Summary of Miller's Valley: by Anna Quindlen | Includes Analysis

By Instaread Summaries

Summary of Miller’s Valley by Anna Quindlen | Includes Analysis

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Miller’s Valley is a coming-of-age story set in a fictional town in Pennsylvania. There, Mimi Miller and her family live under the constant threat of flooding from severe ra

• Language: English
• Publisher: Instaread, Inc
• Release date: May 11, 2016
• ISBN: 9781683780816

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Summary

Miller’s Valley is a coming-of-age story set in a fictional town in Pennsylvania. There, Mimi Miller and her family live under the constant threat of flooding from severe rainstorms and from the government, which hopes to turn the town into a reservoir. As her family falls apart and the town moves slowly towards its inevitable demise, the protagonist begins her life as a successful young adult.

Mimi lives in Miller’s Valley with her parents, Buddy and Miriam; her older brother, Tommy, and her aunt Ruth, who resides in a second house on the same property. Mimi’s oldest brother, Eddie, ten years her senior, has already left home. When she’s not at school, Mimi passes the time selling ears of corn with the help of her best friends, LaRhonda and Donald. At home, she spends a lot of time visiting Aunt Ruth, who’s a shut-in. Sisters Ruth and Miriam have an antagonistic relationship. The other Millers always find themselves trying to ease the friction.

Government employees have been sniffing around Miller’s Valley since Mimi was 11 years old. Growing up in a valley, the threat of flooding has been as much a part of Mimi’s life as the cattle and corn she helps raise. The soundtrack to her family’s life is the farm’s sump pump, a device that helps keep the house dry. A government man, Winston Bally, stops by frequently in the hopes of striking a relocation deal with Buddy, who