Customer Reviews

The American Woman in the Chinese Hat: A Novel

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A definite must for any fan of lyrical prose. The shifting narration is a daring change of pace from the traditional novel format. Intensely moving.

Catherine travels to France to write and to mourn her brother. Her lover Lola tells her she's now seeing someone else (briefly), and this sends Catherine into a depression. She sleeps indiscriminately with both women and men she encounters, acting out her detachment and self-destruction. She ends with Lucien, a man who's her equal in beauty, intelligence, and solitude. Their doomed affair must inevitably end, and each must regain their life back, hopefully before they destroy each other. Maso's style is lyrical and erotic, and is rooted in Gertrude Stein and Virginia Woolf. It's a novel of longing, of desire, of France, and of the world of writers. It also reminded me somewhat of Violette Leduc's work, where it's an honest, unflinching writing that does not shy away from personal pain. Quite electrifying.

The setting is the south of France and the impending trajectory of desire and sadness is a record of the protagonist's breakdown. Written in a sparse lyrical narrative, this surrealistic novel of betrayal is also a search for meaning in a world where that possibility seems almost futile.

From the reviews, I thought I would love this book. After 40 pgs I found this book to be choppy and disconnected. What about all the french in there that most people would not understand. I did not care for it and did not finish reading it.