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�Spending� full of imagery

By Amanda Cordle
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Staff Writer

�Spending: A Utopian Divertimento� by Mary Gordon is a clever, saucy novel held together by the charming, eclectic protagonist, Monica Szabo.

Through nimble writing Gordon reveals to readers the life and thought processes of the middle-aged female artist.

Fantastic imagery gives the reader a sense of being present in the art museums, steamy love scenes and passionate arguments.

The intelligent writing makes up for the occasionally tired plot.

The story deals with Monica�s need for financial help and her struggle to stop herself from forming any sort of attachment to someone willing to help.

Gordon writes skillfully about women�s desires, thoughts on money and men. The bedroom scenes also add a sensuous, entertaining quality to the plot. These scenes add a somewhat cheesy essence to the novel that makes it reminiscent of a romance novel with Fabio on the cover. This cover actually bears a middle-aged artfully posed nude.

The trite plot line of the older man coming to the aid of the needy younger woman and providing her with comfort she repays with passion does not match some of the better writing within the novel.

One of the most colorful and brave observations of the artist is when she decides that all of the paintings of Christ lying dead after being removed from the cross are not actually of a dead savior, but more like the body of a man that is �spent.�

Through surprisingly clear description and innovative arguments Gordon actually makes this idea seem plausible enough to save the starving artist�s career.

Not many writers would be able to argue that the holy figure is not dead, but rather resting after a passionate session with a lover without sounding completely profane and grotesque.

That type of creative twists really adds to the novel.

Otherwise �Spending� would be just another campy romance novel. The great social observations and beautiful writing make the book worth reading, especially since it is an incredibly quick read and provides a real variety of entertainment for the reader.

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