Monday, October 31, 2016

Possible lives in an interlocking series of stories . . .


On the strength of novelist Cathleen Shine's NYT recent review ("High Praise for a Novel About an Awful Children's Musical," October 17, 2016) of the novel Mister Monkey, by Francine Prose, I got a copy and started reading, and thus far, the interlocking stories meet, and merit, Shine's praise:
In what presents itself as a modest, mischievous little novel, Francine Prose has, modestly and mischievously, given us a great work. Expertly constructed, "Mister Monkey" is so fresh and new it's almost giddy, almost impudent with originality. Tender and artful, Prose's 15th novel is a sophisticated satire, a gently spiritual celebration of life, a dark and thoroughly grim depiction of despair, a screwball comedy, a screwball tragedy.
A great work? Maybe. I'm very much liking it thus far . . .

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2 Comments:

At 6:36 AM, Blogger TheBigHenry said...

Hi HJH,

Do you have a favorite list of novels you have read? Say a top 10 list?

 
At 9:22 PM, Blogger Horace Jeffery Hodges said...

TBH, I'm not very good with lists, but I'll try to post some recommendations - though I strongly suspect you've read most of what I'll post.

Jeffery Hodges

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