Marya: A Life

Interesting but not captivating. Autobiographical elements. Writing seems uneven with some parts extremely well written and others less so. It has an abrupt ending. The chapters represent discrete periods or segments of Marya's life which, for me, interfered with the story's continuity and cohesion. There was one sentence, referring to Marya, that I thought described Joyce Carol Oates as a writer: “She wanted to convert human pain into human words, she wanted to convert the memory of intense emotion in the past into intense emotion in the present, and to be herself unmoved.”

This novel follows the life of Marya Knauer, a girl who grew up in a poor dysfunctional family. At the age of eight, her father died and her mother abandoned Marya and her brothers, leaving them to be raised by an aunt and uncle who were less than thrilled to have three extra children. Since Marya is very intelligent, she is able to overcome the hardships of her early life and becomes a successful professor of English and a writer. Each chapter in the book jumps ahead a few years from the previous one and focuses on the various dysfunctional relationships Marya has with the few people she allows to become close to her: her cousin, high school friends, college friends, a graduate school professor, boyfriends/lovers, etc. Unfortunately, show more because Marya never experienced real love from her family as a child, as an adult, she is unable to embrace real love when it presents itself to her.

I liked this book because Oates left me wanting more after every chapter. She rarely provided enough information to satisfactorily resolve the conflicts Marya faced, but this worked for the novel. I appreciate that we were only supposed to see snippets of Marya’s life, not a biography of the whole thing. I also think this lack of resolution makes the novel more realistic because not all conflicts are resolved in real life. I only gave it four stars because it didn’t totally blow me away, but I will be looking for more of Oates’s work in the future. show less

Marya grows up in isolation in a small town in New York. Her mother abandoned her and her two brothers and she is raised by an aunt. Repeatedly raped and abused, she devotes herself to intellectual pursuits and seeks to flee her town forever. This intimate novel walks us through Marya's most dramatic moments as she tries to build a life for herself in a cruel world.

A beautifully written novel about a powerfully resilient woman.

Marya's life is described in chapters dealing with a traumatic childhood, religious observations, college experiences, a career in academia, and relationships. Throughout it all, the overwhelming feeling is one of loneliness and a life lived searching for a sense of belonging. The chapter dealing with thoughts on religion reminded me of Flannery O'Connor. The abrupt ending, although disconcerting, is probably intentional. I think this book is brilliantly written, and perhaps gives us more of an insight into JCO as a person than most of her fiction.

This book is said to be "my most personal" book by the author. It is her 17th book and was just released as an audible book in April this year. This is the story of Marya, a very resilient girl, who survived. She survived poverty, lost of her parents at an early age, sexual abuse, rape, bullying. You name it. It happened. This was one strong woman. Marya grew up in a rural area, got a scholarship to college because she was smart. She was also "striking" in appearance, probably beautiful but her manner was cold and she protected herself constantly from "feelings" hurting her. She did well in college, published early, fell in love finally, but never married. Not sure how autobiographical the story is cause it is a novel.

Themes: show more defenselessness of female a child; adolescent behavior; the place of the brilliant, sensitive person in an ordinary world; the struggle with religious faith; and the politics of the academic world

Rated 3.4 show less

So disappointing. Small town girl, with grit and determination makes good. Marya is an unlikeable closed off character. A series of short stories made into a novel. Disappointing abrupt ending. Not one of her best novels.

This book frustrated me. This is my first Oates read and I can't say that it made a good impression.