The Gate of Angels review
Oct. 28th, 2010 09:45 amI'm not sure why I've never come across Penelope Fitzgerald before, but I will definitely be coming across her again after reading The Gate of Angels.
It's an odd book, which doesn't seem to know what it wants to be. It starts out as a pastiche on academic life in Cambridge just before the Frist World War, then turns into a love story, spends a little time pretending to be a crime thriller, makes a very good showing as a court room drama, and then ends abruptly just as the love story is about to get going again. This is all within the space of 167 pages, which is quite impressive!
Still, for all it's identity issues, it's wonderfully written and highly amusing, with great characters and an engaging story. I plan to have a lot of fun finding out if it is generally indicative of Fitzgerald's other work.
It's an odd book, which doesn't seem to know what it wants to be. It starts out as a pastiche on academic life in Cambridge just before the Frist World War, then turns into a love story, spends a little time pretending to be a crime thriller, makes a very good showing as a court room drama, and then ends abruptly just as the love story is about to get going again. This is all within the space of 167 pages, which is quite impressive!
Still, for all it's identity issues, it's wonderfully written and highly amusing, with great characters and an engaging story. I plan to have a lot of fun finding out if it is generally indicative of Fitzgerald's other work.
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Date: 2010-10-28 05:23 pm (UTC)