2003-05-19 Worth reading for Pym fans.

This is somehow an atypical Pym novel, or perhaps it's more true to say that Leonora is an atypical heroine, less easy to relate to than most. She has money and a certain position, yet her life is empty.
There is an attempt to be "modern," with some bisexuality and a gay man; as usual, this is done elegantly and quietly - BP had some understanding of this what we would call "lifestyle." These characters, however, are nothing like as much fun as Piers and Keith in "A Glass of Blessings," although the Keats scholar, Ned, is what Leonora would describe as "amusing."
It's a sad novel with amusing (not "amusing") parts. I think BP wrote it when she was beginning to be ill, so perhaps that explains something.