Arranged in chronological sequence while simultaneously allowing the reader access into the designated past of the primary and secondary characters, A Coin in Nine Hands is at once a disjointed chronicle as well as an intricate web of human interplay. Praised for its subtlety of language and structural inventiveness, the novel has conversely been criticized for being mechanically devised and artificial in purpose. Without question, however, Yourcenar is an effective storyteller, and her ability to maintain a pure narrative voice throughout the novel is highly admirable. Attesting to her creative abilities, Yourcenar succeeds in establishing mood and setting with an economy of descriptive exposition in much the same way as she develops characterization. In comparison to the majority of her fiction, however, A Coin in Nine Hands represents a unique departure for Yourcenar as an author.

Although her attempt to address a contemporary political...