Philip falls in love with his savior and returns the favor by sneaking her on board a ship bound to England. They marry on the vessel, but Makepeace finds life in England worse than Boston because the locals treat her with scorn for being a Yankee. As she adapts to her new life, Makepeace stays true to her beliefs of equality across the Anglo Atlantic, between classes, and between genders.
Though in many ways Makepeace is an anachronism seemingly more suited o live in today's society than the pre-Revolutionary War era, readers will admire her spunk. The story line enables the audience to taste life just before the war in Boston and London with an emphasis on the disparity of opinions. This fascinating dual look at the dichotomy make for a vividly fine historical tale that shows Diana Norman can paint multiple perspectives without dismissing either side inside an entertaining romance.
Harriet Klausner
The Diana Norman book is the one about the Saxon heiress. I also read it, but can not remember much about it, thought it was average.
The book is quite good at explaining the subtle differences in opinion among left-wing American intellectuals of the time. Almost everyone had trifled with Communism or fellow travelerism, but out of that start grew many different points of view that Norman and his Ex-Friends would argue about again and again. Being philosophical writers, they would tend to explore many different avenues from one another. It's a wonder that any two writers remain life-long friends.
I grew less interested in these characters as the book progressed though. The pattern gave me the "heard it once, heard it a thousand times" feeling. By Hannah Arendt, I was tired from a long journey. But not because Mr. Podhoretz isn't a fine writer, he most certainly is. Only, I'll be ready for another subject matter from him next time around.
Poderhetz's crystal clear writing is a pleasure to read, and so especially are the explanations he provides about the writings and thinking of the subjects he describes in EX-FRIENDS: Falling Out With Allen Ginsberg, Lionel and Diana Trilling, Lillian Hellman, Hannah Arendt, and Norman Mailer.
The author's writing is welcome because these folks are not always easy to understand.
For instance, Poderetz explains that Norman Mailer thought that the social revolution of the 1960's would succeed because its advocates gained incredible strength by giving into ALL of their impulses as much as possible. The inhibited opponents of that revolution, Mailer opines, couldn't and didn't compete in the "giving into their impulses" dept. and so didn't do as well. Mailer cites Richard Nixon as an example of too much inhibition. That will shut people who thought Nixon was "too emotional."
I always wondered what Norman Mailer was talking about when I used to see him on talk shows like THE MERV GRIFFIN SHOW, but it took Podheretz to explain it to me!
I always wondered when Allen Ginsburg stated he "saw the best minds of his generation destroyed by madness," exactly which minds he was referring to. Poderhetz doesn't get into that, but his Allen Ginsberg section is also worth reading.
It's hard to be an editor. H.L. Mencken was editor of the AMERICAN MERCURY in the 1920's and early 1930's, he, too, ran into a lot grief from prima donna writers of great talent but short fuses.
Hooray for Norman Podheretz. A writer and a good man.
Mr. Podhoretz has written several books which cover most of the fascinating occurrences and turns in his life. EX-FRIENDS deals with some of the famous people he broke with as his beliefs evolved while events in the 20th century turned old political labels and beliefs upside down.
Superb writing by the author makes what could have been a dry, self-serving book into a riveting, easy to follow page-turner. Not at all what one would expect from an "intellectual".