I really enjoyed this contemporary novel but if you peruse the GoodReads reviews you'll quickly see that not all readers shared this point of view. So, I'll lay my prejudices on the table:. . . I enjoy reading almost anything set in an academic environment;. . . I am looking for a reading "diet" that includes more than books written before 1960 and/or light mysteries;. . . I am intrigued by the concept of La Belle Dame Sans Merci (literally, the beautiful woman without mercy); and,. . . I like the exploration and exposition of the creative process.So, that said, this was a satisfying, two-day read for me. The principal characters were not necessarily original, but intrigued me anyway. The femme fatale was so similar to the title character in another novel (Apprentice to the Flower Poet Z)that she must be based upon a familiar "star" in the academic world. Whether that is the case or not is irrelevant, but it amused me to read about a glamorous empty vessel sweeping onto campus for a term as a major fellow. Many reviewers complained that this comedy was not amusing, but her character provided me with enough smirks and smiles to satisfy.But the most interesting facet of the book for me was Lurie's exploration of art. If you are a reader who likes a book to leave you with a question or subject for further thought---this book achieved that objective for me. What inspires creativity?
This book tells of the relationships of two married couples in the background of academia. It is an interesting story of the dynamics and deterioration of these two marriages, when one spouse lives with constant chronic pain and the other spouse is the caregiver. The characters were interesting and very believable. I got the feeling that the writer developed the characters from real people that she's met because I know that I've come across people with similar personality traits and idiosyncrasies. When listening to an audiobook, one must factor in the reader and the quality of the voice. The way the reader voices the characters has a lot to do with how you perceive them. When you read a book, the voices are created within your imagination, but in an audio edition the characterization is made by, not only the writer, but also the one reading aloud. The reader, Jamie Heinlein, had a lot to do with how I interpreted the personalities of the characters. I thought she did a good job, although the none of the characters were very likable.
Do You like book Truth And Consequences: A Novel (2006)?
A novel about middle-aged couples and the challenges of married life set in an American University. The main couple in this story Jane and Alan Mackenzie finds their picture-perfect lives threatened when Alan throws his back and becomes increasingly an invalid. In comes the flighty and tempestuous novelist Delia Delaney who descends onto the Matthew Unger Center for the Humanities that Jane is director of. Soon Alan, a professor at the College of Architecture, finds himself seduced by this pre-R
—Josh Ang
Alison Lurie's writing is such a joy to read! She can make me care about less-than-admirable characters and their mundane lives. And she totally nails academic life at an institute of higher education, "Corinth University" (a not very well disguised Cornell) which is part of the treat for former Ithacans such as me. I found myself rooting for the misbehavers to get their comeuppance, and for the long-suffering spouses to get their day in the sun. I won't give away the ending, other to say that I was kept guessing until the end. Highly recommended!
—Sari Lynn
This book did not receive good reviews on GoodReads, but I generally enjoyed the depressing nature of the novel. I wouldn't always enjoy a book that was such a downward spiral, but this week, I relished reading about someone else's problems. I really liked each character and how they were all flawed in various ways, especially Jane who reminded me of how my emotions might flow if I were in a similar situation. For so many pages she was torn between what was "right" and what she "wanted". I liked
—Stephanie
