The Marriage Plot

I liked the characters and stories of Leonard and Mitchell (the two suitors). The main character, Madeline, is rather thin by comparison (except in the imaginations of her suitors). I was drawn into the book and stayed up late to read the last 100 pages, but found it unsatisfying. At Madeline's final “yes”, I thought “OK, now her story can begin”, which is not that different from the feeling I have after the heroines in traditional “marriage plot” novels accept their marriage proposals, that it is dishonest to end the story there.

So, don't read this expecting to have a story about a woman. It's really a story about the suitors of a young college girl. The woman's story hasn't started yet.