Negative Positive
Title: Be Careful What You Wish For
Review: Francine Prose does a masterful job of depicting the inner workings of the mind of a middle-aged, frustrated writer/teacher. Swenson is so stunned and possibly jealous of Angela's novel in progress that he is irresistably drawn to the pierced, dark young girl. I was impressed by how much Swenson's thoughts and reactions to his obsession reflected how middle aged men (like me) think and fret, yearn and fear. I'm a teacher, and I know how the protagonist could feel himself slipping closer to the forbidden despite being aware of the snares that awited him and the taboos against his desire. The characters were funny, pathetic, intriguing, and infuriating. While presenting these wonderful characters, Prose also takes insightful swipes at the vageries of the U.S. college world. I highly recommend this book to others.
Is the review positive or negative? 