A review by pturnbull
Foreign Bodies by Cynthia Ozick

3.0

Beautifully written novel with gorgeous sentences. I was interested in Bea Nightingale, the main character, who becomes involved with her brother Marvin's children in 1954 Paris, after he commands her to bring them back home. Divorced schoolteachers working with low income students have got to have an interesting story to tell. But the novel does not belong to Bea. Instead, the point of view shifts among multiple family members and assorted acquaintances. The story is entertaining, but lacks depth. Characters are vivid, but we don't see into them closely enough to care deeply. Privately held European anti-Semitic and anti-refugee attitudes are convincingly conveyed.