Mary Gordon Summary

In 1978, with the publication of her first novel Final Payments, Mary Gordon appeared on the literary scene, not as a promising apprentice but as an accomplished and mature writer deserving of the ex... Read more

Critical Essay by Maureen Howard With the natural instincts of a good narrator, Mary Gordon [in "Final Payments"] has elected to keep to the single-minded voice of her heroine, for Isab... Read more

Critical Essay by David Lodge Final Payments is a well-made, realistic novel of refined sensibility and moral scruple, informed by the values of orthodox Christianity—qualities one does not ex... Read more

Critical Essay by Paul Ableman Final Payments is a work of casuistry concerned to examine the conflicting demands of morality, especially Catholic morality. Isabel Moore, the heroine, blunders about,... Read more

Critical Essay by James Wolcott I thought Final Payments was foolishly overpraised—Isabel's friends and lovers were lukewarm dumplings, and Gordon had no flair for writing about sex... Read more

Critical Essay by Helen Mcneil The Company of Women is a symbolic meditation disguised as a realistic Bildungsroman. Mary Gordon's study of faith, love and charity begins with four Catholic wo... Read more

In the following review, See offers high praise for Temporary Shelter, lauding Gordon's craftsmanship, emotional authenticity, and inventiveness. Repeatedly reading works of fiction seems so... Read more

In the following review of The Rest of Life, Teleky praises Gordon as the foremost American Catholic writer of her generation and “one of the finest writers of our time.” In her lates... Read more

In the following review of The Rest of Life, Bush describes the collection's three novellas as striking narratives about self-assertive women. “We don't know much yet about how... Read more

In the following review, Turner considers the stories in The Rest of Life to be original, insightful, and entertaining. Mary Gordon has a name that sounds like the name of many other women writers.... Read more

In the following review of The Rest of Life, Hughes praises Gordon's prose for its high quality and precision. Three rich, precise novellas make up Mary Gordon's The Rest of Life. Eac... Read more

In the following review of The Rest of Life, Rodd praises the three novellas for their integrity, rich language, and authentic characterization. In one of these three superb novellas [in The Rest o... Read more

In the following review of The Rest of Life, Breslin comments on the volume's confessional narrative voice and focus on themes of obsession and memory. Three stories; three women; four men (... Read more

In the following review of The Rest of Life, Knapp praises the stories as powerful narratives exploring each heroine's existential aloneness. Mary Gordon's books are like favorite des... Read more

In the following essay, Bennett argues that the three novellas included in The Rest of Life “form a deliberately crafted whole,” and explore some dominant motifs that resonate throughout... Read more

In the following review, MacCurtain criticizes Temporary Shelter, asserting that its narratives seem contrived and poorly structured. “Nora remembered how they had laughed together. John and... Read more

In the following review, Caldwell praises The Rest of Life, observing that the three novellas express a strong sense of voice, insight, and memory. In the realm of intention, as any behaviorist wil... Read more

In the following review of The Rest of Life, Pols comments on the theme of relationships between women and men in Gordon's collection. I was barely 40 pages into Mary Gordon's new boo... Read more

In the following review, Akins praises The Rest of Life as a volume of fine novellas, written in well-crafted prose. “All this” is how a woman in “The Rest of Life” refe... Read more