Personal Velocity

by Rebecca Miller

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 portraits. From within the secret self of each character we see the surprising shape of her life created as she hurtles through it. Modern and diverse, these women of different classes and ages struggle with sexuality, fate, motherhood, infidelity, desperation, and an overriding will to survive. We meet Greta, a cookbook editor who is chosen by Tavi, the hottest writer of his generation, to edit his new book. The book becomes a best-seller and Greta is propelled out of her marriage by her own ambition and success. The story, however, ends with a poignant flashback to the moment when one morning Greta realizes that ambition has grabbed her as she looks down at her kind, lackluster husband's wing-tip shoes. She suddenly knows she is leaving him and that their marriage is effectively over. Other characters include Paula, a pregnant twenty-one-year-old, who is on the run from the horror of a man who was hit by a car and died walking her home from a club the night before; Delia, an abused, working-class wife who goes into hiding with her children; and Louisa, a painter who moves rapidly from one lover to the next, acting out a self-perpetuating drama over which she has no control. Edgy, fearless, and beautifully spare, Personal Velocity marks the emergence of a singular new voice in American fiction.

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories, Contemporary, Novels, Coming Of Age, The United States Of America, Media Tie In

179 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

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.

Reviews

[Bloodorange · Rating 3 out of 5]

How funny to see a trailer for an upcoming Rebecca Miller movie as I finally got to reading her story collection!

While I liked the stories, I did not love them. In a way, she examines the concept my therapist once shared with me - that everybody lives subjectively, and privilege does not equal happiness. These are well-observed, well-captured snippets of lives, but I understand how the characters may come across and whiny to some.

I liked the first and the last stories, Greta and Paula, the most - the former for neuroticism, the latter for shock value. The story of a girl, Nancy, was also good and quite painful to read; the connected stories, Julianne and Bryna, work really well to examine happiness/ privilege.

On the whole, it's three and a half stars for me, but somehow not rounded up.

[Ruth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Couldn't put it down because I thought the next story would be better but it wasn't

[Aoife Cassidy McM · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up a secondhand copy of this a couple of months ago and have been dipping in and out of it for a fortnight. I read and liked The Private Lives of Pippa Lee years ago.

The book comprises seven short stories about seven women (two of them overlapping), each woman at a critical juncture in her life for one reason or another.

Miller’s writing style is edgy, floaty, sensuous and cinematic. This can come off a bit pretentious and one or two of the stories dragged a bit for me (Louisa in particular I didn’t love), but a couple of them were excellent.

I haven’t seen the film Miller made with the same title but will have to check it out.

[Laura · Rating 1 out of 5]

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.

[Matina Kyriazopoulou · Rating 4 out of 5]

To δεύτερο βιβλίο της Rebecca Miller που διαβάζω και που όπως το προηγούμενο, Οι κρυφές ζωές της Πίπα Λη, μεταφέρθηκε (μερικώς) στη μεγάλη οθόνη. Κόρη του λατρεμένου μου θεατρικού συγγραφέα Arthur Miller και της της φωτογράφου και διανοούμενης Inge Morath και σύζυγος του πολυτάλαντου ηθοποιού Daniel Day-Lewis, το ταλέντο της Rebecca είναι αντάξιο των μελών της οικογένειάς της και έχει βραβευτεί ως λογοτέχνης και σκηνοθέτης ουκ ολίγες φορές τόσο για την τεχνική της σε αμφότερες τις δυο τέχνες όσο και για τον τρόπο που ανατέμνει τον ψυχισμό των ηρώων της και μιλά για τις ανθρώπινες αδυναμίες, φοβίες κι επιθυμίες.

Για ακόμη μια φορά η Miller εστιάζει στο γυναικείο φύλο και παραδίδει μια συλλογή επτά ιστοριών γυναικών με διαφορετικές καταβολές, εμπειρίες, παρελθόν και τρόπο ζωής που βρίσκονται σε τέλμα. Οι χαρακτήρες της είναι εντελώς αληθοφανείς, άνθρωποι της διπλανής πόρτας ή έστω της παραδιπλανής, σε μια χώρα τόσο χαώδη όσο η πορεία της ζωής της καθεμιάς. Το κοινό τους στοιχείο είναι πως έχουν χάσει τον εαυτό τους, την επιθυμία τους να ζήσουν γι' αυτές τις ίδιες, να εξελιχθούν ως προσωπικότητες και υπερβούν τον εαυτό τους -ώσπου έρχεται η μαγική στιγμή που (αναγκάζονται να) το κάνουν.

