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Miss Garnet Grows Up: Commentary on Sally Vickers' Miss Garnet's Angel
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21481 |
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BOOK WORLD
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| Issue
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5 / 2001 |
1,993 Words |
| Author
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Linda Simon
Linda Simon is professor of literature at Skidmore College
and a frequent contributor to The World & I. |
MISS GARNET'S ANGEL
by Sally Vickers
In a coming-of-age novel, a protagonist on the brink of adulthood discovers a world beyond the gentle and protected landscape of youth and a self separate from the moorings of home and family. Although a coming-of-age novel often chronicles loss--of trust, innocence, fantasies, and a belief in limitless possibility--still, the dawning of maturity inspires our celebration. Growing up, after all, suggests empowerment, engagement, and even, perhaps, wisdom. Although Salley Vickers' new novel, Miss Garnet's Angel, concerns the life of a retired British history teacher, it is, essentially, a coming-of-age novel, and that is both its appeal and, ultimately, its weakness.
Julia Garnet's decision to begin her retirement with a six-month stay in Venice frees her from a life as circumscribed as a prolonged childhood. Although she has held a responsible, relatively prestigious job, the academy sheltered her fragile sense of self and buffered her from the assaults of the world. Shy, fearful of rejection, Julia held herself aloof from her colleagues and even her students; resigned to their respect, she knew they would never embrace her with love. Her only friend was her roommate Harriet, who has just died as the novel opens. Yet Julia never cherished Harriet's companionship--and it was, Vickers assures us, nothing more than that--until she is left alone, surprised at her desolation. Acting uncharacteristically on impulse, she decides to follow through on Harriet's plans for them both to travel "to faraway and exotic places." Venice beckons: romantic, mysterious, libertine Venice.
... (1918 of 12042 Characters)
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