Julia Glass' The Whole World Over
I remember loving Glass' previous book, Three Junes, so was excited to finally get her newest novel from the library. And mad props to Glass, b/c it did not disappoint--even though it's mainly the story of a bunch of New Yorkers just before 9/11. It revolves mainly around four characters--Greenie, who is suddenly being wooed by the governor of New Mexico, who needs a personal chef; her husband, Alan, a failing shrink; her friend Walter, a flamboyant restaurateur who takes in his teenage nephew; and Saga, a woman damaged from a past accident. This novel--despite its length--is something to savor (and I'm not just saying that b/c of all the descriptions of desserts!). Glass really brings these characters and their world--from a corner of a Manhattan neighborhood to the sprawling deserts of New Mexico and beyond--to life, and even the minor characters are interesting and lovable (though the governor is something of a caricature). I give it an A, even though I had some mixed feelings about the ending, b/c the writing and characters are just that good.
3 comments:
I just read this and I had mixed feelings about it. Both this and Three Junes made me feel completely melancholy while reading it. And for days later. I seemed to revel in it during TJ easier, this time I was just cranky it was making me feel that way. I liked seeing the Fenno return. But I almost felt like she was using some of the same literary tricks/themes in both books too many times and felt cheated. Its been a few weeks now and can't quite remember what bothered me so much about it.
I haven't read Three Junes in ages, and remembered absolutely nothing about it, so I didn't have any of those worrying comparisons running through my head. Now I'm glad!
I liked this one, but I think I still like The Widower's Tale the most. I, too, was happy to have Fenno return - he's a great character.
I actually loved the governor even though he wasn't very fleshed out. He was a great catalyst and I even liked how they kept his motives rather mysterious throughout.
Food descriptions were pretty great, too, as you said!
The only thing that I kept wondering was what was the deal with Greenie's mother. That was so mysterious, and it really seemed like Charlie hated the mother. He was kind of preachy and annoying to me, too - I was glad she went back to her husband.
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