Οι ιστορίες δεν μου φάνηκαν εξίσου δυνατές, ωστόσο ακόμη και οι λιγότερο "καλές" δεν είναι αδιάφορες κι αυτό οφείλεται στη λιτή αλλά δυναμική γραφή της Miller που ακόμη κι όταν περιγράφει τις πιο δύσκολες καταστάσεις και τα πιο θλιβερά γεγονότα δεν καταφεύγει σε μελοδραματισμούς και δεν εκβιάζει το συναίσθημα, αλλά το προκαλεί με μια ήρεμη μαεστρία. Δεν ξέρω αν κυκλοφορεί πια ή έχει εξαντληθεί, αλλά αν το βρείτε κάντε το δώρο στον εαυτό σας, θα το απολαύσει και θα το εκτιμήσει!

[Márcia Balsas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Não é fácil explicar o que me atraiu nos Contos de Velocidade Pessoal, mas a verdade é que houve sempre algo que me fez voltar a este livro, mesmo tendo várias leituras em curso. À semelhança do que se passa com livros maiores, que nos prendem, e pedimos inconscientemente, a nós próprios, “só mais uma página”, dei por mim a pedir “só mais um Conto” de cada vez que terminava cada uma destas histórias curtas.
São sete Contos, sobre sete mulheres, cada um com o nome da mulher que é personagem principal. Histórias isoladas, excepto em dois casos, o Julianne e Bryna que, completando-se, oferecem uma visão diferente e interessante deste tipo de histórias.
Rebecca Miller foi-me conquistando com a sua linguagem simples e crua. Talvez tenham sido as personagens banais, daquelas com quem convivemos e que se podem cruzar connosco na rua, que me convenceram. São mulheres a quem atribuímos um rosto, não só pela sua construção e caracterização admiráveis, mas também pela proximidade que vão ganhando junto de quem lê este livro.
Uma leitura fácil e envolvente, mas que vai muito além do simples entretenimento. Gostei bastante.

[Joanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm hitting on many courageous female authors lately. This is a collection of short stories all of which are about females and how they cope with what life gives them. Each story is a different female and I felt as I read it that the author was describing different people who were part of a community and with that I felt as though I was reading a novel. It carried.

The writing itself is beautiful. The characters are agonized by life. I felt as though I shouldn't have been so hard on my feelings and probably should have put the book down for a bit between stories. You may not be so sensitive (I really think it's me not you.)

I especially love first books by new authors and this one did not disappoint.

[George Ilsley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Several stories, each with a female title character.

The opening story "Greta" is perhaps the most compelling, lending the collection its title phrase.

Unfortunately, the early promise is not kept and my interest level dwindled. Two and one-half stars.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some amazing phrases in here, but I can only take so many stories about creatively inclined yet aging housewives having affairs with sexy bohemian artists in New York.

[Mario López Menés · Rating 3 out of 5]

Esperaba encontrar aquí realidades cotidianas y quizá el único error de la autora sea no alinearse con mi expectativa. Las historias narradas no son para nada del día y día, y la forma de contarlas carece de ese cariño sutil por los detalles normales que inundan las jornadas. Todo en este libro es exceso, de un modo u otro, explotando tras una normalidad impuesta que ni las protagonistas ni la autora parecen desear.

No está mal escrito, y algunas de las ventanas que abre son muy sugerentes. Pero temo que sean demasiado intensas para no desarrollarlas. La lectura me ha generado una cierta insatisfacción.

[Elizabeth]

From an old reading journal: short stories about different women - not that great. Description of academics as "weathered, myopic, wry, brilliant," which I probably fixated on then as I was thinking for the first time about whether to maybe become one.

[Cinya Khan · Rating 3 out of 5]

started so strong! thought it was gonna be so juicy but lost me in the later stories for sure

[Thea · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book but none of the stories really touched me.

[Clackamas · Rating 2 out of 5]

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.

[Jlo · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Personal Velocity" by Rebecca Miller is a collection of seven short stories that offer quick, incisive glimpses into the lives of different women. Miller's background in filmmaking shines through in her cinematic storytelling style, which captivates readers with its emotional depth and intellectual clarity. Each story presents a unique female protagonist grappling with her own set of challenges and desires.

