Home – I don’t remember what this story is about even glimpsing at it.
Calling – Man and female date. She has her apartment robbed. She thinks it’s him that did it. He calls her on her phone but he never says anything. She breaks up with him. He is still calling her and then he stops. It was okay.
Expensive Gifts – Kate is divorced. Charlie Kelly is her 8th lover. Most of the story is the two of them in her apartment as her 3-year-old sleeps, until the child wakes up and needs help putting his toy train set together. Then the story goes weird and I was left asking, what was the purpose or the need for that?! It was okay.
The Birds and the Bees – Typical ‘70’s/’80’s time period (no pun intended LOL) where the mother is too embarrassed to tell her daughter about menstruation and about the birds and the bees. The mother does what my mother did, gave her a book to read explaining it all. Ugh! Ginny is in 5th grade and gets her period, her best friend, Anna, doesn’t. There’s some content in this story that some readers might be alarmed about. Heck I would say most stories are this way. Something happens. It’s okay.
The Quality of Life – A blended family of six kids, 3 and 3. All six kids at one house. Two of the boys get into a physical fight over the French Exchange Student. Didn’t care for the story, plus the ending felt unfinished. I was left wondering is this how the reader is left, and how the book comes to an end?! Ugh!
March 26, 2025
Read with caution.
This excellent collection of 11 short stories by Sue Miller explores the emotional underbelly of life—from creepy boyfriends to loveless sex to unhappy marriages. Reading these stories is a lot like being a voyeur, peeking in the window at real life to see the often messy personal dynamics of family and romance up close. While the timeframes are murky, most take place several decades ago in a time without cell phones, computers, and social media.
I advise you to read with caution because the stories, while riveting, are also sad and some are deeply tragic. It's a gritty, blunt, and somewhat erotic portrayal of life that we try to hide so outsiders don't see it. These are not happy stories. Most come with a bitter bite.
Some of my favorites:
• "Inventing the Abbotts": The eponymous story is perhaps the best and appears first in the collection. The Abbotts are a wealthy family with three daughters. Jacey and Doug are the sons of a widowed mother, struggling for money. Jacey, whose real name is John, is attracted to each of the three daughters with disastrous results.
• "Slides": David took seven nude photos of his wife, Georgia, which were developed into slides. This is the story of what happened to the slides after they divorced.
• "Leaving Home": Young marrieds Anita and Doug visit his mother, Leah, along with their one-year-old daughter, Sophie. Anita and David are unhappy, and their quiet quarrels are affecting Leah. She wonders how long this miserable marriage will last, knowing there is nothing she can do to help her son.
• "Calling": The creepy, controlling boyfriend wonders what his girlfriend is doing when he is not with her. So he calls her over and over and over again, breathing into the phone and hanging up.
• "The Quality of Life": Alan and Claudia are married—both for the second time—with six children between them. The kids are high school and college age. One Christmas they are all together, including a sexy college-age student from France, who catches the eye of two of the boys. What happens is not what you think will happen.
Bonus: Do read the bonus material at the end of the book for fascinating insights from Sue Miller about these stories, including how she conceived them and what she was thinking at the time.
This excellent collection of 11 short stories by Sue Miller explores the emotional underbelly of life—from creepy boyfriends to loveless sex to unhappy marriages. Reading these stories is a lot like being a voyeur, peeking in the window at real life to see the often messy personal dynamics of family and romance up close. While the timeframes are murky, most take place several decades ago in a time without cell phones, computers, and social media.
I advise you to read with caution because the stories, while riveting, are also sad and some are deeply tragic. It's a gritty, blunt, and somewhat erotic portrayal of life that we try to hide so outsiders don't see it. These are not happy stories. Most come with a bitter bite.
Some of my favorites:
• "Inventing the Abbotts": The eponymous story is perhaps the best and appears first in the collection. The Abbotts are a wealthy family with three daughters. Jacey and Doug are the sons of a widowed mother, struggling for money. Jacey, whose real name is John, is attracted to each of the three daughters with disastrous results.
• "Slides": David took seven nude photos of his wife, Georgia, which were developed into slides. This is the story of what happened to the slides after they divorced.
• "Leaving Home": Young marrieds Anita and Doug visit his mother, Leah, along with their one-year-old daughter, Sophie. Anita and David are unhappy, and their quiet quarrels are affecting Leah. She wonders how long this miserable marriage will last, knowing there is nothing she can do to help her son.
• "Calling": The creepy, controlling boyfriend wonders what his girlfriend is doing when he is not with her. So he calls her over and over and over again, breathing into the phone and hanging up.
• "The Quality of Life": Alan and Claudia are married—both for the second time—with six children between them. The kids are high school and college age. One Christmas they are all together, including a sexy college-age student from France, who catches the eye of two of the boys. What happens is not what you think will happen.
Bonus: Do read the bonus material at the end of the book for fascinating insights from Sue Miller about these stories, including how she conceived them and what she was thinking at the time.
