Rameau's Niece [Paperback]

Cathleen Schine (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 1994

With the ups and downs of temptation, love, lust, folly, and reconciliation, readers follow a very modern Candida through the sophisticated labyrinth of contemporary Manhattan, in this delightful literary romp that spoofs the cultural elite.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A bestselling author grows infatuated with a lascivious 18th century novel in Schine's gem-like, comic novel.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Although she considers herself happily married to a gregarious Englishman who teaches at Columbia University and is an inveterate quoter of poetry, Margaret Nathan, author of a best-selling scholarly biography, finds that her equilibrium is thrown when she chances upon Rameau's Niece , the manuscript of an 18th-century French erotic novel. Haunted by the sensual images that passages from Rameau's Niece have triggered, Margaret finds herself sexually attracted to a woman friend, a gay male friend, her dentist, and several other acquaintances, and she begins to question the viability of her marriage. Schine controls her quirky plot line with the same wit and style demonstrated in her earlier novels, Alice in Bed (o.p.) and To the Birdhouse ( LJ 5/15/90). She satirizes marriage, philosophy, intellectuals, sexuality, and the relentless search for self-knowledge through Margaret's efforts at fulfillment and liberal quotes from Rameau's Niece. Brainy but forgetful and shy, despite her accomplishments, Margaret is a refreshing character. Recommended for most collections.
- Harriet Gottfried, NYPL
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Plume (April 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0452271614
• ISBN-13: 978-0452271616
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,030,758 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Cathleen Schine is the author of The New Yorkers and The Love Letter, among other novels. She has contributed to The New Yorker, The New York Review of Books, The New York Times Magazine, and The New York Times Book Review.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Anything but a waste of time!, September 24, 2000

By 

MJ - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rameau's Niece (Paperback)

I just had to write something to offset the only review this book has been given here. Rameau's Niece is a terrific book- a clever and often very funny send-up of the world of academia and the timeless chasm between human intelligence and the human sex drive. The characters aren't *meant* to be likeable. They're generally bewildered intellectuals and wannabe hedonists, meant to be entertaining.

Take a chance. Buy this book.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A *Wonderful* Book, September 30, 2000

By 

Kenneth L. Brewer (Brooklyn, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rameau's Niece (Paperback)

I also want to respond to that bitterly negative one-star review. I'd say that I've read *Rameau's Niece* six times at least, with undiminished enjoyment. It does appeal primarily to a narrow audience (it was recommended to me when I was in graduate school), but I resent the reviewer presuming to speak for everyone in roundly asserting that reading it is "a waste of time." Reading it has been some of the best time I've ever spent.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars For an afternoon of fun..., July 17, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Rameau's Niece (Paperback)

Read this book. It's fun in a literary sort of way, so if you're not into that kind of thing, then you might want to give it a miss. I love reading and aspire to be one of those arty, high brow literary types but know I can't, so I read books like these to live vicariously through the characters. But seriously, enough with the bad reviews already! This is an entertaining, quirky, and humorous read. Sure, the characters are annoying at times... but they're meant to be that way, and besides, name one person in your own life who isn't. There you go! So read this book (be sure to have a cup of coffee and some cookies nearby, because it's just that sort of book) and come back here and tell us how much you enjoyed it.