The Gates of Ivory

The Gates of Ivory is a 1991 novel by novelist Margaret Drabble.[1] The novel is the third in a series of novels, following The Radiant Way and A Natural Curiosity. The novel continues the stories of several middle aged intellectuals introduced in the last two novels.[2] The novel also introduces a new character, Stephen Cox who is loosely based on J.G. Farrell.[3]

First edition (publ. Viking)

Style

The novel includes metafiction reflecting on the choices Drabble made while writing the novel.[2] The novel also includes a bibliography referencing a number of works which provide background and connections for the rest of the novel.[4]

The novel's narratives that rotate between both the present and flashbacks narratives from each of the main characters.[2] The novel also introduces characters from The Needle's Eye.[2]

Reviews

New York Times reviewer Linda Simon was disappointed with the novel, writing "intellectually stimulating and, as we might expect from Ms. Drabble, very smart. But ideas do not make a novel. Characters do."[2] Publisher's Weekly describes the novel as "command[ing] awe even as [Drabble's] subject matter rouses immeasurable stores of pity and terror."[5]

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References
  1. Sutherland, John (1991-12-05). "Drabble's Progress". London Review of Books. p. 18. ISSN 0260-9592. Retrieved 2016-03-13.
  2. Simon, Linda (May 10, 1992). "Rambo, Rimbaud, Which Is Best?". The New York Times Books.
  3. Prusse, Michael C. (2003). British and Irish Novelists Since 1960. Detroit, Michigan: Gale. ISBN 978-0-7876-6015-4.
  4. "Numbers Game". The New York Review of Books. Retrieved 2016-03-13.
  5. "Fiction Book Review: The Gates of Ivory by Margaret Drabble". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 2016-03-13.
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