Customer Reviews

Foreign Affairs: A Novel

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Characterization and social observation take center stage in Alison Lurie's Pulitzer Prize winning book (1985). It's witty and droll and rather literary, and in its own understated way a page turner. Vinnie Miner is an English professor in her 50's, divorced and not exceptionally pretty. In fact, she looks (and in public, acts) like an old school marm. She's spending a semester in London to research a book on children's lymericks. In a parallel story, Fred Turner is an exceptionally attractive, 29 year old English professor, newly separated from his wife, who is also spending the semester in England to research his own book. They are aquaintances and peers, and work for the same university in the states. Their stories cross paths throughout the book, adding to the juxtaposition of their two lives.

Vinnie and Fred are vastly different characters who share common human need: companionship, acceptance, love. Foreign Affairs is the story of the paths each of their lives takes while on this sojourn in England, how each reaches his own moment of truth. Along the way, we are greatly entertained by their independent observations of England and of English high society, of the inherent differences between American and English mannerisms and lifestyles, and of the pretenses we all put forth when interacting with the world. There are also some wonderful secondary characters, who occasionally upstage the two main characters, much to the reader's delight.

The novel moves along splendidly, until the very end, when, unfortunately, Lurie finds it necessary to throw in several plot twists which cater more to the dramatic, and play on coincidence and unfounded surprise. These are so utterly unnecessary that I became angry at Lurie for spoiling such a wonderfully engaging book. Still, despite a few weak moments near the end, this one gets four stars

Alison Lurie's "Foreign Affairs" is quite the most witty, poignant and charming book I have read all year. Lurie had me in her spell right from the opening chapter where I was struck by her sureness of touch and intuitive understanding of the workings of the human heart. Her sense of humour is so honest and spot-on it's uncanny. She had me in stitches no sooner than Vinnie Miner boarded the plane and found to her dismay the unlikeliest of travelling companions seated next to her and determined to make conversation. Lurie's protagonists, Vinnie Miner and Fred Turner, are both living, breathing individuals everyone recognises. They aren't "types" but real people, not particularly distinguished or virtuous, with insecurities, but nevertheless people you feel compassion for. Vinnie and Fred are thrown together, sharing the same broad social milieu and developing romantic attachments with the unlikeliest of liasons. Of the two, Vinnie's story is by far the more convincing and successful. It is also heartwarming and touching. In contrast, Fred's liason is a little bland and one dimensional but saved by a dark twist at the end which I won't give away. "Foreign Affairs" has to be Lurie's masterpiece. It is a truly delightful and exceptional literary achievement by a novelist whose trademark is a graceful old school charm that's so rare to find these days. It richly deserves its Pulitzer Prize winning status and I would recommend it to anyone who reads to be moved and entertained.

This is the first Alison Lurie novel I've read (mid 1999) and I can't wait to read more. Her characters are beautifully observed, and the story is just charming. She is both ruthless and hilarious, spot on in her analysis of people. I particularly loved the Americans' view of England, both how the protagonists see themselves and think they are seen by the English, and presume Lurie has been to England to write in such an informed and yet subtle way about the country. It was very evocative. I adored Vinnie Miner, a really wonderful character, and hope there are many more Lurie heroines like her waiting to be read!

In alternating chapters devoted to each character, six months in the life of Virginia ("Vinnie") Miner, an unmarried Ivy League college professor for whom the sweet bird of youth has long flown away, are contrasted with the same period in the life of Fred Turner - young and handsome, and a junior faculty member of the same Ivy League college. Although they barely know each other, they are both members of the English department and are both on sabbatical in London at the same time doing research.

Their stories are studies in contrast and in similarities. Fred is lonely, having recently become estranged from his wife; Fred loathes England (at least, at first). Vinnie is beyond lonely - at 54, she has settled into a life of comforting routine, even if the routine involves frequent trips to her beloved England. Fred turns heads; Vinnie is "the sort of person no one ever notices."

They each find romance in England. Fred is upwardly mobile - he falls in love with a beautiful and aristocratic actress of some fame. Vinnie is shocked to find herself having a romance with a sanitary engineer from Tulsa, a man who rarely reads books and with whom she would barely have deigned to have talked had they not been thrown together.

Which of these two relationships goes on to become a life-love, and which ends in humiliating farce? It is the genius of this book that the answer, like life itself, remains unpredictable throughout the novel, right up to its surprising end. This novel was highly deserving of the Pulitzer Prize.

Combine two seemingly contrasting anti-heroes with a handful of average Joes and Joans and you get a very appealing literary casserole.

If you're looking for a story that concentrates on character development, powerful prose and situational nuances then this book might be for you.

It is populated by people you know from work, school or church - real people. It is smartly written. And the situations are not concocted or included for effect. You can relate to the circumstances, emphathize with the decisions and dismay or rejoice in the results - all the while enjoying some high quality writing.

Another reviewer commented that the ending was a bit disappointing - though I acknowledge the argument I disagree with the premise. The choices the individuals make, up to and including final sequences, are consistent with their characterizations. It's what would have happened were the characters real people. Because it was neatly wrapped up in the final pages is perhaps it's only flaw - but a story has to end somewhere.

Lurie cooks up a quality story that gets you hooked by feeding you small tasty morsel after small tasty morsel. By the end you'll find your literary, entertainment and intellectual cravings satisfied.

This is my first reading of an Alison Lurie novel and - being that I am still reeling from the resolution of "Foreign Affairs" since its completion nearly 24 hours ago - it looks as though I will be reading more of her works.

