Publication
Vintage Classics (2020), 320 pages
Original publication date
1984
Collections
Awards
Pulitzer Prize (Winner — Fiction — 1985)
National Book Critics Circle Award (Finalist — Fiction — 1984)
Notable Books List (1984)
Description
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction, and a finalist for the National Book Award: Alison Lurie's supremely entertaining masterwork about two American scholars, both alone in London, who find romance in the most unlikely places Prim, divorced, and middle-aged, Vinnie Miner gave up on love long ago. On her way to London to research a book about children's folk rhymes-a scholarly pursuit that even her fellow academics sneer at-she finds herself sitting next to the man who will change the course of her life. Brash and na�ve, he is a sanitary engineer from Oklahoma on a package vacation. Also in London is Vinnie's colleague, the young, handsome English professor Fred Turner. His marriage and self-esteem are both on the rocks, but he is about to find consolation in the arms of the most beautiful actress in England. Stylish and highborn, she introduces Fred to a glamorous, yet eccentric, London scene that he never expected-or prepared-to encounter. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Alison Lurie including rare images from the author's personal collection.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member sirk.bronstad
Very insightful, forward thinking in many ways although dated in a few others. Laurie's characters overlap in most of her books, apparently; this and her humor and ability to explain expertly what things mean and feel make me very sad she is not more well known.
LibraryThing member agjuba
Two parallel, occasionally intersecting, stories of professors on extended research trips in London. Great descriptions of familiar places, experiences in London. I enjoyed the story of Vinnie better than the story of Fred, perhaps because she seemed to be transformed by her time and experiences in
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my favorite of all cities. Show Less
LibraryThing member novelcommentary
finished the book call Foreign Affairs by Alison Lurie and it was a pleasant read. It described the loves of two professors from America who go to England for research on their respective projects. One is a woman in her 50s named Vinnie who falls for a Midwestern sanitation engineer. Being a
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professor of children's literature teaching at an Ivy League college, the match seems ill suited, but his gregariousness and companionship win her over. Meanwhile Fred, a young handsome English professor ,recently split with his wife who took"artsy photos" of his privates. He falls madly in love with a rather famous English actress named Rosemary Radley. Her character becomes rather bizarre and takes on some schizophrenic behavior as Fred can't decide whether he should leave England and go home to his wife or not. These two affairs are told in alternating chapters. Pulitzer Prize in 1985. Show Less
LibraryThing member PensiveCat
Novel follow two Americans during a stint in London, who work at the same university but are completely different people. It's also about their foreign affairs.
LibraryThing member nocto
I remember picking some of Lurie's books up in my late teens or early twenties and not being able to get into them at all. Now I'm finding them to be great books, almost page turners. Maybe I just grew into them.
Fun story of three Americans in London, exceedingly well written and funny and sad in
Fun story of three Americans in London, exceedingly well written and funny and sad in
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all the right places. Show Less
LibraryThing member Alezanne
Unusual, beautiful and poignant story for which author Alison Lurie won a Pulitzer Prize.
LibraryThing member triminieshelton
Story of two Americans in London, both academics working on grants, one a fiftysomething spinster prof., the other a young handsome instructor, both saddled with love-baggage and suffering therefrom. In London, they each find romance and each learn something different about being English, being
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American, and being in love. Classed as a romantic comedy, this book seems to me too full of hard truths about implacable social rules/roles and personal failings to fit that category. Show Less
LibraryThing member BookConcierge
What a delightful book - although I did wish for a happier ending. The characters are quirky and vulnerable, crabby and kind, headstrong and impossible. Very human in the mix of good and bad traits.
LibraryThing member sparemethecensor
This was my first introduction to Lurie and I selected it because it was the novel that won her the Pulitzer. It's the tale of two American academics on extended working holiday in London who fall in love and contemplate western society.
Lurie's writing is exquisite. In particular in Vinnie's
At the same time that the writing has so much depth, the plot doesn't have as much. It's a romance ultimately. So it's all about the style and the insights.
