A Theft

The cover of my edition depicts a woman's hand tossing a book out of a building. Little did I know just how prophetic this could have been. If I were to have applied the Perl rule, this novella surely would have been tossed.
The story centers around country girl made New York executive, Clara Velde. She's had four husbands, three children and a lover she feels is her soulmate and the man she should have married. Her lover gave her a splended emerald ring which she holds dear. The ring is her connection to this man through the years and spouses which passed their lives. The ring disappears twice, perhaps this creates some sort of epiphany for Clara, it's hard to say.
This book was my first foray into Bellow and perhaps I was expecting too show more much, perhaps the bar was too high and maybe, just maybe, it was too highbrow for me for surely there is a message in this book. Why else would have it been written. But to tell you the truth the story left me exasperated and too ambivelent to even try to figue it out. I'm just happy to be done with it. The characters left me cold, the dialog was often confusing and it all seemed pointless show less

I enjoyed this little novella. It felt in some ways like a follow-on to one of my favorite short stories, "I Stand Here Ironing" by Tillie Olsen. Clara Velde is middle-aged, a transplant from Indiana who has forged a life as a fashion magazine executive in New York. Her sex life has petered out, if you will excuse the pun, and been channeled into her work, her children, and her deep friendship with her smart but quirky former lover. The ring's power changes throughout the story as it comes to symbolize all of the different ways she has succeeded in life.

This is a short novella about the loss of an emerald ring given to Clara Velde by Teddy Regler. Clara and Teddy have a nearly perfect non-marriage, with Clara deeply dependent on Teddy for emotional support. The ring has been lost twice, recovered once after the insurance payment for it was cashed, and later during a period when Clara was trying to be “good” to an Austrian au pair who was pushing the limits of her contract. Clara appears to be on a self-discovery, which, for me, was very hard to swallow. However, the story discussions about love, marriage, divorce, personal commitment, and character were interesting enough to keep me to the end. Not a great Bellow, but certainly worth reading if you are a fan.

Not Bellow's best. An awkward thing, not quite sure if it's a short story or a novel or a novella, sparse in some areas and a bit too much in others. It's not bad, just uncertain. Still good in points.

The two-dimensionality of Clara somehow made this the longest novella I have ever read.

Great

Bionda, elegante, imponente e sempre ben vestita, Clara Velde è la “zarina delle giornaliste della moda”. Benché sia ormai una sofisticata newyorkese, non ha mai perso del tutto quell’aria di campagna che le deriva dalle origini provinciali. Giunta al quarto matrimonio, Clara ha sempre amato un unico uomo, che non l’ha mai sposata: Ithiel “Teddy” Regler, influente consigliere del Pentagono. Il simbolo della loro passione è un anello con smeraldo che Teddy le ha regalato anni prima e al quale Clara è legatissima. Un giorno però l’anello scompare. Sarà per Clara l’occasione per mostrare un volto nuovo, quello di una donna di grande sensibilità, insospettata saggezza e infinita disponibilità ad amare.