Middle Age A Romance

"[T]he whole book has the feeling of being an artifact of another era. Oates is pursuing a theme that couldn't be more timely: a bunch of middle-aged people who want to be children....But these characters seem like relics; the men, who all seem to be from the generation of Mr. Burns from THE SIMPSONS, harrumph around in private clubs; the women, few of whom work, wear big hats to garden society luncheons....Still, naked of a compelling plot, in a strange sense Oates's remarkable ability is clearer than ever. We have time to notice the careful construction of theme, the attention to a cohesive philosophy, the resonant repetition of detail....Never mind that it's not much fun to read; you could still use MIDDLE AGE as a primer on how to write fiction."Oates, Joyce Carol is the author of 'Middle Age A Romance' with ISBN 9780060934903 and ISBN 0060934905.