Lurie's writing is exquisite. In particular in Vinnie's
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chapters, the observations of where middle aged women fit into society, who values them and who doesn't, are so truly insightful and stunningly written. It's the kind of observation that slaps you in the face because it is so true yet so ignored. At the same time that the writing has so much depth, the plot doesn't have as much. It's a romance ultimately. So it's all about the style and the insights.
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LibraryThing member cherybear
Lurie won the Pulitzer Prize for this book. I don't know who recommended it or how it got on my reading list. It's interesting. The two main characters teach at the same college and are both in London doing research. Vinnie is not young, and is described as not attractive. She loves her trips to
Their lives in London intertwine somewhat, but what is interesting is that they are both changed by their time there. And both have romantic flings ("foreign affairs") before returning to America.
One doesn't identify with, or particularly like either main character initially, but you may as the novel goes on. Secondary characters are also interesting. All of the characters are believably flawed.
And I would say the city of London, and other parts of England, become characters in the novel.
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London, and looks down on Americans. Fred is young, handsome and separated from his wife. Their lives in London intertwine somewhat, but what is interesting is that they are both changed by their time there. And both have romantic flings ("foreign affairs") before returning to America.
One doesn't identify with, or particularly like either main character initially, but you may as the novel goes on. Secondary characters are also interesting. All of the characters are believably flawed.
And I would say the city of London, and other parts of England, become characters in the novel.
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LibraryThing member SandDune
American Vinnie Miller is a professor of children’s literature on her way to London for a six month sabbatical. London is where Vinnie, a somewhat plain woman in her fifties, feels is her true spiritual home. Annoyingly, sitting next to her on the plane is another American, the type of American
Besides, this man looks like someone Vinnie would hardly want to converse with for seven-and-a-half minutes. His dress and speech proclaim him to be, probably, a Southern Plains States businessman of no particular education or distinction; the sort of person who goes on package tours to Europe. And indeed the carry-on bag that rests between his oversize Western-style boots is pasted with the same SUN TOURS logo she had noticed earlier: fat comic-book letters enclosing a grinning Disney sun.
Vinnie, not to put too fine a point on it, is a snob. But her London life will entwine with that of Chuck Mumpson, her erstwhile travel companion. And it will also entwine with that of Fred Turner, her younger colleague, who is supposed to be in London researching the eighteenth century author John Gay, but who is instead bemoaning the break-up of his marriage.
This was a beautifully written and engaging book which I read for my November book club meeting. I had a couple of petty annoyances. Vinnie’s circle of friends in London seemed just a little unlikely, and why, oh, why do American visitors to London always end up at some grand country house party? So clichéd! But well worth the read nonetheless.
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who Vinnie has absolutely no desire to associate with:Besides, this man looks like someone Vinnie would hardly want to converse with for seven-and-a-half minutes. His dress and speech proclaim him to be, probably, a Southern Plains States businessman of no particular education or distinction; the sort of person who goes on package tours to Europe. And indeed the carry-on bag that rests between his oversize Western-style boots is pasted with the same SUN TOURS logo she had noticed earlier: fat comic-book letters enclosing a grinning Disney sun.
Vinnie, not to put too fine a point on it, is a snob. But her London life will entwine with that of Chuck Mumpson, her erstwhile travel companion. And it will also entwine with that of Fred Turner, her younger colleague, who is supposed to be in London researching the eighteenth century author John Gay, but who is instead bemoaning the break-up of his marriage.
This was a beautifully written and engaging book which I read for my November book club meeting. I had a couple of petty annoyances. Vinnie’s circle of friends in London seemed just a little unlikely, and why, oh, why do American visitors to London always end up at some grand country house party? So clichéd! But well worth the read nonetheless.
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LibraryThing member spiralsheep
89/2021. Foreign Affairs by Alison Lurie is a 1984 novel about two lonely USian academic scholars in London. After I began I realised I've read this before, at least a quarter of a century ago though so I didn't remember anything about it. Clue: it's about sex (but avoids Bad Sex in Fiction Award
Quote
On being 54: "English literature, to which in early childhood she had given her deepest trust, and which for half a century has suggested what she might do, think, feel, desire, and become, has suddenly fallen silent. Now, at last, all those books have no instructions for her, no demands - because she is just too old.
