Poet and Dancer Jhabvala, Ruth Prawer

Product DescriptionJhabvala, winner of the Booker Prize as well as an Academy Award for screenwriting, has written a haunting tale of the complex and perilous relations between two young cousins, Angel and Lara A masterful novel which explores the dangers of love and committmentFrom the Trade Paperback editionFrom Publishers WeeklyThe 16th novel by this acclaimed novelist whose Heat and Dust won the Booker Prize and screenwriter Howards End showcases both her elegant Jamesian prose style and her at times frustratingly lethargic story lines The poet of the title is serious, plain Angel; her beautiful, attentionseeking cousin Lara is the dancer They grow close as adults, when their relationship becomes openly pathological: Lara doesnt work, sleeps around, takes drugs, and lies; Angel, her roommate, assumes the burden of caring for her, bringing ridicule and blame on herself in the process Set in not quite contemporary New York City, the novel has an Indian element in Jhabvalas portrayal of two New Delhi nativesMrs Arora, Angels mothers business partner, and her son Rohit, who becomes Angels best friend A subplot involves Angels enfeebled grandmother Koenig, whose imposing, beautifully described apartment is tended by a succession of perhaps lightfingered maids In the foreword, the thirdperson narrators tantalizing query about the ratio of truth to fiction in any life story raises questions about the story proper: Is Lara insane, or just immature? Are the cousins opposite poles in any human soulrebellious and compliant? Are Angel and Rohit male and female manifestations of a single passive being? Such intellectual contemplation, prompted by exquisite dialogue and polished sentences, may satisfy some readers, but not likely those who seek significant character development and a definitive conclusion Major adpromoCopyright 1992 Reed Business Information, IncFrom Library JournalBoth a novelist and a screenwriter, Jhabvala won an Academy Award for her screen adaptation of A Room with a View Perhaps her intention in writing this book was to use it as a future screenplay, for the main characters are too onedimensional to appeal in a novel The two American girls at the center of this workthe poet Angel and her cousin Lara, a dancerare too eccentric to be credible Although minutely drawn, they never seem to come to life With minor characters such as a mother and son who are Indians, the author demonstrates her real strength; these characters are more sympathetic and real A novel of disillusionment that will appeal primarily to Jhabvalas fans Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 11192 Patricia C Heaney, Nassau Community Coll Lib, Garden City, NYCopyright 1993 Reed Business Information, IncFrom the Inside Flapnner of the Booker Prize as well as an Academy Award for screenwriting, has written a haunting tale of the complex and perilous relations between two young cousins, Angel and Lara A masterful novel which explores the dangers of love and committmentFrom the Trade Paperback edition ISBN10: 0385468695 ISBN13: 9780385468695Material Type: hardcover