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Maryann Miller
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Play It Again, Sam Kindle Edition

by Maryann Miller (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 9 ratings
When her husband comes home from work one day to announce he’s moving out, Samantha Rutgers thinks it’s a joke. She hopes it’s a joke. It's not. He packs his suitcase and moves out. For twenty-five years, Sam was a corporate wife, a stay-at-home mom. Now she's divorced, adrift, and alienated from her daughter who blames her for the divorce. Ill equipped to be a single woman in a whole new dating culture, she would have foundered without help from an old friend who challenges her to finish up the art degree she put on hold when she married. Her classes open the door to a job at an advertising agency, where Sam makes several new friends and one enemy. There she meets Frank Reynolds, who invites her to take that first step into new love. Gradually, as she slowly builds a new life for herself, Sam learns how to stand strong in the face of adversity, personal and professional.
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  1. Print length
    269 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    July 18, 2008
  4. File size
    630 KB
  5. Page Flip
    Enabled
  6. Word Wise
    Enabled
  7. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"PLAY IT AGAIN, SAM turns the standard "The End" of a marriage into the "Once upon a time" of a genuine grown-up love story. A life- and love-affirming look into the real life events of divorce, children, exes, memories, regrets, beginnings, and the courage to love again." Laura Castoro author of A New Lu, Icing on The Cake, and Crossing the Line

"This is a poignant story of human frailties, emotions, turmoil, confusion and the sometimes, inescapable fear of the unknown. Samantha is encouraged to turn-off the familiar road of 'what use to be' and forge a new path of 'what could be.' Miller develops her characters well in this enjoyable story, giving them qualities that we would all relate to. A sensitive portrayal of romance, not of the sweet first time love, but a realistic viewpoint of life and love, and the curve ball it can throw." Review by J.B. Scott

From the Author

The idea for this story came from a real experience that a good friend shared with me after her husband told her he no longer wanted to be married. In fact, some of the details of Sam's house came from my friend's house. So did the myriad of emotions that Sam experienced in trying to figure out why her husband no longer loved her. I was so pleased that my friend gave me permission to write her story. At the time, she asked if I could please write her the happy ending in real life. Unfortunately, happy endings can only be planned in fiction. However, now, some years later, she does have her happy ending. She has a wonderful husband and they are enjoying life together very much.

One of the things I realized in writing this book is that I like to focus on women who overcome great losses and come out in the end much stronger and more self-actualized. The protagonist in One Small Victory loses her son in a car accident and the emotional impact of that is similar to what Sam experiences in Play it Again, Sam.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B004I6E5VM
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Uncial Press (July 18, 2008)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 18, 2008
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 630 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 269 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 9 ratings

About the author

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Maryann Miller

Maryann Miller

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Maryann Miller, an award-winning author, has been in love with story-telling since she was a child and used to scare her sister with stories of the monsters in the cellar. Those tales were never written down. They were always whispered in the dark, and when Maryann started writing stories, they were different types entirely.

As a young child, she didn't consider that she would grow up to be a writer. She fancied herself quite the singer and thought she would someday sing in front of crowds of thousands. Alas, that proved to be more dream than reality.

At another point in her childhood, she dreamed of being an actress, but it took many years before she was brave enough to give it a try. For fifteen years she was the Theatre Directer at the Winnsboro Center for the Arts where she directed shows for some time before getting brave enough to step on stage. It appears she was more suited to acting than singing, and she has since starred in several productions at various community theatres in East Texas.

A diverse writer of columns, feature stores, short fiction, novels, screenplays and stage plays, Maryann has won numerous awards including being a semi-finalist at the Sundance Institute for her screenplay, A Question Of Honor. She has also received the Page Edwards Short Story Award and the 2015 Best Mystery award for Doubletake.

Miller lives in a small town in NE Texas with one dog, and four cats. The cats rule! She has been writing all her life and plans to die at her computer.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
9 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Cynthia J Sanders
    5.0 out of 5 stars a most enjoyable read!
    Reviewed in the United States on October 30, 2011
    Verified Purchase
    Without being melodramatic as so often happens, Miller tells the story that so many women have lived... going through an unexpected divorce and rebuilding thereafter. It's realistic and believable as Sam works her way through the many conflicts she experiences... altogether, a most enjoyable read!
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Patric O'Scheen
    4.0 out of 5 stars Sam hits a rerun
    Reviewed in the United States on April 13, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    Play it again Sam is a baby boomer romance. On the very first page the reader learns about the divorce that throws Sam's life into confusion. Interactions with a friend and children help her work through her brand new life. The added conflict of problems with a daughter that takes her husband's side increases the pressure on sam to survive.
    The book is very well written and I was honestly surprised how much I enjoyed it since I only read romance occasionally.
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  • Phoebe Matthews
    5.0 out of 5 stars Read it again...
    Reviewed in the United States on December 2, 2013
    This novel is a good example of women's fiction, diving right into the protagonist's problem with the opening lines when she says to her husband of more that 25 years:

    "John, you can't be serious."
    "I'm sorry."
    "But a divorce! How can you...?"

