✨ Featured Offer
Used, Very Good
$7.89
List Price: $26.95
🚚
See all 5 offers from $6.20 FREE standard delivery by: 29 Mar 2026
Overview
A riveting new novel from the Pulitzer Prize-winner that traverses the intimate landscape of one woman's life, from the 1880s to World War II.
Margaret Mayfield is nearly an old maid at twenty-seven in post-Civil War Missouri when she marries Captain Andrew Jackson Jefferson Early. He's the most famous man their small town has ever produced: a naval officer and a brilliant astronomer--a genius who, according to the local paper, has changed the universe. Margaret's mother calls the match "a piece of luck."
Margaret is a good girl who has been raised to marry, yet Andrew confounds her expectations from the moment their train leaves for his naval base in faraway California. Soon she comes to understand that his devotion to science leaves precious little room for anything, or anyone, else. When personal tragedies strike and when national crises envelop the country, Margaret stands by her husband. But as World War II approaches, Andrew's obsessions take a different, darker turn, and Margaret is forced to reconsider the life she has so carefully constructed.
Private Life is a beautiful evocation of a woman's inner world: of the little girl within the hopeful bride, of the young woman filled with yearning, and of the faithful wife who comes to harbor a dangerous secret. But it is also a heartbreaking portrait of marriage and the mysteries that endure even in lives lived side by side; a wondrously evocative historical panorama; and, above all, a masterly, unforgettable novel from one of our finest storytellers.
Margaret Mayfield is nearly an old maid at twenty-seven in post-Civil War Missouri when she marries Captain Andrew Jackson Jefferson Early. He's the most famous man their small town has ever produced: a naval officer and a brilliant astronomer--a genius who, according to the local paper, has changed the universe. Margaret's mother calls the match "a piece of luck."
Margaret is a good girl who has been raised to marry, yet Andrew confounds her expectations from the moment their train leaves for his naval base in faraway California. Soon she comes to understand that his devotion to science leaves precious little room for anything, or anyone, else. When personal tragedies strike and when national crises envelop the country, Margaret stands by her husband. But as World War II approaches, Andrew's obsessions take a different, darker turn, and Margaret is forced to reconsider the life she has so carefully constructed.
Private Life is a beautiful evocation of a woman's inner world: of the little girl within the hopeful bride, of the young woman filled with yearning, and of the faithful wife who comes to harbor a dangerous secret. But it is also a heartbreaking portrait of marriage and the mysteries that endure even in lives lived side by side; a wondrously evocative historical panorama; and, above all, a masterly, unforgettable novel from one of our finest storytellers.
| ISBN-13 | 9781400040605 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10 | 1400040604 |
| Weight | 1.30 Pounds |
| Dimensions | 6.55 x 1.25 x 9.60 In |
| List Price | $26.95 |
| Edition | 1st Edition |
| Format | Hardcover |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Pages | 336 pages |
| Publisher | Alfred A. Knopf |
| Published On | 2010-05-04 |
View All Offers
Sort by:
Price
Condition
Seller
Seller Comments
Price
Used, Good
Seller details
Evergreen Goodwill
Seattle, WA, USA
Free delivery by: 29 Mar 2026
Used, Good
Seller details
Once Upon A Time Books
Tontitown, AR, USA
This is a used book in good condition and may show some signs of use or wear. This is a used book in...
Free delivery by: 29 Mar 2026
Used, Good
Seller details
Used Book Company
Egg Harbor Township, NJ, USA
Shows minimal signs of wear and previous use. Can include notes highlighting. A portion of your pu...
Free delivery by: 29 Mar 2026
Used, Good
Seller details
Goodwill of Colorado
COLORADO SPRINGS, CO, USA
All pages and cover are intact. Dust jacket included if applicable though it may be missing on har...
Free delivery by: 29 Mar 2026
✨ Used, Very Good
Seller details
HPB-Ruby
Dallas, TX, USA
Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and ...
Free delivery by: 29 Mar 2026