In the world of classic British fiction, the one Vinnie knows best, almost the entire population is under fifty, or even under forty - as was true of the real world when the novel was invented. The few older people - especially women - who are allowed into a story are usually cast as relatives; and Vinnie is no one’s mother, daughter, or sister. People over fifty who aren’t relatives are pushed into minor parts, character parts, and are usually portrayed as comic, pathetic, or disagreeable. Occasionally one will appear in the role of tutor or guide to some young protagonist, but more often than not their advice and example are bad; their histories a warning rather than a model.
In most novels it is taken for granted that people over fifty are as set in their ways as elderly apple trees, and as permanently shaped and scarred by the years they have weathered. The literary convention is that nothing major can happen to them except through subtraction. They may be struck by lightning or pruned by the hand of man; they may grow weak or hollow; their sparse fruit may become misshapen, spotted, or sourly crabbed. They may endure these changes nobly or meanly. But they cannot, even under the best of conditions, put out new growth or burst into lush and unexpected bloom."
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writing and won a Pulitzer Prize instead). 54 year old college professor Vinnie is a fascinating character and I enjoyed reading her point of view on a variety of subjects, but 29 year old Fred's point of view revolved around his sexual relationship with his soon-to-be-ex wife and then stalking his new ex-girlfriend and I found him tiresome. The writing style reminded me of Carol Shields from the same time period. It's technically a good book but I'm not as interested in fictional sex as the author presumably must be. Nonetheless 4*Quote
On being 54: "English literature, to which in early childhood she had given her deepest trust, and which for half a century has suggested what she might do, think, feel, desire, and become, has suddenly fallen silent. Now, at last, all those books have no instructions for her, no demands - because she is just too old.
In the world of classic British fiction, the one Vinnie knows best, almost the entire population is under fifty, or even under forty - as was true of the real world when the novel was invented. The few older people - especially women - who are allowed into a story are usually cast as relatives; and Vinnie is no one’s mother, daughter, or sister. People over fifty who aren’t relatives are pushed into minor parts, character parts, and are usually portrayed as comic, pathetic, or disagreeable. Occasionally one will appear in the role of tutor or guide to some young protagonist, but more often than not their advice and example are bad; their histories a warning rather than a model.
In most novels it is taken for granted that people over fifty are as set in their ways as elderly apple trees, and as permanently shaped and scarred by the years they have weathered. The literary convention is that nothing major can happen to them except through subtraction. They may be struck by lightning or pruned by the hand of man; they may grow weak or hollow; their sparse fruit may become misshapen, spotted, or sourly crabbed. They may endure these changes nobly or meanly. But they cannot, even under the best of conditions, put out new growth or burst into lush and unexpected bloom."
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LibraryThing member ljhliesl
I had no idea what to expect from this, and I loved it from nearly the first page. It felt a bit like Mary Renault's The Friendly Young Ladies and a little like A.S. Byatt's Babel Tower, and Possession. Except it was its own. There were academics (Possession) and life in a changing, upheaving word
It felt dated -- formal, anglophile, restrained -- but then spoke frankly about sex. But still dated: in 1984, was it still common to conduct business by paper mail rather than phone?
Mostly, by a character who investigates children's rhymes, the book made me curious about another Lurie title, on the subversive power of children's literature.
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(Babel Tower). And for the Mary Renault, I dunno. Maybe I'll remember.It felt dated -- formal, anglophile, restrained -- but then spoke frankly about sex. But still dated: in 1984, was it still common to conduct business by paper mail rather than phone?
Mostly, by a character who investigates children's rhymes, the book made me curious about another Lurie title, on the subversive power of children's literature.
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LibraryThing member magicians_nephew
Alison Lurie wrote so many great novels its hard to know where to begin.
Her Pulitzer winner was Foreign Affairs a small novel about two Americans abroad.
Vinny is an older single woman an academic a scholar of nursery rhymes who loves England and is believed me when i say this really set in her
But as Chekov might have said if you meet a garrulous vulgar American in Act I, you'd better have someone wind up in bed with him in Act III.
