Guided Tours of Hell: Novellas

Neither of the main characters in his novella are remotely likeable, yet you still find yourself rooting for them due to the sheer awfulness of everything else. I found it interesting that both trips took place in Europe -- must one leave the US to find hell?

Two novellas are included in this volume: the title story and “Three Pigs in Five Days.” Both share similarities in terms of theme, characterization and setting. In both, the main character struggles with an overwhelming sense of self-doubt while in the thrall of a much more charismatic person who is in most ways their opposite, set against the backdrop of-and contradicted with-the horrors of World War II perpetrated against the European Jews.

I have read several of Prose’s novels, and she always attempts to do something very difficult: make unlikeable characters sympathetic. When she succeeds, as in Blue Angel, the results are enthralling. More often, though, she doesn’t quite manage to pull it off, as is the case here. Her show more protagonists in both stories are too self-pitying, too obsessive — they quickly become tiresome. Her antagonists are self-important blowhards, and we can’t quite see what the attraction is. Prose is a fine writer, and she gets points for trying to stretch, but she falls a little short of the mark here. show less

Beautifully written, hard to read. I admire Francine Prose's writing. Beautiful, silken prose (no pun intended) that slides through the mind. Gosh how I wish I could write like this. Some sentences are so lovely I read them multiple times just to enjoy their flavor. Ultimately, at least in this volume, her characters and situations are just so darn unpleasant, I come away wondering why I spent so much time with them.

Which makes it difficult for me to say if I recommend this or not. I think it depends on what you're looking for. Are reading for entertainment? For a pleasurable evening? This is likely not what I'd recommend. If you want a quiet study of how a master strings words together, then yes, it's well worth your time.

Beautiful. show more Sombre. Depressing. show less