Constance : A Novel

Rating:
Summary: Needs editing
Review: I agree completely with the comments regarding the poetry in the book -- if you want to illustrate what a great poet someone is, you don't give so many examples of boring, uninspired poetry. A good editor would have gently explained this to the author and convinced her not to include the poetry! The picture of present-day publishing is also pretty skewed; if you believe any publisher would permit an editor to spend so much money on expensive meals for an author who isn't likely to produce any revenue for the company, no matter how well-connected she is, think again.

Okay for a first novel, but I expected a whole lot more from the praise for the book on the cover and inside-the-book quotes. Perhaps Cantrell is well-connected herself.

Rating:
Summary: Hard to keep reading
Review: The only reason that I continued reading this book was because I didn't have another book to read. It's very rare that I feel as strongly about a novel as I do about this one - but I could not warm to it. While the language of the novel generally flows nicely, the content seems silly on multiple levels. The narrator, as an editor, frequently references classical authors and their novels. While some of the content of these discussions is thoughtful, the characters are often annoying as they consider themselves to be peers of these amazing writers. The editor frequently trashes the "hacks" she sees getting published, and yet her protege, Constance, doesn't seem to produce anything of note. Cantrell makes the dangerous, and in this case poor, decision to include Constance's poetry in the book. I think one would be hard-pressed to find any redeeming talent in these poems. I would describe them as "high-school" caliber. Since the novel is built on Constance's rare talent, I found myself constantly questioning if it was worth it to turn the page. I couldn't help but feel that Cantrell mentions all of the "greats" as a way of elevating her novel - as if name dropping might yield something. She does a similar thing with her setting in Manhatten. She frequently opts out of interesting descriptions, in favor of name dropping. "walking down 6th Ave," various hotel and restaurants names, "Rockefeller Center" etc. Before I moved to Manhatten, I had no idea what these setting were like, and I wouldn't have found out by reading Cantrell's book.
The characters aren't much more interesting than the plot, which reveals itself rather artlessly. There isn't much of a build up, rather elements of the story are just thrown at the reader. When Constance first confides in her editor, her long story is related in a few boring pages that read somehthing like "and then this happened, and then this happened, and then this happened." And that's pretty much how the rest of the novel sounds, too. (I particularly grated over the innane details like how she reached into her wallet and took out a twenty dollar bill and bought the ticket and went into the theater. Are these stage directions?) If Cantrell wanted to fill up the page, she might have done well to give the reader more thoughtful character descriptions, or setting descriptions, or any pieces of information that might make this more of a novel and less of a daytime soap opera script, with a few high-brow literary discussion thrown in for a disguise.

Rating:
Summary: Faith Restored
Review: This book is beautifully written, restores my faith in the education of at least one author. The story has several layers: a young woman seeking meaning in a complex world; an editor searching for a artist with unique talent; the price of cowardice. The discussion of outstanding works of literature appeal to those who appreciate the classics. It is an excellent read.