Object Lessons (novel)
Object Lessons (
Plot
Object Lessons centers on the Scanlan family, who live in New York. The family patriarch, John Scanlan, a conservative Irish man, has amassed a considerable fortune from manufacturing religious items like
As Maggie turns 13, events transpire in Maggie and her family's life. John falls ill with a stroke and dies. Connie becomes pregnant again, and she learns to drive. Maggie becomes worried about her cousin Monica's marriage. Maggie's best friend Debbie drifts away from her, she gets her first boyfriend, and she and her friends are questioned about setting fires to a nearby development.
Critical reception
Quindlen's novel was generally praised by critics from The New York Times, The Washington Post, Publishers Weekly, and Kirkus.[2][3] The New York Times review praised Maggie's story and Quindlen's observations about family life, though remarking that "Quindlen shows some uncertainty as a storyteller" as a debut novelist.[4] Publishers Weekly likened the novel to the work of Mary Gordon, calling the book "empathetic and beautifully dimensional."[5]
References
- ^ "Anna Quindlen: An Interview with Mom". Barnes and Noble. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
- ^ Dooley, Susan (2 April 1991). "Book World". The Washington Post. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
- ^ "Object Lessons". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
- ^ Tyler, Anne (14 April 1991). "Tribal Rites in Westchester". The New York Times. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
- ^ "Object Lessons". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
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