Synopses & Reviews
PRAISE FOR
LADY OF THE SNAKES
"Rachel Pastan is a writer of immense intelligence and charm, and the delightful Lady of the Snakes beautifully showcases her talent."--Hilma Wolitzer, author of Summer Reading and Hearts
"Both a clever academic novel and a cunning literary detective story, Lady of the Snakes is perhaps most remarkable in its unflinching and compassionate portrait of its heroine, a young woman struggling to manage the competing demands of marriage, motherhood and career. This is a marvelous, fearless book."Ann Packer, author of The Dive from Clausens Pier and Songs Without Words
"With wry humor and refreshing candor, Rachel Pastan depicts the triumphs and travails of a working mother; an academic whose scholarly research reveals with startling clarity just how far women have come and how far we've still to go. Lady of the Snakes is a smart, witty, and gutsy novel." -- Binnie Kirshenbaum, author of An Almost Perfect Moment and Hester Among the Ruins
Review
"Pastan has an assured, deft and lovely voice ... Pastan admirably tackles the challenge of writing in both contemporary voices and the voices of two 19th-century Russians."
Review
"Can a woman have both a fulfilling career and a storybook family life? ... If you want to see the dilemma smartly dramatized in the experience of an appealing, intelligent heroine, read Rachel Pastan's crisp novel, Lady of the Snakes."
Review
"Pastan's writing is fluid and frank, and her characters are luminescent."
Review
PRAISE FOR
THIS SIDE OF MARRIED"In this delightful novel, the mating habits of the subspecies we might call Very Intelligent Women are examined by a writer whose eye is sharp, whose wit is keen, and whose heart is open to the possibilities that love offers."--Ann Packer, author of The Dive from Clausens Pier
"A loving homage to the spirit of Jane Austen."--The Boston Globe
Review
PRAISE FOR LADY OF THE SNAKES "A literary mystery crossed with a funny feminist commentary on marriage. Think A. S. Byatt linking arms in sisterhood with chick-lit champs Susan Isaacs and Jennifer Weiner. I was hooked from the opening scene."--Maureen Corrigan, NPR's Fresh Air
"Pastan's writing is fluid and frank, and her characters are luminescent."--Washington Post Book World
Review
"[I]t is Pastan's understanding of the real-life tortures that juxtapose the true beauty of being a mother against a woman's inner ambitions, as well as her ability to write in several voices, that make this novel noteworthy. Perfect for book club discussion, Lady of the Snakes is a flawed, but wholly enjoyable novel." Danielle Marshall, Powells.com (read the entire Powells.com review)
Synopsis
Jane Levitsky is a bright light in the field of nineteenth-century Russian literature, making her name as an expert on the novels of Grigory Karkov and the diaries of his wife, the long-suffering Masha Karkova. Jane is also wife to sweet, reasonable Billy and mother to lovable (if demanding) Maisie, roles shes finding surprisingly challenging to juggle along with her ambitions. But when Jane uncovers evidence that Masha may have been more than muse and helpmeet to her famous husband, she seizes her ticket to academic superstardom. Little does she know that she has set in motion a chain of events that will come perilously close to unraveling both her marriage and her career. Lady of the Snakes will be instantly familiarand instantly unforgettableto anyone who has ever felt torn between two worlds.
Synopsis
Lady of the Snakes is the story of Jane Levitsky, a nineteenth-century Russian literature scholar and rising star in her field, whose passion for her work runs into conflict with her commitment to her husband and her young daughter. Jane studies the diaries Masha Karkova, wife of the famous (fictional) nineteenth-century novelist, Grigory Karkov. When Jane lands a good job at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, she encounters a number of obstacles to her professional progress. Maisie, a difficult and asthmatic toddler, requires more attention than Jane feels able to give. Janes husband Billy shares domestic responsibilities, but he grows increasingly angry that Jane seems to care more about her work than about her family. Otto Sigelman, a crotchety, brilliant, old-school Karkov scholar who does not like Janes feminist approach, does his best to impede her career.
In the course of her studies, Jane uncovers some evidence that Masha may have killed herself rather than dying in childbirth, as previously believed. While Jane unravels the mystery of Masha and the past, her own life is falling apart.
About the Author
Rachel Pastan is the author of This Side of Married. Her short fiction has earned a number of awards, including a PEN Syndicated Fiction Prize. She lives with her family in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, and teaches at Swarthmore College and the Bennington Writing Seminars.