Rameaus Niece

The Story

In this delightful literary romp, Cathleen Schine spoofs the cultural elite, taking contemporary fiction to new levels of comedy. Her heroine, Margaret Nathan, is the brilliant though mortifyingly forgetful author of The Anatomy of Madame de Montigny, an unlikely bestseller celebrated as much by feminists as by deconstuctionists. Happily married to a benevolently egotistical Columbia professor, Margaret seems blessed--until she finds herself seduced by an eighteenth-century lascivious novel she has discovered in the library. Margaret becomes so wrapped in its protagonist's life that she begins to imitate her. The result is a neurotic jaunt around Manhattan where Margaret, in search of renewed passion, futilely chases one sexual fantasy after another. Will she find fulfillment with a Belgian stereo equipment manufacturer? Her old friend Lily? How about her hunky dentist? Or maybe she'll have to settle for her husband, Edward--sexy, patient, but a bit too safe and perfect. With the ups and downs of temptation, love, lust, folly, and reconciliation, this modern Candida moves through the sophisticated labyrinth of contemporary Manhattan. Part Romantic comedy, part intellectual parody, Rameau's Niece is wise, affecting, and simply hilarious.