Spinsters

by Pagan Kennedy

Book Overview

Frannie and Doris, sisters and spinsters, are finally free from family ties and constraints. Taking off in their Plymouth Valient, they hit the road on a journey through the changing cultural landscape of America - civil rights marches and the assassination of Martin Luther King.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1852424052
• ISBN13: 9781852424053
• Release Date: June 1995
• Publisher: Serpent's Tail
• Length: 200 Pages
• Weight: 3.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.0" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Read slowly

I liked this book more than I can say. I found the prose so overwhelmingly, sometime excruciatingly, lovely that I forced myself to read slower, to make it last, not end so soon. Then I read it again.

An interesting work

Three-and-a-half stars, actually. I had read Pagan Kennedy's non-fiction "Zine" years ago and it was one of my favorite books at the time, one I've re-read a couple of times since. I resolved then to try her fiction, but I didn't get around to it until now. I enjoyed Spinsters, I liked the short, simple story revolving around the two sisters who embark on a road trip after their father's death inadvertantly frees them from the sheltered life they had known. This book didn't take many risks, and thus wasn't the kind of work that bowls you over, but it was still quite a nice read. Kennedy's use of the book's time frame, 1968, was pulled off nicely, as she didn't overdo it. Instead of an exaggerated, tv-esque view of the 60s, I thought her portrayal was more quiet and well-stated. I also thought her characters were a good metaphor for the country at large breaking out of its personal repressions and taking a fresh look at their lives and the world. (I also liked the father having been a conscientious objector during WWII-and the experiments he experienced as a result; I like little nods to lesser-known history.) I will admit to being a little disappointed by the plot curve and the ending of the story, but that didn't detract from my fondness for the book. I emphasized and had a soft spot for the sisters, and I look forward to reading more of Pagan Kennedy.

an exquisite book

This book is absolutely lovely, witty, and insightful. At first I was drawn into by the dead-on descriptions of New England -- houses, people, places -- which made me homesick; then I was utterly absorbed in the story -- simple (in the way only really well-crafted writing can be), subtle, and a great read. I recommended it to my book club (which means I happily got to reread it) and all eight members agreed it was the best pick of the year! (I was kind of surprised, because we never agree on anything, but apparently this book's wonderful story and writing have universal appeal.) Truly a gem.

A box of chocolates

At the risk of sounding too Forrest Gump-ish, I would have to say that "Spinsters" is like a box of chocolates. Each chapter is a perfect little world, and when you finish one you stop and say to yourself "Oh, I think I'll have just one more." Before you know it the book is finished, and you sit there, completely satisfied, but unsure as to exactly what you have just consumed. So you stop for a moment, and like remembering a particularly yummy nougat or macadadamia nut center, you recall wonderfully realized moments, and smile as each new memory of these characters, who have become a part of your life, plays across the pleasure centers of your brain. This book, like a box of chocolates, is deceptively simple. As you bite into each chapter the chocolate is only a facade covering the creamy, sweet inviting centers that await with each page turn. But best of all reading this book is an absolutely fat-free experience. All of the pleasure, none of the guilt.