Scan barcode
A review by ferris_mx
Blue Angel by Francine Prose
5.0
Five stars because anything less would be a crime, but there are some aspects here that are VERY troubling.
First, the book is widely described as a satire, and I did discover online that some of the details parallel what happened to a colleague of Ms. Prose's who was dismissed from her department in similar fashion. But with a lens of 2020+, I fail to see the satire. And I have no sympathy for Ms. Prose's colleague or the protagonist.
Second, and I can now see that this is probably related, the book is cruel to Angela and it is uncalled for. Angela is called "a self-involved, wounded baby bird who knows her way around a computer". What? She is so much more than that. And there are more examples in this vein.
So I'd say it's an important book, but it is angering, and for the wrong reasons.
First, the book is widely described as a satire, and I did discover online that some of the details parallel what happened to a colleague of Ms. Prose's who was dismissed from her department in similar fashion. But with a lens of 2020+, I fail to see the satire. And I have no sympathy for Ms. Prose's colleague or the protagonist.
Second, and I can now see that this is probably related, the book is cruel to Angela and it is uncalled for. Angela is called "a self-involved, wounded baby bird who knows her way around a computer". What? She is so much more than that. And there are more examples in this vein.
So I'd say it's an important book, but it is angering, and for the wrong reasons.