From the ambitious Greta who crashes out of love to the resilient Delia reclaiming her power, Miller paints a diverse array of characters, each with their own strengths and flaws. The themes of love, loss, ambition, and resilience resonate throughout the collection, creating a rich tapestry of women's experiences.

While Miller's prose is spare, it is far from sterile. She has a knack for finding the precise words to convey complex emotions and situations, making every sentence count. Despite the often melancholic tone of the stories, Miller infuses each ending with a twist that offers hope and resolution.

However, one critique of the collection is the prevalence of names ending in "a," which can feel repetitive at times. Nevertheless, "Personal Velocity" is a compelling read that delves deep into the complexities of womanhood, leaving a lasting impression on its readers.

[Ianolia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Greta este o editoare de cărţi de bucate care cunoaşte succesul lucrând la volumul unui scriitor pe val şi care se găseşte, surprinzător în primul rând pentru ea, pe punctul de a-şi părăsi soţul fără să ştie prea bine de ce. Delia este o femeie cu trei copii, care fuge de violenţă conjugală într-o încercare de a-şi reface viaţa. Louisa este o pictoriţă care pare să fie incapabilă de a-şi gestiona relaţiile şi face aceleaşi greşeli, sperând să obţină rezultate diferite. Paula este o tânără care asista îngrozită la un accident de circulaţie. Nancy este o fetiţă, în lumea căreia fanteziile şi realitatea se întrepătrund.
https://funions.ro/recenzii/ritmuri-i...

[Andreea Ureche · Rating 2 out of 5]

I kinda liked it on the beggining, the stories of Greta and Louisa were pretty interesting but afterwards, I found it boring.
She used the same characters types and sometimes names as in Pippa Lee.
The last stories seemed a cheap copy of Pippa and was forcing the characters to be interesting adding a lot of boring descriptions.
I finished it very quickly and I have rated it two stars because i enjoyed the first part of the book.
It is ok if you want ot read it on the way to work in a bus or subway :)

[Ashlee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I knew each one of these women. As individuals, their stories long and winding, cobbled together to create a dusty museum of feminism, of femininity as a whole. And also as pieces of myself. Their Formica countertops rising from the memories of my own childhood. The home of a great aunt. The lap of someone else’s mother. Their struggles and the glimmers of hope mirroring stories I’ve heard countless times before. I was all of them and none of them at the same time. A beautiful and thought provoking collection of character studies and writings on what it means to be a woman.

[Emma · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like it and there were parts that were really good or had potential but it sort of felt like I was reading a student’s writing assignment or a rough draft. A couple of the stories had compelling moments but then once they finally piqued my interest or I got attached to the protagonist or plot line they would end abruptly with no resolution.

[Eréndira Casillas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me encanto la forma en la que se fueron desenvolviendo las historias. Siempre creí que iban a entrelazarse de alguna manera, pero no fue así. Me entristece un poco que no. Creo que hubiera sido interesante. Pero aun así me gustó mucho.

[Nacho · Rating 3 out of 5]

Siete historias breves bastante tristes de siete mujeres diferentes. Bien escritas (a pesar de que la traducción hace que los diálogos parezcan de película de Antena 3), aunque no me han terminado de enganchar.

[Bibliophilove · Rating 2 out of 5]

Relatos de vida, de 7 mujeres Americanas, perfectamente imperfectas.

[Michaela · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a bit hit and miss. Some of the stories were really good and others were kinda bad.

[Joanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A remarkable collection of stories, haunting and often eerie.

[Brigitte · Rating 3 out of 5]

Die Dicke des Buches ist umgekehrt proportional zum Titel - nettes kleines Büchlein

[Lena Ackerman · Rating 1 out of 5]

Nu gasesc nici interesant legat de aceasta carte. M-a plictisit total. Nici macar nu am reusit sa o termin.

[Olivia Rikabi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of these short stories were so well written and vivid. But there were a few that felt bland??? to me and it turned me off from loving this book as a whole

[Svenja · Rating 4 out of 5]

Die zwei Seiten einer Geschichte. 7 einzelne Menschen mit Trauer und Zufriedenheit, die sich irgendwo ähneln und doch von Grund auf verschieden sind.

[Miss A · Rating 3 out of 5]

Viața se trăiește cu orice risc, așa cum simți.

[Dylan Kakoulli · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh -sadly a VERY hit (but mostly) miss collection of short stories I’m afraid.

Well written yes, but ultimately all easily forgettable.

1.5/2 stars