Memoirs of a Muse

by Lara Vapnyar

Lara Vapnyar, author of the prizewinning story collection There Are Jews in My House, brings us a poignant and comic first novel about a delightfully sincere modern-day muse. We meet Tanya as a typical Russian girl, living with her bookish professor mother in a drab Soviet apartment. As a teenager, Tanya becomes obsessed with Dostoevsky and settles on her life’s she will be the companion to a great writer. Her memoirs tell of her immigration to New York after college, the stifling expectations of her Brighton Beach cousins, and the crucial moment in a bookshop on the Upper West Side, where Tanya attends a reading by Mark Schneider, a Significant New York Novelist.

Tanya soon moves in with Mark, ready to dazzle in bed, to serve and inspire . . . if only he would spend a little more time writing and a little less time at the gym, the shrink, and the literary soirees where she feels hopelessly unglamorous and out of place. But as she gradually learns to read English—struggling to better understand Mark’s work and her true role as Muse—Tanya also learns more than she expected about the destiny she has imagined for herself.

Animated by Vapnyar’s beguiling grace and vividness—with a narrative richness reflecting the great tradition of Russian realism to which she is a natural heir— Memoirs of a Muse is an altogether wonderful novel. It is a lively meditation on female capabilities and happiness, on the mysteries of artistic inspiration (and the absurdities of artistic life), and, perhaps most movingly, on the pain and wonder of the immigrant experience in New York City.

Genres: Fiction, Russia, American, Contemporary, Book Club

224 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Lara Vapnyar emigrated from Russia to New York in 1994 and began publishing short stories in English in 2002. She lives on Staten Island and is pursuing a Ph.D. in comparative literature at CUNY Graduate Center.

Reviews

[Jenn · Rating 2 out of 5]

There was a lot of relationship angst in this one. I finished it and spent the rest of the day angry with my boyfriend for no good reason.

[Susan from MD · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would actually rate this at about 3.5 stars, as it was interesting but uneven. Since it is different than a lot of books I've recently read, I rounded up instead of down. The pacing in the first 75% of the book is fairly slow -- too slow in some places, IMO. The last 25% of the book jumps through major life events with only a sentence/paragraph or two on life-after-muse, so I would have liked a little more detail toward the end, an opportunity to see this somewhat lost girl emerge as a more fully formed woman, and a more even flow throughout.

The main character is fairly engaging and sympathetic, but could have been moreso with some refinement. Similarly, the story could have had a little more depth to it, as it often felt superficial. Granted, I read it wanting something not too deep, but it felt a little vague in parts -- in some sense like the author was more of an acquaintance of the character rather than her creator. It was a fun story that could have been better. I'm glad I picked it up.

[Charlene · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75

[Nascha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm currently reading this book. Well, actually I had to put it down. I was utterly bored and I got as far as page 28.

I read about this writer in the NYT recently, about her third book, Broccoli and Other Tales of Food and Love. I was really anxious to read anything about this author. The review of her current book and interview made her writing sound lyrical and well, literary.

When I started the book, I found it utterly boring for about the first 35 pages. I just didn't get it. Not at first. So I put it down and wasn't sure Eventually I picked up the book again and trudged on. What eventually made it interesting for me was how the author tied in the historical life of the muse Polina and Dostoevsky with the narrator's life. I found Tanya's relationship with Mark the most interesting part of the book.

Vapnyar's writing was lyrical and profound in some areas. Considering that English is her second language, it is a triumph that she writes so well in this language. Having heard great things about her short stories, I was a little disappointed in this novel but I would be sure to read other works by her. Overall, I give this novel 3 stars because it began very slowly and I felt like it took too long to get to the most interesting parts of the story. However, I thought it was worth the read overall.

[Tejas Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this novel and especially the author's writing about identity formation in childhood/early adulthood. She wrote about this with a subtle hand, showing how the protagonist becomes the image in the mirror that she sees held up to her.

But the author also makes us gently aware that the protagonist is looking eagerly into this mirror. Isn't that nearly the picture-perfect definition of adolescence?

