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Fur and frippery

by
May 2008, no. 301

Stanley and Sophie by Kate Jennings

Knopf, $29.95 pb, 191 pp

Fur and frippery

by
May 2008, no. 301

How many books should an author have under their belt before they indulge in a piece of frippery? When John Steinbeck wrote Travels with Charley (1962), about his journeys across the country with his poodle, it must have been hard not to see it as a comedown from The Grapes of Wrath (1939). Adding the subtitle (‘In Search of America’) can’t have been enough to convince anyone that this was anything more than a writer who knew he was nearing the end of his life and career, going for a drive with his dog. By then, however, Steinbeck was widely regarded as having earned a certain licence.

Stanley and Sophie

Stanley and Sophie

by Kate Jennings

Knopf, $29.95 pb, 191 pp

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