    He can and does, refuses to discuss his reasons other than to say he is unhappy, and away the story goes, through the emotional and legal problems, money problems, a total life change that involves their two grown children, the sale of the house, the search for stability, and misunderstandings with friends, and all the other awful things that happen in this sort of situation. Some you may guess at, others you won't. The wife who thought her marriage was a good one has to find a new self image, and it isn't easy. Well, it couldn't be, could it? This novel kept me turning the pages.
    One person found this helpful
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  • "tteditor"
    4.0 out of 5 stars Timeless Tales review
    Reviewed in the United States on October 13, 2002
    By TT reviewer Chere Gruver [full review on our website]
    Samantha, or Sam, as she prefers to be called, is about to have her life turned upside down. Her husband comes home from work that day to tell her that he has decided to move out and wants a divorce. John won't even talk to her about it. He tells her that he is unhappy while he is packing a suitcase. A few days later, Sam finds herself walking out of the courthouse a divorced woman. Sam's life as a corporate wife is now over. After 25 years of marriage, Sam finds herself at loose ends. The first person Sam decides to call is Margaret, her old friend. Margaret tells Sam that there is probably a bimbo involved somewhere. Sam calls her son and tells him what she can about the situation. Eric is very supportive and offers to have Sam live with him. Sam decides to put off telling her daughter for tonight. A little while later, Melissa calls Sam and wants to know why she forced her father out of her life. Melissa is under the mistaken belief that the divorce is all Sam's fault.
    Sam decides to go visit Margaret in Houston. Margaret is single and the same age as Sam. They went to college together. Margaret finally talks Sam into going back to college to get her degree. She offers Sam a place to stay while in school. Since Sam doesn't really know what she wants to do with life, the idea intrigues her and she decides to go for it wholeheartedly. Sam goes back home, sells her house and moves in with Margaret.
    Frank lost his wife to cancer. Unfortunately, she was also an alcoholic. Frank had finally talked her into going for help when the cancer was discovered. Frank moved out to Houston after his wife died. His son and his family are still back east.
    Frank and Sam meet. They feel an immediate attraction for each other. Sam gets a job through Margaret with an ad agency. Frank is one of the agency's clients. They actually meet Sam's first day on the job, when Frank comes in to see one of the account executives. Sam and Frank begin dating.
    Will Melissa ever forgive Sam for the divorce? Will Sam ever become independent and able to rely on herself? What will happen between Sam and Frank? How well will Sam do in school and in her career choice?
    This was a very moving and touching book about how one woman rebuilds her life after the dissolution of her 25-year marriage. Her fears and successes are all very real. I especially enjoyed watching Sam flounder her way through a relationship with Frank after being married for 25 years. I loved seeing Sam grow into a independent woman, in charge of every aspect of her own life, from her career to her love life to her relationship with her two grown children. This is a book that every divorced woman can relate to and I can definitely recommend it for any age woman.
    9 people found this helpful
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  • Cindy Lamme
    5.0 out of 5 stars Sam is an excellent book and I'm enjoying reading it very much
    Reviewed in the United States on February 5, 2015
    This is my first time reading Maryann Miller's books. Play It Again, Sam is an excellent book and I'm enjoying reading it very much.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Jim H. Ainsworth
    5.0 out of 5 stars Maryann Knows!
    Reviewed in the United States on March 8, 2004
    As only an occasional reader of romance fiction, Maryann Miller kept my interest on each page with believable characters and terrific dialogue. The plot was suspenseful, yet realistic. Real things happening to real people in interesting ways. Good stuff. Ms. Miller knows how people speak and probes the depths of how we feel in situations of divorce and starting over.
    8 people found this helpful
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  • Theresa M. Havens
    5.0 out of 5 stars Thoroughly enjoyable!
    Reviewed in the United States on August 15, 2001
    "Play It Again, Sam" is a charming, insightful, well-written novel. Sam Rutgers, its main character, finds strength she never knew she had and a freedom she never knew she wanted while wending her way through the unexpected obstacle course that life has placed before her. I found myself rooting for her as I would for a friend or sister and relating to her as a woman with a world of choices--if only she can muster the courage. It was a smooth, fun read--thoroughly enjoyable. I highly recommend it.
    One person found this helpful
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