36 hours in the life of a minor writer on the New York scene. Europe is about to erupt into World War II. A young friend of the writer, a charming young woman who is more adventuress than not, has a quarter-Jewish child who is caught in Europe and an older male novelist (who doesn't have the money) is willing to go to any lengths to bribe her out. The whole story is bounded by alcohol-fueled lunches, dinners and parties and when a small but violent incident occurs, the world of the two older novelists is seriously fractured. This was an interesting book, but the main character is somewhat ambivalent and a good minority of the text is taken up with impressionist ramblings which I wasn't that interested in. ( )

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