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A review by beckethm
The Margaret-Ghost by Barbara Novak
3.0
This was an unusual and somewhat intriguing little novel. (I mean "little" literally: it was a small book and not much longer than a novella.)
The book blurb is somewhat misleading in describing it as a story of intersecting lives. Really, it is the story of a professor undertaking the research she hopes will secure her tenure, incorporating detailed notes and musings on her subject, Margaret Fuller. There's enough information on Fuller to constitute a short biography, but it is presented in such a scattered way, I'm not sure how coherent it would be to someone not already familiar with her life. Having done some study on Fuller myself, I found the author's views on her interesting.
I'm not sure what to make of the framing story. When not engaged in research, the main character, Angelica, gets involved in a one-sided affair with a misogynistic Harvard professor who routinely denigrates her and her work. She flirts with but never commits to a hook-up with a lesbian colleague who is so dreadfully predatory, I can only hope she was meant to be ironic. There's some mildly amusing academic satire, but ultimately the romantic shenanigans degenerate into farce.
Why did I rate this 3 stars? The writing is good in places and the structure was interesting. At least it was a quick read and a not unfair representation of Margaret Fuller.
The book blurb is somewhat misleading in describing it as a story of intersecting lives. Really, it is the story of a professor undertaking the research she hopes will secure her tenure, incorporating detailed notes and musings on her subject, Margaret Fuller. There's enough information on Fuller to constitute a short biography, but it is presented in such a scattered way, I'm not sure how coherent it would be to someone not already familiar with her life. Having done some study on Fuller myself, I found the author's views on her interesting.
I'm not sure what to make of the framing story. When not engaged in research, the main character, Angelica, gets involved in a one-sided affair with a misogynistic Harvard professor who routinely denigrates her and her work. She flirts with but never commits to a hook-up with a lesbian colleague who is so dreadfully predatory, I can only hope she was meant to be ironic. There's some mildly amusing academic satire, but ultimately the romantic shenanigans degenerate into farce.
Why did I rate this 3 stars? The writing is good in places and the structure was interesting. At least it was a quick read and a not unfair representation of Margaret Fuller.