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Title: Leonard Hatch and Doris Mae are unforgettable
Review: Told simply and eloquently, "Welcome to Xanadu" held the power to be a touchstone book for a lot of people. Uneducated farm girl is kidnapped by an escaped (but non-violent) mental patient and is forced to examine her life in a new way. She ends up sharing a mountain cabin with the strange, poetry-spouting man and comes to understand him. Benchley layers the story with flashbacks, which are curious if not especially necessary, yet his dialogue is keen and he makes these characters reachable and funny. Made into a first-rate 1975 telefilm ("Sweet Hostage"), Hollywood of course added a romantic subtext which you won't get here. Still, the even-handed way the novel plays out, and Benchley's talent with everyday talk, reaches the viewer in a warm and real way.
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