欧宝娱乐

MITZ: THE MARMOSET OF BLOOMSBURY by Sigrid Nunez is one of those rare and special books that light up our imaginations and transport us to another place and time. I'm a fan of the short novel or novella form (less is more), and love most things "Bloomsbury"; I've read THE HOURS, BLOOMSBURY PIE by Regina Marler, THE PORTRAIT OF A MARRIAGE, and numerous books by Virginia Woolf, and seen films of these as well as CARRINGTON. Thus MITZ seems rather like old home week, a reunion of sorts.

In the years just prior to WWII Leonard Woolf adopted a friend's pet marmoset. This is NOT a biography of the marmoset (though the author does pay homage to Mrs. Woolf's biography of the Browning's cocker spaniel FLUSH), but rather a lovingly drawn portrait of a couple and the unique relationship they share with this most unusual addition to their family.

We follow the celebrated couple from Monk's House to Tavistock Square (and back again several times) and on excursions throughout Europe which include a frightening encounter with a stromtrooper in Nazi Germany. All the usual Bloomsbury characters are here: Vanessa Bell, Vita Sackville-West, T. S. Eliot, E. M. Forster, Lytton Strachey, etc. The author has meticulously researched her subject. However, the piece never feels studious or labored, but rather flows with a fluidity and grace that serves the author's subjects and readers with equal aplomb.

Anyone who enjoyed THE UNCOMMON READER or 84, CHARING CROSS ROAD is sure to treasure MITZ.