This book is like reading two separate novels, the chapters regularly flip-flopping between the two protagonists, Vinnie Miner and Fred Turner, whose only correlation is that they are both professors at Corinth University. Such sporadic story-telling has the advantage of keeping things interesting, especially in its opposing perceptions of relative characters. And equally insightful is to exist in the mind of Vinnie and then, a chapter later, to meet Vinnie through Fred's mind or vice versa...(that alone is worth the Pulitzer Prize.) The disadvantage to all this is when one becomes too intrigued with a specific storyline, the reader - not wanting to miss any little mention about the preferred protagonist - is forced to trudge through, what seems to be, an extra long chapter just to return to "the program already in progress."

The humorous and, oftentimes, neurotic Vinnie Miner is a plain fifty-four-year-old woman, comfortably single, and an absolute lover of solitude. She takes delight in her excursion to England in which she does research for her novels regarding children's folklore.

The solemn Fred Turner is almost a complete opposite to Vinnie; he is a handsome twenty-eight-year-old man, miserably married, and desperately seeking to be in the company of others. He despises his trip to England, and loathes the British Museum - hilariously named the "Bowel Movement" by him - where he obtains his research on the poet, John Gay.

Refreshingly, each chapter opens with a blurb of either a children's rhyme for Vinnie or a couple of poetic lines of John Gay for Fred, setting the tone for the following chapter.

What makes this novel complete is that both Vinnie and Fred experience a much-needed internal awakening.

In keeping to its bipolar quality, the progress of Vinnie's affair is gradual as compared to Fred's fast companionship. Yet, similarily, both are blissfully self-educated in the book's conclusion, for each character does learn that in matters of "Foreign Affairs," a different country can make a different heart.

This is a worthwhile read.

If you love Jane Austen but are looking for a modern novelist, you will love Alison Lurie.

Lurie's books are hilarious and her characters are complex. She doesn't have to rely on sensational family problems (like hidden incest, etc) to keep the reader's interest. Her writing style is natural and her timing is impeccable.

You can read her books with pleasure many times. Best of all, she's a modern author whose women characters are not confined to home and marriage -- they have careers and affairs, and the sticky problems that go with both.

I discovered Alison Lurie about three years ago, and I am eagerly awaiting her next novel because I've read all the other ones. My favorites are Foreign Affairs (the protagonist is a nondescript women in her 50s -- and her story is funny, poignant, and interesting.) I also love The Truth About Lorin Jones, about a woman who's angry at men in general due to her recent divorce, and discovers some interesting truths about herself while researching a woman artist, Lorin Jones.

Also great are: The War Between the Tates, Real People, The Nowhere City, Imaginary Friends, and Love and Friendship.

Buy Alison Lurie's books for your next lazy Sunday afternoon!

I really enjoyed this work, and look forward to reading others by Ms. Lurie. The author captures, in a gentle way, the nuances of personal thoughts and human interaction.

For me, there was only one weakness in this work. Ms. Laurie appears to have a misconception of men's feelings, particularly as they relate to women. On occasion, it appeared that one of the mechanisms the author uses to differentiate men from women is to have her male characters use vulgarity somewhat gratuitously. Although, in general, this work had less vulgarity than many others. Her representation of the inner thoughts of her male characters did not ring true, at least to this male reader.

None-the-less, this is a marvelous work that holds your interest, leads you to care about, and feel you know, its main character Vinnie Miner, and is a hard book to put down.

Highly recommended as an "outstanding read". The Pulitzer committee got it right!

A marvelously-observed transatlantic comedy, very much in the manner of David Lodge's CHANGING PLACES, but even better. Two academics from an Ivy League English department travel separately to London for a six-month stay. One, Vinnie Miner, a dour fiftyish spinster, considers herself an honorary Englishwoman and despises Americans abroad. Her junior colleague, Fred Turner, is strikingly handsome but feels very much alone. They each find love with unexpected people, and return home changed in significant ways. Lurie is very skillful in weaving their stories together without resorting to obvious patterning or excessive coincidence, and the plot is full of interesting turns. Her observation of the two cultures is acute, capturing the London literary, artistic, and social scene to perfection, but also providing many insights into her own culture. The book is witty, literate (perhaps too literate for some), sympathetic without ever being soft, sexy, and in the last two chapters both surprising and very moving.

Last night my local book club discussed "Foreign Affairs", by Alison Lurie. It won the Pulitzer, so I had fairly high expectations that weren't entirely met, but I am glad I read it. The story follows two American professors, Vinnie & Fred, on their extended and separate stays in London.

Vinnie, a lonely, rather plain 50-something professor who researches children's rhymes finds love and discovers her own humanity through a rather unlikely affair with a middle-class `cowboy' tourist from Oklahoma. Fred, a young, handsome professor who's recently separated from his wife learns the fickle shallowness of certain members of the British upper-crust. After falling in love with a wealthy British actress Fred discovers a beautiful and privileged side of London. But when that relationship goes south as well Fred realizes he prefers his flawed & honest wife rather than the beautiful, disingenuous -- and rather mad - actress.

Like its characters, "Foreign Affairs" has plenty of flaws. The spectral dog that represents Vinnie's self-pity is overused as are contrived connects (E.g. Fred's estranged wife's father is Vinnie's hated nemesis critic). Still, I can recommend the book. I enjoyed the examination of UK and US class systems as well the games people play with their hearts. The themes of relativity and expectation are woven throughout the book. It's a short and sometimes humorous read that's worth your time.