I admired the creativity of the plot, which reminded me of something Woody Allen might come up with. And there's lots of good internal dialogue that captures the "je ne sais quoi" of youthful insecurity.

There were at times a too tongue-in-cheek, aren't-I-clever attitude that crept in that I noticed. Or maybe it was some awkwardness in the author's writing that she had trouble smoothing out. Oh well. So it's not perfect.

I liked this book quite a bit and do recommend it. A very solid 3+ rating or a shakier 4-star because I liked it and found it endearing.

[Yulia · Rating 4 out of 5]

i would have given this five stars if not for the last sixty pages, which revealed not only awkward moments of dialogue, but the two-dimensionality of her supporting cast. i found myself wondering, is this just chick lit? no, it isn't. it's much smarter, but it did strain credibility many times. i doubt any real "mark" would have been so easily contented and not shown frightening bouts of anger to his muse, but then, i was never anyone's anna grigorievna so perhaps i shouldn't use my own experiences to question tanya's oddly stable if unsatisfying arrangement with mark. in the end, i was not disappointed and will move on to her book of short stories after making more progress in brothers karamazov.

[Polina F Snitkovsky · Rating 5 out of 5]

I may not have enjoyed the nature of the storyline, but I have certainly relished Lara Vapnyar's eloquent writing; proper grammar and stirring references to everything Russian and related to a life of an immigrant. So much so that I rushed to reserve more of Lara Vapnyar's books at the library and when found none, turned to Amazon and purchased everything I could find.

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Moved slow. It seems like there is a lot more discussion of the muse who the narrator is trying to emulate than of the narrator herself. Not much of a story here, I could sum it all up in one or two sentences but I don’t want to give spoilers.

[Veronica · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was unmoved by Tanya’s troubles, and found her to be annoying and selfish and not very interesting. Of course, part of that is maybe my annoyance with the same old Russian immigrant story about moving to New York from Moscow with a family member already there and all the “chaos” that ensues.

[Annie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid 3.5 stars. It was a lot more interesting than I’d expected. I would have enjoyed it (in a romantically sad way) quite a lot in my late teens/early twenties. Now, it’s more realistically, devastatingly sad. I definitely don’t regret reading it, though.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Russian girl grows up with an image of becoming an inspiration for a great writer, immigrates to America, meets a writer, learns the language and gains self-confidence and respect. Pretty good.

[Isa K. · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I got this book at a 'People who work in publishing' Christmas book swap party and set about reading it one chapter at a time in the bath. It's been way too hot for baths lately, so it took me forever to finish it.

The best thing about this book is the prose which manages to be lyrical at the right times and unassuming and easy to read at all other times. I liked the beginning-- with its almost morbid description of uninspiring people "unmuse-like" people-- quite a bit, but felt intertwining the story of Dostoyevsky and his muse/mistress Polina took a lot away from the story. It was difficult to know how to read those sections: are they historical? Are they a fictionalized account of what the story might be? I never really found them all that interesting. At best we're given rough sketches of these figures.

I also wasn't overly fond of the ending, which seemed to be unable to decide whether it wanted to be happy or sad, cynical or optimistic. So it tried to be all of the above @_@ And while the twist in the last few pages was interesting, I'm not sure why we couldn't just have that instead of a full account of where the MC ended up. It made the whole thing feel forced and sentimental.

[Disclosure: This review was written by an author, see my review policy for more information]

[Roswitha · Rating 3 out of 5]

