Men and Angels

2092 Men and Angels, by Mary Gordon (read 3 Aug 1987) I almost did not read this 1985 novel because I was so turned off by the language and amorality of the central character in Gordon's novel The Company of women. But I am glad I read this. It was a lot better, even though it had no Catholic aspect, its heroine, Anne Foster, being religion-less. It has a scene where Anne tries to seduce her electrician and he turns her down for moral reasons. Such a rare incident in modern fiction, I really relished it! Anne is a professor's wife, who has Laura as a live-in babysitter. The writing is excellent--a blurb puts Mary Gordon "into the company of William Golding, Bernard Malamud, Walker Percy and Samuel Beckett--the foremost moral novelists show more of our day." However, there is a lot of fierce introspection, and hopelessly exaggerated feelings, often violent. Fiction apparently cannot be populated by ordinary people with normal sensibilities. But the touch is sure, and very well done. The book was well worth reading, and not repellant like the first novel of Gordon's I read. show less

Insightful writing.