false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172296289m/161902.jpg 161902 5 First published in 1976, <I>The Widow's Children</I>, with its unpalatable family wistfully gnashing at one another, has long defied critical description. Now that it's been rereleased, with a fine new introduction by Andrea Barrett, it's time again for readers to approach this spare--yet unsparing--novel. Approach with something like terror, or at least a tremulous respect, for Paula Fox's tale of one family's massive, various history awes with its marvelous compression. We learn these people inside and out in just one evening. Divided into seven chapters ("Drinks," "Corridor," "Restaurant," "The Messenger," "Two Brothers," "Clara," "The Funeral"), the book tells of the Maldonadas, Spanish-Cuban immigrants to America who now find themselves middle-aged and living in the past, galvanized only by sister Laura's emotional excesses. "These people," notes Peter, a friend, "had not signed <I>any</I> social contract."<p> Laura leads her husband, Desmond, her brother, Carlos, her daughter, Clara, and Peter a not-so-merry dance through one acrimonious dinner in a pretentious Manhattan restaurant. Practically the only ugly truth she doesn't manage to dredge up is the one she learned that very afternoon: Alma, Carlos and Laura's mother, has died in a nursing home. But the plot is not what we think about when we say this is a very, very good novel. Fox's marvelous control and formalism ultimately give <I>The Widow's Children</I> its strange, singular power. She has a poet's ability not just to imply unsayable mysteries but to imbue the unsaid with treachery, wit, emotion, and irony, all hanging in a vaporous cloud. Each character in turns speaks a pained monologue; we don't like them--we don't, in a sense, even care--but we can't stop watching this elaborately choreographed car wreck.<p> Along the way, Fox gets off a number of good ones, as in this description of a neighbor: "a tall muscular man who entered into and departed from rooms quickly, athletically, as though following a secret program of body building." Her wit leavens our impatience with these difficult people. And that's a clever swindle, for she then delivers a chilling tale with infinite grace. This is in no way an expected novel. <I>--Claire Dederer</I> 156261 1976 The Widow's Children total:35|5:8|4:8|3:13|2:5|1:1| 35 122 50 5 161902 0007150377 9780007150373 28 4 3.49 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172296289m/161902.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/161902.The_Widow_s_Children 5 0 false Fri Aug 08 07:58:19 -0700 2008 Tue Aug 26 20:18:05 -0700 2008 more...]]> 161902 0007150377 9780007150373 28 4 3.49 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172296289m/161902.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/161902.The_Widow_s_Children 1 0 false Mon Sep 08 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sat Jul 19 13:20:11 -0700 2008 Tue Sep 09 11:06:51 -0700 2008 more...]]> 161902 0007150377 9780007150373 28 4 3.49 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172296289m/161902.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/161902.The_Widow_s_Children 3 0 false Sat Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Fri Mar 28 09:40:46 -0700 2008 Sat Apr 05 00:22:51 -0700 2008 more...]]> 969276 0393319636 9780393319637 7 1 3.49 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false Mon Mar 02 16:40:21 -0800 2009 Mon Mar 02 16:40:21 -0800 2009 161902 0007150377 9780007150373 28 4 3.49 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172296289m/161902.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/161902.The_Widow_s_Children 5 0 false Sat Feb 14 11:00:31 -0800 2009 Sat Feb 14 11:00:31 -0800 2009 161902 0007150377 9780007150373 28 4 3.49 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172296289m/161902.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/161902.The_Widow_s_Children 0 0 false Sat Jan 24 16:24:20 -0800 2009 Sat Jan 24 16:24:20 -0800 2009 161902 0007150377 9780007150373 28 4 3.49 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172296289m/161902.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/161902.The_Widow_s_Children 0 0 false Thu Jan 22 17:47:13 -0800 2009 Thu Jan 22 17:47:13 -0800 2009 161902 0007150377 9780007150373 28 4 3.49 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172296289m/161902.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/161902.The_Widow_s_Children 4 0 false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2002 Thu Jan 08 09:00:23 -0800 2009 Sat Sep 26 07:51:39 -0700 2009 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=161902