Fred is a younger man and QUITE attractive to women coming over to England after a rather improbable fight with his free-spirited wife and looking for - what? - himself? He's studying John Gay the playwright who came up with "Mac the Knife". He falls in with Lady Rosemary a popular actress swanning her way through Societywhose most interesting performance may have only been enjoyed by a few people.
The cast of characters is vast and interesting, from American Tourists to English demimondes and they all have things to say. Her writing about sex and sexuality in "older" women is compassionate and understanding and warmly sympathetic. She understands Vinne and Fred and brings us to understand them too.
The ending is sad, but lovely. Makes you want to go right back and read it again from the beginning.
Loved her The War Between the Tates which was made into a pretty good movie. But this is her most wonderful book.
Her Pulitzer winner was Foreign Affairs a small novel about two Americans abroad.
Vinny is an older single woman an academic a scholar of nursery rhymes who loves England and is believed me when i say this really set in her
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ways. Unloved and thinking herself unlovable, she has worked out how to live her live without being touched and without being hurt.But as Chekov might have said if you meet a garrulous vulgar American in Act I, you'd better have someone wind up in bed with him in Act III.
Fred is a younger man and QUITE attractive to women coming over to England after a rather improbable fight with his free-spirited wife and looking for - what? - himself? He's studying John Gay the playwright who came up with "Mac the Knife". He falls in with Lady Rosemary a popular actress swanning her way through Societywhose most interesting performance may have only been enjoyed by a few people.
The cast of characters is vast and interesting, from American Tourists to English demimondes and they all have things to say. Her writing about sex and sexuality in "older" women is compassionate and understanding and warmly sympathetic. She understands Vinne and Fred and brings us to understand them too.
The ending is sad, but lovely. Makes you want to go right back and read it again from the beginning.
Loved her The War Between the Tates which was made into a pretty good movie. But this is her most wonderful book.
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LibraryThing member ffortsa
When I started this book, it felt like a typical 'Americans in London' or 'academics on holiday' story, and I didn't hold high hopes for it. But it got better, and better, and I even began to like some of the characters. Our reading group discussion started in much the same vein, but people kept
Two academics, one toward the end of her career and one at the beginning of his, fly off to London to work off grants in their respective fields. The first could be described as a spinster, although there's more nuance in her life than that word describes, and the other a particularly good-looking young man fleeing a rift in his marriage. Their paths cross in London, and he gets caught up in her circle of London friends. She evades an Oklahoman who talked to her on the flight in; he falls for a beautiful actress. Complications and enlightenments ensue, to varying degrees, for both our protagonists. At least one of them will change.
The novel plays with the idea of surface, depth, the idea of self, and (I think) London as an urban Forest of Arden, where it is possible to 'feeling pursuade' those who visit it what they are, which is why I need to revisit it.
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talking about it, and I ended the evening thinking I needed to read the whole book again to get under the plot.Two academics, one toward the end of her career and one at the beginning of his, fly off to London to work off grants in their respective fields. The first could be described as a spinster, although there's more nuance in her life than that word describes, and the other a particularly good-looking young man fleeing a rift in his marriage. Their paths cross in London, and he gets caught up in her circle of London friends. She evades an Oklahoman who talked to her on the flight in; he falls for a beautiful actress. Complications and enlightenments ensue, to varying degrees, for both our protagonists. At least one of them will change.
The novel plays with the idea of surface, depth, the idea of self, and (I think) London as an urban Forest of Arden, where it is possible to 'feeling pursuade' those who visit it what they are, which is why I need to revisit it.
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LibraryThing member Kelberts
I had a hard time getting into this book and found it to be a disappointing Pulitzer. The main character, Vinnie, remains a pill despite opportunities to really change her life. I don't know the point of Fred's (Vinnie's contrived contrasting main character) story other than he, like Vinnie, goes
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back to his old life as well. Show Less
LibraryThing member dele2451
Excluding the imaginary dog, the most interesting characters in the book were the ones we didn't hear enough from. Good? Yes. Pulitzer worthy? No.
