Foreign Affairs

In alternating chapters devoted to each character, six months in the life of Virginia ("Vinnie") Miner, an unmarried Ivy League college professor for whom the sweet bird of youth has long flown away, are contrasted with the same period in the life of Fred Turner - young and handsome, and a junior faculty member of the same Ivy League college. Although they barely know each other, they are both members of the English department and are both on sabbatical in London at the same time doing research.Their stories are studies in contrast and in similarities. Fred is lonely, having recently become estranged from his wife; Fred loathes England (at least, at first). Vinnie is beyond lonely - at 54, she has settled into a life of comforting routine, even if the routine involves frequent trips to her beloved England. Fred turns heads; Vinnie is "the sort of person no one ever notices."They each find romance in England. Fred is upwardly mobile - he falls in love with a beautiful and aristocratic actress of some fame. Vinnie is shocked to find herself having a romance with a sanitary engineer from Tulsa, a man who rarely reads books and with whom she would barely have deigned to have talked had they not been thrown together.Which of these two relationships goes on to become a life-love, and which ends in humiliating farce? It is the genius of this book that the answer, like life itself, remains unpredictable throughout the novel, right up to its surprising end. This novel was highly deserving of the Pulitzer Prize.

Alison Lurie's "Foreign Affairs" is quite the most witty, poignant and charming book I have read all year. Lurie had me in her spell right from the opening chapter where I was struck by her sureness of touch and intuitive understanding of the workings of the human heart. Her sense of humour is so honest and spot-on it's uncanny. She had me in stitches no sooner than Vinnie Miner boarded the plane and found to her dismay the unlikeliest of travelling companions seated next to her and determined to make conversation. Lurie's protagonists, Vinnie Miner and Fred Turner, are both living, breathing individuals everyone recognises. They aren't "types" but real people, not particularly distinguished or virtuous, with insecurities, but nevertheless people you feel compassion for. Vinnie and Fred are thrown together, sharing the same broad social milieu and developing romantic attachments with the unlikeliest of liasons. Of the two, Vinnie's story is by far the more convincing and successful. It is also heartwarming and touching. In contrast, Fred's liason is a little bland and one dimensional but saved by a dark twist at the end which I won't give away. "Foreign Affairs" has to be Lurie's masterpiece. It is a truly delightful and exceptional literary achievement by a novelist whose trademark is a graceful old school charm that's so rare to find these days. It richly deserves its Pulitzer Prize winning status and I would recommend it to anyone who reads to be moved and entertained.

I really enjoyed this work, and look forward to reading others by Ms. Lurie. The author captures, in a gentle way, the nuances of personal thoughts and human interaction. For me, there was only one weakness in this work. Ms. Laurie appears to have a misconception of men's feelings, particularly as they relate to women. On occasion, it appeared that one of the mechanisms the author uses to differentiate men from women is to have her male characters use vulgarity somewhat gratuitously. Although, in general, this work had less vulgarity than many others. Her representation of the inner thoughts of her male characters did not ring true, at least to this male reader. None-the-less, this is a marvelous work that holds your interest, leads you to care about, and feel you know, its main character Vinnie Miner, and is a hard book to put down. Highly recommended as an "outstanding read". The Pulitzer committee got it right!

This is the first Alison Lurie novel I've read (mid 1999) and I can't wait to read more. Her characters are beautifully observed, and the story is just charming. She is both ruthless and hilarious, spot on in her analysis of people. I particularly loved the Americans' view of England, both how the protagonists see themselves and think they are seen by the English, and presume Lurie has been to England to write in such an informed and yet subtle way about the country. It was very evocative. I adored Vinnie Miner, a really wonderful character, and hope there are many more Lurie heroines like her waiting to be read!

If you love Jane Austen but are looking for a modern novelist, you will love Alison Lurie. Lurie's books are hilarious and her characters are complex. She doesn't have to rely on sensational family problems (like hidden incest, etc) to keep the reader's interest. Her writing style is natural and her timing is impeccable. You can read her books with pleasure many times. Best of all, she's a modern author whose women characters are not confined to home and marriage -- they have careers and affairs, and the sticky problems that go with both. I discovered Alison Lurie about three years ago, and I am eagerly awaiting her next novel because I've read all the other ones. My favorites are Foreign Affairs (the protagonist is a nondescript women in her 50s -- and her story is funny, poignant, and interesting.) I also love The Truth About Lorin Jones, about a woman who's angry at men in general due to her recent divorce, and discovers some interesting truths about herself while researching a woman artist, Lorin Jones. Also great are: The War Between the Tates, Real People, The Nowhere City, Imaginary Friends, and Love and Friendship. Buy Alison Lurie's books for your next lazy Sunday afternoon!