The Waiting Room

by Mary Morris

Book Overview

A novel about three generations of women whose lives have been shaped by waiting while the men are at war. Zoe's grandmother flees from Russia - her mother lives through the Second World War - while... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0385261691
• ISBN13: 9780385261692
• Release Date: April 1989
• Publisher: Doubleday Books
• Length: 273 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.

Customer Reviews

The Depths and Meaning of Love

This is an excellent book, rich in language and content. It spans three generations of women, each waiting for something 'here and now' and something more metaphysical. It deals with love and its depths vs. the compromises made to sustain life and family. Zoe comes home to visit her brother, Badger, who is in a psychiatric hospital due to terminal despair and drug burn-out. She remembers her life and especially the death of her lover, something she's never recovered from. How Zoe comes to terms with her family, past and future, and how she learns to open herself to love again is the subject of this rich, compelling novel.

Luminous and brilliant

I absolutely love this book. I bought it at a book sale and was instantly enchanted. I loved the world Mary Morris created. The characters were so rich, so real, they breathed off the page. I still remember certain things about it--the father whose hair never grew back after the war, the brother who fell off the roof competing for his "sister", the astonishing letters home from Badger who fled the Viet Nam War. Amazing, amazing, amazing.

Love isn't something you sit around and wait for...

Without qualification, one of the best novels I have ever read. Taught me that "love isn't something you sit around and wait for--it's something you do." A wise and wonderful read from a great writer who does not get the recognition she deserves. Mary Morris' publisher, if you are reading this, please republish this novel so that I can share it with my reading group!

the feeling, bitter-sweet is defined in this novel

Found this book at a hosp. book sale. I was drawn to the forlorn look of the young women on the cover.Took me two years to actually pick this book up to read, and only two days to finish. The author so completely draws you into this familys life.It twists and turns and at times seems to actually repeat certain events. But at the same time these turns help clarify the emotions.Every character was defined and understood without a lot of rhetoric. This was without a doubt the best novel I have ever read that left me understanding the meaning of "a great read"