Cathleen Schine is often too clever, too cute, by half. Even her titles are irritating. They’re puns. “Alice in Bed” borrows from “Alice in Wonderland.” “The Three Weissmans of Westport” borrows from “The Three Wise Men.” “To the Birdhouse” borrows from “To the Lighthouse.”
The new novel--“The Grammarians”--seems to borrow from Henry James, specifically “The Ambassadors,” “The Bostonians,” “The Americans.” (James is mentioned in the story.)
But it’s possible Schine is thinking of Muriel Spark: “The Comforters,” “The Bachelors.” (Schine has said that she reads Spark--icy, relentless Spark--when she feels she is in danger of becoming sentimental.)
“The Grammarians” follows twin sisters who have an obsessive love of language. They grow up; one becomes a Kindergarten teacher, and the other becomes a copy editor. Their love of words leads to surprising further developments. The copy editor morphs into an Ann Landers-esque columnist, whose focus is words and how to use them. This editor is a “prescriptivist”: She believes that the laws of grammar are of life-and-death importance, and a violation is a serious matter.
By contrast, the other sister realizes she is a descriptivist. She doesn’t believe in being snooty. She likes seeing how actual people use--and transform--language; she likes new rules, and perversions of rules. She takes the utterances of the common man and transforms these phrases into “found-object poems.”
Here’s where things get too cute. The debate about language causes a rift in the sisterhood. Things come to a boil when a cherished family dictionary comes up for grabs: Each sister believes she is more entitled than the other to own this object. Ugh. Does no one at Macmillan ever think to say: Cathleen, this is a step too far--?
Anyway, I always enjoy a Cathleen Schine novel, despite the irritations. I do like the interest in multiple meanings of “twin.” Twins are two in a pair. But, “to twin” means to “separate,” to “sever.”
There’s also a sense of delight in Schine’s writing: She is clearly having such a great time, you can’t help but feel swept up in what she is feeling.
And if you’ve struggled with a sibling, if you’ve managed a Kindergarten class, if you’ve explored real estate in the less desirable sections of Manhattan, if you’ve worked on adjusting to new parenthood, if you’ve been part of a family, if you’ve felt swept away by words and the power of words...then there is something in this novel for you. I had a very good time.
Recommended.
The new novel--“The Grammarians”--seems to borrow from Henry James, specifically “The Ambassadors,” “The Bostonians,” “The Americans.” (James is mentioned in the story.)
But it’s possible Schine is thinking of Muriel Spark: “The Comforters,” “The Bachelors.” (Schine has said that she reads Spark--icy, relentless Spark--when she feels she is in danger of becoming sentimental.)
“The Grammarians” follows twin sisters who have an obsessive love of language. They grow up; one becomes a Kindergarten teacher, and the other becomes a copy editor. Their love of words leads to surprising further developments. The copy editor morphs into an Ann Landers-esque columnist, whose focus is words and how to use them. This editor is a “prescriptivist”: She believes that the laws of grammar are of life-and-death importance, and a violation is a serious matter.
By contrast, the other sister realizes she is a descriptivist. She doesn’t believe in being snooty. She likes seeing how actual people use--and transform--language; she likes new rules, and perversions of rules. She takes the utterances of the common man and transforms these phrases into “found-object poems.”
Here’s where things get too cute. The debate about language causes a rift in the sisterhood. Things come to a boil when a cherished family dictionary comes up for grabs: Each sister believes she is more entitled than the other to own this object. Ugh. Does no one at Macmillan ever think to say: Cathleen, this is a step too far--?
Anyway, I always enjoy a Cathleen Schine novel, despite the irritations. I do like the interest in multiple meanings of “twin.” Twins are two in a pair. But, “to twin” means to “separate,” to “sever.”
There’s also a sense of delight in Schine’s writing: She is clearly having such a great time, you can’t help but feel swept up in what she is feeling.
And if you’ve struggled with a sibling, if you’ve managed a Kindergarten class, if you’ve explored real estate in the less desirable sections of Manhattan, if you’ve worked on adjusting to new parenthood, if you’ve been part of a family, if you’ve felt swept away by words and the power of words...then there is something in this novel for you. I had a very good time.
Recommended.
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