LibraryThing member Pattymclpn
This book was recently released by Open Road Media as an e-book in June of 2013. It was originally published in 1984. I obtained it for free from NetGalley. It won both a Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction. I don’t know about you, but I was not familiar with
I was not sure what to expect with this title. This book is about two very different love affairs. Vinnie Miner is a very proper American professor who strangely enough falls in love with a Oklahoma cowboy who is a sanitation engineer. Vinnie is in England to write a children’s book. Chuck is visiting England on a vacation tour. Vinnie is fifty-four and divorced and feels she will never find the love of her life. What do they have in common? They seem an unlikely couple.
Fred is a fellow co-worker of Vinnie’s. He is also in England. He meets a beautiful actress and falls in love. He is swept up into her social circle. Things aren’t always what they seem though as Fred will later find out.
This book is a mature love story. It takes real life down to earth characters and puts them in real life situations. We have a glimpse of the realities of love and the consequences. The characters are all trying to find themselves. They are all learning about the give and take of love and relationships. This book is very believable.
I did find the language a little raw. The F word was used frequently, but I’m not sure why Lurie does this? It is not impressive. There were a few words I had to look up. The book pokes along until the middle of the story. The characters are well-developed and we have a good sense of who they are. It is a relaxing read. I found it to be a different type of novel. When I say different, I don’t mean bad, just different. This is not the book for you if you like a lot of action or sex scenes. It does contain many issues for discussion. It could be a good book club selection. The reviews I looked at prior to writing this are very controversial. Opinions on this work are varied. I give it 3 out of 5 stars. I have to say that I wonder what her other novels are like??
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Alison Lurie or her novels.I was not sure what to expect with this title. This book is about two very different love affairs. Vinnie Miner is a very proper American professor who strangely enough falls in love with a Oklahoma cowboy who is a sanitation engineer. Vinnie is in England to write a children’s book. Chuck is visiting England on a vacation tour. Vinnie is fifty-four and divorced and feels she will never find the love of her life. What do they have in common? They seem an unlikely couple.
Fred is a fellow co-worker of Vinnie’s. He is also in England. He meets a beautiful actress and falls in love. He is swept up into her social circle. Things aren’t always what they seem though as Fred will later find out.
This book is a mature love story. It takes real life down to earth characters and puts them in real life situations. We have a glimpse of the realities of love and the consequences. The characters are all trying to find themselves. They are all learning about the give and take of love and relationships. This book is very believable.
I did find the language a little raw. The F word was used frequently, but I’m not sure why Lurie does this? It is not impressive. There were a few words I had to look up. The book pokes along until the middle of the story. The characters are well-developed and we have a good sense of who they are. It is a relaxing read. I found it to be a different type of novel. When I say different, I don’t mean bad, just different. This is not the book for you if you like a lot of action or sex scenes. It does contain many issues for discussion. It could be a good book club selection. The reviews I looked at prior to writing this are very controversial. Opinions on this work are varied. I give it 3 out of 5 stars. I have to say that I wonder what her other novels are like??
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LibraryThing member Dabble58
Enjoyed this tremendously but perhaps it is because I could so identify with Vinnie and her depressive imaginary dog who slopes around whenever she’s feeling blue.
Poor Vinnie finds happiness but doesn’t appreciate it, and her fellow academic falls terribly in love with an inappropriate target
Lovely, well-rounded characters with serious issues but who feel so very familiar I wanted to sit down with them for a brew. Well, Vinnie anyway.
An excellent read for fans of Britain, academe, and the minute but persistent snobberies we all carry about for no known reason.
Poor Vinnie finds happiness but doesn’t appreciate it, and her fellow academic falls terribly in love with an inappropriate target
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and both of them are so wonderfully good at procrastination very little work gets done at all.Lovely, well-rounded characters with serious issues but who feel so very familiar I wanted to sit down with them for a brew. Well, Vinnie anyway.
An excellent read for fans of Britain, academe, and the minute but persistent snobberies we all carry about for no known reason.
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Language
ISBN
1784876240 / 9781784876241
Physical description
320 p.; 7.87 inches
Pages
320