The Virgin of Bennington

Rating:
Summary: A Disappointment
Review: The Virgin of Bennington by Kathleen Norris--A Disappointment.
I've read much of the acclaimed fiction produced by the "stars" of Bennington College's literary programs, including Donna Tartt (whose Secret History is wonderful) and Bret Easton Ellis, so I looked at this book as a way to understand the actual campus life of Bennington. I ordered the book ad discovered that a scant first chapter of the book speaks of her misfit-hood at Bennington. There is one good line or so. Then it goes into the very boring and uninteresting and trivial (dare I say inconsequential) stuff she did when she moved to New York. Shoot, I thought the title was great; it's actually the best line in the book by far.
Eric (previous reviewer) was on the money here. I guess I should've researched this one better. Anyone know of a story about a Bohemian (boho) college such as Bennington or Antioch or Oberlin that's anywhere near as good as the fantastic MIT book by Pepper White, _The Idea Factory_? White's book showed me what it might be like for a clueless thing like me at MIT, the dream factory for techie babies. I also enjoyed Scott Turow's _One-L_, about the first year of law school. I suspect Michael Crichton wrote about his experience in medical school somewhere. But the liberal arts experience? Very little out there. I did read _Ivy Days_ by Susan Allen Toth, but it wasn't really revealing and charming the way the one about her small-town childhood had been, and there was another one about a young disadvantaged African American man who'd been sent to Princeton or Harvard or somewhere only to find he didn't have the background to do some of the work, but who persevered anyway. Any of those books would probably serve you MUCH better than this little scrap of autobiography about someone we don't have any reason to want to read about . . . unless you already happen to know her. As far as I can tell, she didn't DO anything but write a few poems. The most touching moment in the book is when she describes how her father drove for twelve hours to sit with her for an evening after the breakup of her first college affair (lesbian). I thought he must have been a pretty wonderful person, and thought of my own father and father-in-law and the long talks we'd had years ago. Other than that (and the line about boys from nearby Dartmouth (?) who came through their dorm, knocking on doors and shouting, "Anybody want to screw?"), I wasn't moved. By the way, that was a pretty gross image. Yuck, if they were such trash out there, why would they brag? Surely they didn't really believe they were Bohemian? Please. Anyway, this was thoroughly boring, even when talking about poems. Sorry.

Rating:
Summary: A Disappointment
Review: This book has been poorly reviewed by the professional reviewers, and I believe Kathleen Norris has been badly advised by her editor. Perhaps it should have been entitled, "The Mentorship of KATHLEEN NORRIS, famous author, with biographical notes on her mentor." That is snottier than I had intended, but it does describe my feelings. I have read Norris' earlier works with great interest and benefit. I have recommended her books and poetry to many privately and in public places, but this book will receive none of that from me. There are at least three good books Norris could have written (a) a thoughtful, creative, but not didactic review of a Bennington education, (b) a coming-of-age memoir up to the time of the writing of "Dakota", and (c) a biography of Betty Kray, a person whose life sounds very worthy of a good biography. I give this book two stars out of deep respect for what Norris has meant to me in the past.

Rating:
Summary: This is a good book....
Review: this is an excellent book..is it a _great_book? Who cares? It is an interesting and very well-written book. I know, or knew, nothing about Norris' poetry or early career, or the whole poetry scene. But she tells an enjoyable and compelling story. I've read all of her "spiritual" books, but have never been sure about the poetry. Coming from the home town of Henry Wardsworth Longfellow, I was forced to memorize great reams of his stuff (as was my father before me). This somewhat spoiled me for other poetry. {That's a bit of an overstatement: I own a *Compleat Shakespeare*.} But if Norris writes poetry as well as she does prose, I'll read it and enjoy it. This book of course stands on its own as a great read, as well as a "teaser" for the poetry. It reads like a novel, but tells an interesting and important story.

Rating:
Summary: Loses momentum
Review: This is less a memoir than two separate books that don't fit together well as one. The opening section, about Norris' feelings of marginality as she enters Bennington and then later works in New York, are mildly interesting, although lacking in depth. The bulk of the book is about Elizabeth Kray, founder of the Academy of Poets, rather than about Norris. It doesn't work for me at all.

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