Sets out to subvert the 19th-century novel—especially its typical marriage plot, in which a delightful heroine, after a series of unfortunate setbacks and misunderstandings, finally walks down the aisle with the hero ... By the time of its breathless ending, A Perfect Hand has done what Eliot warned against in fiction-writing: moving from the 'picture' to the 'diagram,' from wholeness to formula. But this rushed wrap-up aside, Ms. Waldman has written a witty and enjoyable pastiche. I found myself wholly invested in the relationship between the admirable Alice and Charlie, willing them on to walk down the aisle. They were, I was convinced, meant to be together.
A delectable and ingenious subversion of the marriage plot. Deploying slyly surprising characters, confounding predicaments, agile wit, and an exhilarating twist, Waldman offers a pleasurable, purposeful, and moving tale that takes on class and gender biases, the fight for women’s suffrage, love, and transcendent friendship.
