Glad Rags
by MacDonald Harris.
Brownsville, Oregon: Story Line Press, 1991.
From the Jacket:
This fifteenth novel by Harris is at once a comedy and a
drama of keenest pathos, a story that explores one of the most enduring mysteries of
life--women as seen by men.
Middle-aged publisher Ben Gavilan falls in love with
Cecelia Penn, a talented harpsichordist, student, and waitress
he meets in a hotel in the Sierras. Returning to Santa Barbara,
Gavilan introduces Cecilia to his friends in the Trigorin set, a
group of people as sinister and fascinating as any you'll meet in
the best Russian novels. Glad Rags ends in a way that none
of us suspects at the outset. Sexy, humorous, and dramatic, Glad
Rags is a love story told by a master.
Critical Acclaim for Glad Rags:
- "A fine storyteller's sensibilitiy and astonishing erudition...a
winning book."
The Los Angeles Times
- "Shrewdly funny study of how two very human weaknesses--vanity and
lust--and of how men see women. Or, more precisely, how women
elude the comprehension of men...This is MacDonald Harris's fifteenth novel,
and it may be his best."
The New York Times Book Review
- "Harris' twosome...confound us in ways that make their story
oddly apepaling, if not romantic. Ben Gavilan is an independently wealthy,
58 year old who is vacationing at a resort in the Sierras when he sees and
promptly fall sin love with Cecilia...Harris...takes an interesting look at the mysteries
of love and then moves on to an even more interesting look
at the joys of gracefully accepting, and then letting go of, an
altogether unexpected experience."
Frances Woods, Booklist
- "With the deliciously wry comedy for which he is noted, Harris poignantly depicts
a romance as one man's reluctant farewell to young and beauty, 'a preliminary
to his farewell to life itself.' "
Publishers Weekly
- "with an elegant wit that still allows for emotional resonance... A
deft comedy that gives love its due."
Kirkus Reviews.
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