If your notion of a muse is someone like Maud Gonne, Fanny Brawne or Lou Andreas-Salome -- a strong-willed woman, capable of kindness or cruelty but with firm sense of her own boundaries -- then you may at first be disappointed in Lara Vapnyar's version, which is based on Dostoevsky's Apollinaria Suslova, the kind of hysterically self-destructive, untethered woman that inspired reams of 19th century Russian prose. Curiously, the narrator of this novel, a young Russian ex-pat named Tatiana, sees Suslova as a role model, though she is troubled by the woman's lonely, miserable existence. Tatiana, unable to see a future for herself beyond musedom, eventually finds her own novelist -- her English isn't good enough to make a accurate determination about his greatness -- in Central Park, and subsequently moves in with him, where she discovers that her boyfriend believes she is, not his muse, but his Anna Grigorievna, Dostoevsky's boring, practical, utterly submissive wife. Tatiana discovers a few other things as well, and is able to rescue herself from the passivity and co-dependency of her muse fantasy into a semblance of a good American life. In doing so, she lays waste to generations of Russian gender stereotypes and takes the reader on a brief, amusing, pleasurably ironic journey between two great nations with two very different worldviews.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3.5 stars) Tanya lives in Russia with her mother, an academic. She has recently graduated with a degree in history, and has managed to get a visa to emigrate to the U.S. There, she lives with her aunt and uncle, working in a menial job to pay her bills while she searches for a more meaningful position. She has always been enamored with Dostoyevski, and relates to his glamorous mistress, Polina rather than his devoted wife, Anna. When she meets an author at a book event and he invites her out, she decides that she wants to become his muse, and purchases a diary to record her thoughts, much like Polina did with hers. There are excerpts from Polina's diary throughout the story, detailing her sometimes volatile relationship. Tanya's relationship with the author progress to the point of her moving in with him, and she does her best to inspire him to write his next novel. But as time goes on, she becomes dissatisfied with her situation as she begins to grow as a person. Tanya must decide is she is a Polina or an Anna and which road she wants to take going forward. The book has a Russian flair to it, and it took a while, but I became intrigued with Tanya and her journey as the book progressed.

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took forever to finally get into the book. You know what I mean. That grip a book develops onto your mind when it's really good...well, that didn't happen until the very end. It's like the author wrote several parts to each chapter, then arranged them carelessly before beginning the next one. Despite her lack of organization, she captured the true identity of being a muse. The beauty, heartache, and complete absence of your own identity remained a constant theme in this book. However, at the end we realize that our misery and journey in life can inspire someone in unimaginable ways.

Throughout Tanya's relationship with Mark she wished to inspire him. She wanted to be the inspiration that played a part in his novels...but in order to inspire, that can't be a desire. True inspiration comes from people that never aim to do so, because at that point you're no longer being authentic. Inspiration is beauty in a fleeting moment, and a fleeting moment cannot
be planned.

If you do decide to read this book, let it serve as a reminder that true beauty and inspiration can never be forced. The most beautiful aspects of life are meant to cherished as they come, not planned down to the tiniest detail. It's an awesome reminder for writers and artists alike.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first introduction to Lara Vapnyar and I must admit that I enjoyed the ride. Her writing is very descriptive and I really could relate to the main character/narrator Tanya Fumer.

I enjoyed getting to know Tanya in Russia as a teenager when she reads Dostoevsky and fantasizes about being a muse like Polina. Then she leaves her native land and immigrates to New York City where she meets Mark, a writer, and thinks that her calling as a muse has finally come true. However, when Tanya accidentally stumbles upon an annotated copy of a biography about Dostoevsky, filled with Mark's notes, she realizes she's not Polina after all but Anna Grigorovich. When reality strikes Tanya realizes she really doesn't love Mark after all and feels saddened by this. However, it is when she strikes out on her own, teaches herself English, becomes an historian and finds a man very different than Mark, who loves her for who she really is, is when she finally comes full circle and begins to love herself.

I am looking forward to reading Lara Vapnyar's short stories in the near future.

[Derek Emerson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a fan of Vapnyar's two collections of short stories, but her first novel left me looking for more -- or less. I can see a great short story here as much of the middle seems lost. What I like is her tie in with Polina, Dostoevsky's "muse," and the narrator herself. The connection back and forth says less about the writers than the muses, and they are both interesting people.

But the middle section could have been much less as it seems to wander from day to day. I was also disappointed by the ending, which had a surprising updating and concluding style to the story, something I would not expect from a short story reader.

Overall, not a bad novel, but not as good as it could be. Regardless, if she writes another I'll still be willing to pick it up.

[Meg - A Bookish Affair · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tanya is a Russian girl growing up during the Soviet era. She becomes very interested in the story of the author Feodor Dostoevsky, his wife and his mistress. She decides that her purpose in life is to be a muse to a writer.

