Starred review from October 9, 2017
In his emotionally expansive new novel, Smith (The Divine Comedy of John Venner) spins out five narratives set in Newport, R.I., from its beginnings as a British colony to its later incarnation as the playground of the very rich. In 2011, tennis pro Sandy Alison falls in love with Alice du Pont, the crippled heiress of the Windermere estate, despite the machinations of Alice’s jealous sister-in-law and scheming best friend. In 1896, Franklin Drexel, a closeted gay man known as a lapdog of society ladies, tries to court the well-off Ellen Newcombe over the objections of her father. In 1863, a callow Henry James—yes, that Henry James—having decided to forsake his law studies to become a writer, comes under the spell of a young woman, Alice Taylor, forcing him to choose between art and life. In 1778, Major Ballard, a British officer charged with the defense of Newport during the Revolutionary War, becomes obsessed with a young Portuguese Jewish woman, Judith Da Silva, leading him to commit a shocking breach of military decorum. And in 1692, Prudence Selwyn, a Quaker woman whose father was lost at sea, strives mightily to make good matches for herself and her slave, Ashes. Taken individually, each story is dramatic and captivating, but as the author makes ever-increasing connections among the stories and shuffles them all into one unbroken narrative, the novel becomes a moving meditation on love, race, class, and self-fulfillment in America across the centuries.
November 1, 2017
Five parallel stories, from Colonial times to the present, set in Newport, Rhode Island.The maze of Smith's (The Law of Miracles, 2011, etc.) title is a feature of a Gilded Age estate that appears in two of the five narratives wound together here, as do other links, like women named Alice, allusions to Henry James, opportunists, closeted gay characters, chess moves, and more. In 2011, we meet a tennis pro named Sandy who is riding on his muscular physique, pleasant personality, and a vintage motorcycle he won in a bet to keep himself going among the rich of Newport. Quickly his complications include sleeping with both a du Pont heiress and another member of her household at Windermere. In 1896, on the same spot, good looks and charm are also the stock in trade of one Franklin Drexel, a secretly gay man who is hoping to butter up a rich widow and score himself a propertied marriage. In 1863, a budding writer who turns out to be Henry James himself is dallying among a similar crowd, but his concealed purpose is not matrimony but rather material for his writing. In 1778, we follow the attempts of a British officer billeted at what is left of occupied Newport to get the attention of a 16-year-old "Jewess" he's obsessed with. Due to his repugnant anti-Semitism, he plans only to wrest her from her father's protection, deflower her, and cast her aside. In 1692, Prudence Selwyn is just beginning to accept that her father's ship is not coming back and that she and her little sister, Dorcas, are orphans. She's 15, her only asset is a young female slave, and their options look very grim indeed. What seems overly complicated at first becomes quite compelling by the end, when the stories alternate in ever shorter flashes toward resolution--though, oddly, only one of them comes to what feels like a satisfying ending.The changing language, landscape, and mores of three centuries of American history are depicted with verisimilitude, highlighting what doesn't change at all: the aspirations and crimes of the human heart.
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Starred review from November 1, 2017
In 2011, washed-up tennis pro Sandy Alison lands at the historic resort town of Newport, RI, and charms his way into romances with area heiresses and hangers-on. In 1896, society gadabout Franklin Drexel sets his sights on widowed Mrs. Newcomb and her considerable fortune. In 1863, future writer Henry James is 20 and a newcomer to Newport's business of flirtation. The spring of 1778 finds a British royal officer smitten with a merchant's daughter in the midst of a powder keg of revolution. In 1692, an orphaned Quaker teenager struggles to fend for her household while remaining true to her own heart. Cycling through these characters' lives, along with the common streets and landmarks of Newport, are themes of inequality, manipulation, and personal integrity. The narratives converge at the end as each tale speeds to its conclusion. All are equally compelling. VERDICT Award-winning novelist Smith (The Divine Comedy of John Venner) moves nimbly among his tales' various settings and diverse characters within the confines of Newport. Historical fiction buffs as well as those with romantic leanings should enjoy this intricate tale. [See Prepub Alert, 8/2/17.]--Jennifer B. Stidham, Houston Community Coll. Northeast
Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
November 1, 2017
In 2011, washed-up tennis pro Sandy Alison lands at the historic resort town of Newport, RI, and charms his way into romances with area heiresses and hangers-on. In 1896, society gadabout Franklin Drexel sets his sights on widowed Mrs. Newcomb and her considerable fortune. In 1863, future writer Henry James is 20 and a newcomer to Newport's business of flirtation. The spring of 1778 finds a British royal officer smitten with a merchant's daughter in the midst of a powder keg of revolution. In 1692, an orphaned Quaker teenager struggles to fend for her household while remaining true to her own heart. Cycling through these characters' lives, along with the common streets and landmarks of Newport, are themes of inequality, manipulation, and personal integrity. The narratives converge at the end as each tale speeds to its conclusion. All are equally compelling. VERDICT Award-winning novelist Smith (The Divine Comedy of John Venner) moves nimbly among his tales' various settings and diverse characters within the confines of Newport. Historical fiction buffs as well as those with romantic leanings should enjoy this intricate tale. [See Prepub Alert, 8/2/17.]--Jennifer B. Stidham, Houston Community Coll. Northeast
Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.