The Vanities Before the Bonfire | The Emperor's Children (Vintage)

book: The Emperor's Children (Vintage) | Claire Messud

books:


	• The Emperor's Children (Vintage) Claire Messud Vintage, 2007 - 496 pages view larger image
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Intelligent and sophisticated

I really can't understand the many negative reviews this intelligent and challenging book has received. I have never lived in New York, but I imagine that at least some of the critical opinions might arise from the unease and discomfort caused by Messud's too vivid, warts-and-all portraits of its denizens.

For me, "The Emperor's Children" was one of the best books I read this year. While comparing it to Edith Wharton's fiction might be going too far, it certainly has wonderful character development - it's peopled with many-dimensional, idiosyncratic, complex persons - and the fact that they are often unlikeable makes them even more realistic. We all know people like Murray Thwaite, for example. Even the minor characters, such as David or Randy, are wonderfully drawn and believable.

I would perhaps have enjoyed more insight into Julius, the gay, half-Vietnamese journalist with the complicated love life, who among the main characters receives the least attention. A sinister aura builds slowly but steadily around Ludovic Seeley, portending some evil deed that in the end inexplicably fails to materialize. Also, ***SMALL SPOILER HERE***, I felt that Murray's behavior at Danielle's apartment in the aftermath of 9/11 was insufficiently explained/analyzed, as was the behavior of his (otherwise smart) wife Annabel when he comes back home. But these are all minor flaws. The novel is really enjoyable.

When one compares Messud's elegant, ambitious and psychologically astute novel with efforts by other contemporary novelists I have read recently (such as Ayelet Waldman or Binnie Kirshenbaum, for example), Messud's writing seems much more serious, mature and confident - the work of a fine novelist at the height of her creative powers. I haven't read her other books, but something tells me I'll be buying them soon!

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The Vanities Before the Bonfire

The novel captures with perfect pitch the shallowness of American culture in the last blissful days before September 11. It's strength rests on terrifically drawn characters, flushed out in so many subtle and nuanced ways. I think Bootie may be my new hero. The irony is that he far more integrity and principles than his uncle, though because he's young and naive he hasn't yet learned to channel his energies in an appropriate way.

Marina typifies everything that is self-serving and sheltered about her generation, and Danielle struck me as the most likable character.

A word about the prose. The first chapter had a few stylistic elements that struck me as bit purple, but the writing smooths out thereafter.

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The Emperor?s Children is a richly drawn, brilliantly observed novel of fate and fortune?about the intersections in the lives of three friends, now on the cusp of their thirties, making their way--and not-- in New York City. In this tour de force, the celebrated author Claire Messud brings to life a city, a generation, and the way we live in this moment.