Two Words, One Answer.
fortunate
 A Fortunate Age: A Novel $26.00 In the acknowledgments, the author thanks Mary McCarthy for writing "The Group" and says that her book is an homage to that novel. I don't think that Ms. McCarthy would be pleased. I think she would want to smack this child upside the head and then get on the horn with her lawyers. Innocent young bride, who is overshadowed by her narcissistic, gaslighting husband, cracks up, and then dies? Check. Beautiful, innocent girl who becomes involved with a married man, gets dumped when he goes back to his wife, takes in a mentally ill family member, ruins her health when her finances necessitate her getting another job to support them both, then gets rescued via a surprise proposal by the psychiatrist? Check. Woman who doesn't fit into the their social network because she's too vulgar, but then becomes more financially successful than any of them when she marries for money? Check. Minimally talented socialite working in publishing and living on her trust fund? Check. My enjoyment of the book {and it was enjoyable} was continually impinged on because the plot and characters were lifted in such a wholesale way from Mary McCarthy's book that I was distracted comparing the two. Why on earth did this child's editors allow her to get away with it? Doesn't anyone read anymore? If they had read "The Group" I can't imagine that they wouldn't have a similar reaction.  A Fortunate Life $16.99 Okay this is not the recipe for making nitroglycerin, but a little more proofreading would have good. On the top of the page 223, Vaughn seems to think that JFK was assassinated on November 22, 1962. Okay maybe the proofreader was young and is not interested in history. But in the photo section, the last photo shows the cast of S.O.B. Okay lets say again the proofreader is young and is not interested in movie history. There are 15 names in the caption and only 14 faces. Larry Storch is not in the picture. This just involves counting.  The Fortunate Pilgrim $39.95 Based on Mario Puzo's best book, this is a masterpiece. I have read the book twice and never thought the film would come close but it does. From the opening scene with the voice of Pavorotti singing over the street noise to the wonderful ending it is a great story of a wonderful Italian mother who is going to make it in America for her family. Sophia Loren is amazing. If you are of Italian heritage or just know an Italian; you must see this! |
|
