A tour de force. Proulx uses the device of tracing the vicissitudes of a humble accordion for a panoramic view of the ethnic/cultural groups that went into the great American melting pot. She has a Dickensian capacity to invent idiosyncratic characters and amazing twists of story and each episode is rich in convincing detail as her characters struggle for survival. Both enormous fun and thought-provoking. Great American Nightmare?
(Annabel Bedini - bwl 12 January 2002 ) |
