Alison Lurie Summary

Alison Lurie (Bishop) was born in Chicago on 3 September 1926. She received the A.B. degree from Radcliffe College in 1947 and the following year married Jonathan Peale Bishop, Jr. They have three son... Read more

In the following review, Maitland compares Lurie's fiction to the work of Jane Austen but faults The Truth about Lorin Jones, asserting that the book has a weak ending. Alison Lurie is a tru... Read more

In the following review, King analyzes the plot and style of The Truth about Lorin Jones, claiming the book makes interesting points about the nature of biography. Every biographer—Michael H... Read more

In the following review, Bannon contends that The Truth about Lorin Jones is humorous, sly, and satirical but asserts that it does not match her best work. One thing is certain about Alison Lurie&#... Read more

In the following excerpt, Toth discusses the plot of The Truth about Lorin Jones, noting the struggles of protagonist Polly Alter to write a biography of Lorin Jones—struggles similar to Toth&#... Read more

In the following excerpt, Milton asserts that Lurie employs clever technique in The Truth about Lorin Jones by writing a novel about writing but finds shortcomings in the novel's narrow focus a... Read more

In the following review, Bolle praises Don't Tell the Grown-Ups for Lurie's interesting opposition to feminists who dismiss fairy tales as patronizing to women. “There exists i... Read more

In the following review, Smith offers a positive assessment of Don't Tell the Grown-Ups, calling the work a “witty and enlightening survey.” “Somebody's been putt... Read more

In the following review, Townsend argues that Lurie's linking theme of “subversive children's literature” in Don't Tell the Grown-Ups is neither coherent nor convinc... Read more

In the following essay, Costa provides an overview of critical response to Lurie's work and the formation of her literary reputation, particularly as established in discussion of her two most p... Read more

In the following review, Barron faults the selection of stories in The Oxford Book of Modern Fairy Tales and criticizes the use of the word “modern” in the title of the anthology. The... Read more

In the following review, Warner finds Lurie's selections in The Oxford Book of Modern Fairy Tales somewhat arbitrary due to the volume's lack of unifying linguistic, literary, or histori... Read more

In the following review, Clark evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of several stories within Women and Ghosts, asserting that Lurie's writing displays wit, irony, and a deft touch. Alison... Read more

In the following review, Taylor faults Women and Ghosts, contending that the collection suffers from over-explication and laborious detail rather than employing understatement and subtlety. What ma... Read more

In the following excerpt, Banville offers a mixed assessment of Women and Ghosts, which he finds characteristically well-written despite its uneven weight and interest. The living being is only a s... Read more

In the following review, Annan finds shortcomings in The Last Resort's treatment of feminism and love. Alison Lurie's novels add up to an American Dance to the Music of Time, with the... Read more

In the following review, Brookner concludes that The Last Resort will satisfy Lurie's admirers but is lacking in seriousness and edge. Into the stagy, semi-tropical setting of Key Westȁ... Read more

In the following review, Oldham provides an overview of the plot and characters of The Last Resort. Key West, the “last resort” of the novel [The Last Resort], is the place where char... Read more

In the following essay, Newman provides an overview of Lurie's early life and education, her formative experiences with the Poets' Theatre, the origin of recurring themes and characters ... Read more

In the following review, Davison judges Familiar Spirits to be a powerful, moving, and “revealing tribute” to James Merrill and David Jackson. Sometimes an impressionistic memoir afte... Read more

In the following review, Corn offers a negative assessment of Familiar Spirits, noting that the memoir focuses too heavily on Lurie's personal gripes with James Merrill. Describing Alison Lu... Read more

In the following review, the critic offers praise for Lurie's observations regarding children's literature in Boys and Girls Forever. A perceptive critic, Lurie (Don't Tell the... Read more

Critical Essay by Victoria Glendinning The love-war continues for Alison Lurie but in [Only Children] she has introduced a referee…. For the title has a double meaning: the actual children in ... Read more