This is not your typical Muriel Spark novel. For one thing it is much, much longer than her usual short books. There seemed to be far too much meditating on various religions. Barbara Vaughn, one of the two central characters, is half Jewish, half Gentile and adopted Catholic. Freddy is none of these. There are so many other characters, it made me dizzy. My favourite only arrives two thirds through.
The first 50 pages I found a struggle and by half way I really thought I ought to start again. Soon after there is a sermon from a visiting English priest that goes on for 9 pages. I skipped it! However the plot does pick up in the latter stages and the almost farcical events are more like the Muriel Spark imagination I love so much. There is much switching of characters and the story goes backwards and forwards in time. It's as if the author created all these characters and their stories, threw them up into the air and see where they landed.
Having said all that, in revisiting certain sections before the evening at Book Club, I was far more impressed. Don't ask me why. It will take a repeat reading to say why. That is probably what the writer wants.
The first 50 pages I found a struggle and by half way I really thought I ought to start again. Soon after there is a sermon from a visiting English priest that goes on for 9 pages. I skipped it! However the plot does pick up in the latter stages and the almost farcical events are more like the Muriel Spark imagination I love so much. There is much switching of characters and the story goes backwards and forwards in time. It's as if the author created all these characters and their stories, threw them up into the air and see where they landed.
Having said all that, in revisiting certain sections before the evening at Book Club, I was far more impressed. Don't ask me why. It will take a repeat reading to say why. That is probably what the writer wants.
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