She immigrates to the U.S. and meets Mark, a writer who is supposedly interested in Dostoevsky. At first, Tanya is happy to play muse to Mark until she realizes that she is not really a muse to him but a mere human comfort and thus the story progresses.

I really enjoyed Vapynar's writing. She gave a real voice to Tanya although I wish that Mark had been fleshed out a little bit more. For being one of the central characters, he seemed a little flat and not particularly personable but then again, that could have been the author's intention.

[Alsy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found Vapnyar's other stort stories more succint and to the point. There were a few good chapters that I felt could have been whittled down a bit, but I also see how Vapnyar wanted a continuous flow and chain so that there is meaning behind every mundane object or act or thought. Overally, it's a great story. Who doesn't want to be a muse? But, most importantly, the Russian heroine doesn't end up miserable and living a life of doom and gloom. The ending is sweet and optimistic and I couldn't help wondering if the author herself experienced a similar love affair?

[Joanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Something of a coming of age story. Tanya nurses an admiration of Dostoyevsky and of the women who inspired him. She hopes to join the ranks of Professional Muses.

I believed in the character and the way she invented herself as the ideal lover for an artist. I liked the details about life in Russia and life as an immigrant in the United States. I liked the way the novel ended (although I won't give that away). And I came away from it with a new determination to finally finish Crime and Punishment.

[Aline · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book in a weekend. It took a while to get going with ninety plus pages of back story that kind of contradicted the blurb on the back. But, it was interesting history and the fault is really with the blurb and not the book. The author writes well. The story was an enjoyable and insightful expression about the difference between how we envision how life will be when we get what we want and the actual reality when we attain our dreams. I would recommend this book for a quick thoughtful read.

[Marina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this better than her award winning short stories. There was this really familiar Russian style and feel to the whole book. Admittedly I liked the beginning most, and the Chekhovian style was harder to see in the agonizing romance, but I found the plot meaningful. Yeah, she's a somewhat pathetic character, and that's what her society/family set her up to achieve. It's a simple book about a culture cast in sharp relief over hypocritical American ideals and dreams, which is really fascinating to me. Drawing out that culture clash as she does, I think this is a really worthwhile read.

[Tiff · Rating 3 out of 5]

I learned more about what a muse is. It is always interesting to read about how someone else views sexuality. She day dreamed about dead authors and realized later that they were not her knight in shining armor. Tanya is the main character and I suppose my favorite from this book. I didn't care for her older boyfriend and the family wasn't mentioned much. I did not like her mother. She was too pushy.

[Ruth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lara Vapnyar is one of my favorites among the regular short story writers in the New Yorker. Her book is original, generally well-written, and does follow in the vein of her New Yorker work. However, apparently, it's not very memorable. I forgot entirely that I had read it until I got it out from the library for a second time.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are some moments of this book that are dull or not so great, but all in all, it was lovely. It scared me at the beginning to identify so much with the protagonist, and also to see how easily I myself might become either her or her mother. It was a fresh take on plot and character that I really appreciated while reading.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the flap and the first few lines and was sold.

The author flips between scenes with her main protagonist and hypothetic scenes between Dostoevsky and his Mistress.

Entertaining, insightful, amusing.

[Rimma · Rating 3 out of 5]

As always, I enjoyed her characterization of Russian immigrants. I enjoyed the punch line at the end. However, I felt a bit lost about the time and context while reading it. I doubt I would read it again.

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I may have had too high expectations about this book. The authors previous book got such gushing reviews. That being said, I really did enjoy this book- it's cleverly put together and everything matched up and comes full circle and all that.

[Isa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pleasantly surprised. Well written and surprisingly easy to connect with. The main character is likable and her daydreams are... The story is very well woven together and I may be rating it so highly because of the fact I didn't expect to enjoy it but... I did.

[Cassie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the type of book that I think went over my head at the time of my reading it. I love the concept of this bohemian-muse lifestyle gone awry. If I come across this book again, I'll definitely pick it up again.