Customer Reviews

The Odd Woman (Contemporary American fiction)

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Father Melancholy's Daughter, its sequel, Evensong, and A Mother and Two Daughters are, for me, vintage Godwin. They set the standard for penetrating characterization and unsettling glimpses into how people really work. I picked up The Odd Woman with high hopes and was not utterly disappointed. Flickers of the good things Godwin will accomplish in later novels are abundant in this rather dense exploration of a "spinster professor's" running inner dialogue. If this is your first go-around with Godwin, however, skip this for the infinitely richer Father Melancholy's Daughter or A Mother and Daughters.

Gail Godwin has written some wonderful books; it was the experiences I've had with Ms. Godwin's books that kept me reading this one. I cared very little for the characters or for the story, but kept reading, looking for one of those gems of revalation that sometimes strike when reading Gail Godwin - even those were lacking. Books must be so well written that the words and sentences themselves keep you turning the page; if the words fail the characters and plot must take over. I could not make myself care what happened to Jane Clifford; a professor of literature who refers to George Eliot by the infrequently used Marian Evens (Mary Anne the name used in standard references and biographical notes). At first, I didn't even know who she was referring to, and in the end I found it to be an annoyance. Jane reminded me of one of those people who feel burdened by their intelligence and remove themselves from the world as we know and enjoy it because they are "just a cut above", yet she mourns her lack of close relationships and sticks, from pride rather than love, to a married man who treats her like the sometime mistress of a married man, and a friend who annoys her by looking for friendship.

This is the first time I've read a book by Gail Godwin. As it relates to real-life issues, it is not action-packed, nor is it fast paced. It is a bit difficult getting through the 423 pages. It is an accurate portrayal of a thirtysomething, single woman struggling with past decisions. Analyzing her present situation, a two-year affair with an older, married man, she looks to her family (mother, grandmother, half-sister, great aunt) for clues on which direction to take. So much research, so much reflecting, etc., are certainly believable but tedious to read. Interesting characters are introduced (the previously mentioned family members, friends, step father, etc.) but some of them seem extraneous to the central story. A little more focus might have made this more compelling. And, frankly, I am not sure that I ever fully cared for the main character enough to care about her decision. Just when I felt a kinship with her, her thoughts took her someplace else and lost me. Her relationship with her grandmother might have been explored in a separate book. Or, even a tale of the three generations of women and their development over a couple of decades. This book included some of that plus outside friendships plus the affair which was just too much for one volume.

I first read this book when I too was a 30ish, unmarried college professor, like its heroine. Fiction which tackles the concerns of professional women was then, as now, rare. I eagerly sought out this book, and what a disappointment it was! The professional concerns received almost no attention, while the heroine's energies were consumed by ill advised romantic and erotic relationships. So what's new? Poorly conceived and not very well written!

Gail Godwin is one of my favorite authors. Single women will appreciate this book immensely. Godwin weaves a convincing story of a 30+ single woman who examines her relationships when her beloved Grandmother dies. While this story might seem like a familiar one for readers of southern fiction, Godwin adds new depth by creating the most convincing portrait I have ever read of the "internal dialogue" that plagues all of us. Jane Clifford, the book's protagonist, is one of the most convincing characters I've ever had the pleasure to know! Enjoy!