July 24, 2019
It's been a while since I've read a collection of short stories, and this one had some real stand outs. Almost all the stories seem to contemplate the same universe of themes and hinge on variations of the same character: a divorced woman in the 70s or 80s, feeling like an outsider in a world that doesn't entirely know what to do with her single status, struggling with the tension between deep love for her children and a need to be selfish in order to preserve or find a part of her own identity, and trying to own her own sexual desires while disgusted with how men see (or don't see) her.
My two favorite stories were Inventing the Abbots, which feels like a precursor to Virgin Suicides, and Appropriate Affect, which was a perfect little dark comedy--I'd love to see it staged as a play.
The problem with this collection is the 1980s-ish, white, Midwestern racism that pops up in some of the stories. There aren't many characters of color, but Miller doesn't write them well. She seems to think that she's being inclusive, but it feels like she's writing from the kind of totally white world that only leaves her with stereotypes to fall back on in writing characters of color.
My two favorite stories were Inventing the Abbots, which feels like a precursor to Virgin Suicides, and Appropriate Affect, which was a perfect little dark comedy--I'd love to see it staged as a play.
The problem with this collection is the 1980s-ish, white, Midwestern racism that pops up in some of the stories. There aren't many characters of color, but Miller doesn't write them well. She seems to think that she's being inclusive, but it feels like she's writing from the kind of totally white world that only leaves her with stereotypes to fall back on in writing characters of color.
March 3, 2024
I saw the movie Inventing the Abbotts several years ago and liked it, so I snagged this book when I saw this at a thrift store. I didn't realize it was a book of 12 short stories until I picked it up to read. Inventing the Abbotts was the longest story (33 pages) and the best. Now I want to watch the movie again.
The other 11 stories had a domestic drama theme and many had sexual content. They all seemed to end abruptly but were still interesting. All were well-written and had good character development. At only 188 pages, this book is a quick read. I don't often read short stories, so this was a definitive change of pace for me. I will read more from Miller.
The other 11 stories had a domestic drama theme and many had sexual content. They all seemed to end abruptly but were still interesting. All were well-written and had good character development. At only 188 pages, this book is a quick read. I don't often read short stories, so this was a definitive change of pace for me. I will read more from Miller.
April 22, 2025
I wanted to read this after watching the film of the same name. The movie had so much potential that I felt like it never reached, and I was hoping to find some sort of explanation in the book. I was disappointed to learn that several of the plot lines I found most interesting had only been added for the movie. I guess that’s to be expected from a short story.
The book itself was well written and interesting enough - a reflection on sexuality and the roles of men and women. However, I often found myself forcing myself to read the stories just to finish my commitment rather than actually enjoying them.
The book itself was well written and interesting enough - a reflection on sexuality and the roles of men and women. However, I often found myself forcing myself to read the stories just to finish my commitment rather than actually enjoying them.
September 7, 2025
The word bizarre comes to mind as I was reading the collection of short stories. The first story Inventing the Abbots was ok, I liked the movie and although I’m still perplexed on how they made a movie out of 32 pages-it was still ok. On the other hand, the rest of the stories was a mixture of obscene scenarios, some bizarre and some just downright gross. I’m not a prude but certainly ended up feeling that way.
January 19, 2024
I'm a long time fan of Sue Miller, but most of these stories seemed undeveloped and cynical without any explanation or redemption. Only Inventing the Abbotts and Appropriate Affect seemed to clearly address issues of class and aging, respectively. I'll go back to her novels as the short story format just didn't work for me here.
February 15, 2018
I think the movie is more entertaining. The book was different than the movie. The movie was more dramatic, but the book was simpler. The book is a much more realistic and darker tale about class and life.
October 27, 2020
I'm not much of a short story reader other than those by Hemingway. They are too short to really develop anything in my mind. Inventing the Abbotts was ok, but I wondered, what was the point? I felt that way about many of the others in this collection as well.
October 17, 2017
Solid stories. Vividly described and moving. I enjoyed reading.
May 24, 2018
Nicely written but … very unsettling. I don't really like the people populating Miller's stories - or the situations they got themselves into.
September 1, 2018
I enjoyed these stories, especially the character development. Some of the endings were better than others.
March 25, 2019
Miller is a good writer--no disputing that. I just don't recognize anyone I know in any of her short stories.
July 17, 2021
A slice of life in all the short stories. I think the author hit the characters thoughts and feelings very well and it was a pleasure to read.
November 28, 2021
I only read the short story of Inventing the Abbotts. It was very good. I read it because of the movie with the same name. Read November 2021
August 24, 2022
I've actually not read all the stories and will go back to them but as always Sue Miller writes well.
February 22, 2023
3.5 rounded up
February 7, 2024
i chose this book because the cover in the library looked like microbia it was not great
November 20, 2024
Nope. Not for me. I'm sure they are well-written, but I didn't connect with any of the stories.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews