If you linger too long over the prose, the novel’s female characters start to sound a tad more 2024 than 1954, especially as there’s little in the way of period-specific detail. Luckily, the narrative bounds along at an entertaining clip ... Most maddening... is Martin’s reliance on reporting that action at a remove, via descriptive dialogue between characters after the event.
Like Shakespeare’s play, this dryly written, utterly brilliant novel considers love at first sight and the predicament of being female in what is always a man’s world.
Though Martin might be accused of resolving the novel’s conflicts too neatly, it’s a pleasure to get to know both of her intelligent and resourceful heroines.
Neither a victim nor a saint, Carità glides through one crisis after another, the rare literary character always in flow ... Irresistible—a funny, sexy romp that’s also smart, even wise.
Undercooked ... Unfortunately, Martin doesn’t delve into questions of agency or victimization, slipping instead into trite language and cringe-worthy clichés.
